CaSSSA Cup swimming championship – who won it this year?
A thrilling CaSSSA Cup swimming championship unfolded today. Who won, how many records were broken and how all the schools went here.
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All Hallows’ School regained the CaSSSA championship trophy with a dramatic freestyle relay finale today at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre.
With as little as just 10 points between the Steve Miller-coached All Hallows and reigning champs St Rita’s entering the relays, All Hallows’ pressed the go button to edge away from their rivals. The margin was just 29 points.
HOW THE CaSSSA CUP MEDIUM SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIP UNFOLDED
PICTURE GALLERY: CaSSSA CUP MEDIUM SCHOOLS GALLERY
One of All Hallows’ relay wins was in record time when Alice McMeniman, Lilla Ribot-de-Bresac, Keva Robinson and Abbie Hegarty combined to set a new mark in 2:07.66. Ironically second placed St Rita’s also passed the old record.
There was also a second record. St Rita’s Zoe Crowther took a 10th of a second off the previous best 13 Years 50m backstroke time.
Final points:
1. All Hallows 1300
2. St Rita’s College 1271
3. Loreto College 1093
4. Mt St Michael’s 933
5. Brigidine College
6. Mount Alvernia College
7. Lourdes Hill College
Combined Age Groups
10 Years and under: St Rita’s
11 Years and under: St Rita’s
12 Years and under: All Hallows tied with Loreto
19 Years and under: All Hallows’
Open: All Hallows’
13 Years: All Hallows
14 Years: All Hallows
15 Years: All Hallows
16 Years: All Hallows
Preventing All Hallow’s freestyle frenzy between Event 101 and event 107 was like holding back the tide as the they won the open girls (Ribot-de-Bresac, Brodie, Connors and Gibbons), the 12 Years (Greenaway, McMeniman, Lee and Clarke), the 13 Years (Hope, O’Rourke, McCahon and Giffin), the 14 years (Creely, Sefton, Martin, Frare) and the 15 Years (Ribot-de-Bresac, Hegarty, Robinson and McMeniman) before the St Rita’s 16 Years team of Ruby Crowther, Evelyn Harding, Zara Goff and Ella Postie snapped All Hallow’s momentum.
But All Hallows then returned to the top of the podium to win event 107, the 19 Years 200m medley relay, courtesy of Jessica Harbottle, Sofia Brodie, Lana Nguyen and Lauren McInally.
With a dozen relays to run All Hallows had increased its lead from 10 to 25 points, but it was still anyone’s event.
However, a continuation of the blue and white wave generated by the All Hallows’ girls saw them win the 200m 12 Years relay, and both the 13 Years relays.
The flame flickered for St Rita’s who stormed to victory in the 14 Years 200m free relay, and also won the 15 Years relay, but between that White, Nguyen, Pattison and Martin restored order for All Hallows in the other 14 Years.
All Hallows won the 15 Years courtesy of Elizabeth Douglas, Jessica Bright, Kiara Pavanello and Mia Field, and importantly both the 19 Years events thanks to Madison Lewis, Ella Denny, Charlotte Commins and Charlotte Moore and then Lana Nguyen, Lauren McInally, Millie Gallagher and Brodie Sofia.
After a two decade winning streak was snapped by St Rita’s last year, All Hallows were back on top.
But it had taken a huge effort by All Hallows to shake off St Rita’s, a swim team which refused to go away.
It was another chapter in a great sporting rivalry between All Hallows’ School and St Rita’s College, while all schools should take a bow for their role in the meet which generated a fever pitch atmosphere throughout.
What a start to the championship was as good as one.
The much anticipated 100m open freestyle has a rich history, and now Annabel Creswell (St Rita’s) is a part of that decorated tradition after a strong challenge from second placed All Hallows’ representative Lana Nguyen.
The 12 years 50m freestyle started with an Allhallows’ win, with Celia McMeniman touching, while Celina Bang (Loreto College, Div 2) hit the wall first in a blanket finish which included Mt Alvernia’s Isla Roach.
The 12 years continued with freestyle sprinter Anne Greenway of Allhallows touching first from Ellie Preston (Loreto), while Violet King continued Loreto’s strong start with another win in the 12 years.
There was a nice moment in Div 7 when Lourdes Hills’ Christina Vokovic pulled off a win for her school in the 12 years, while rounding out that age division was Reese Herbert winning Div 8.
The 13 Years Div 1 was swum and won by St Rita’s Zoe Crowther, and in Div 2 MSM’s Holly Winterflood won another thriller where all the swimmers were in contention.
Some of the other 13 Years winners were Isla Whitcombe from Bella Cailgaris after a shoulder to shoulder battle in the Div 4, while in Div 5 Alex Wisicki (Allhallows) had a nice win.
The Division 6 event was claimed by Claudia McCahon (Allhallows), then Bronte Hills (Allhallows, Div 7).
Olivia Somerville of All Hallows hit top form in the 14 Years Div 2, as did her squad mate Molly-Jean Creely (Div 3).
In other hotly contested 14 Years swims Sophia White (Div 6) continued to rack up points for All Hallows, along with her teammate Amelia Nguyen (Div 8), while Loreto won the Div 7 courtesy of Stephanie Peck.
A rising junior Eloise Pattison (Loreto) won a tremendous Div 1 15 Years 50m swim off, while in Div 2 Abbie Hegarty (Allhallows) won her race.
Allhallows then had plenty to cheer about again when Mia Field led from start to finish in the Div 5, her squad mate Elizabeth Douglas also won (Div 6) and her teammate Kiara Pavanello won the Div 7.
The 15 years sprints were rounded off by Jessica Bright’s tidy Div 8 win for Allhallows.
The thrilling 16 years Div came and went in a flash with another Crowther victory for St Rita’s – this time Ruby winning after a victory by Zoe earlier.
MSM gained maximum points in the 16 Years Div 2 (Abigail Wild), the Div 3 (MacKenzie Sharpe) and also the Div 4 Chloe Tran in a golden patch for the Ashgrove-based school.
Lewis Madison (Allhallows) then broke the MSM momentum in Div 5, while St Rita’s Alice Ferguson was impressive in the Div 6, as was Charlotte Commins (All Hallows) in Div 7 and Sophia Keating (St Rita’s) in Div 8.
The 16 Years Div 1 final was worth the wait, with a sensational finish that saw Sofia Brodie (All Hallows, first) ahead of Creswell (MSM) and Sienna Counsel (St Rita’s). All three girls swam under 29 seconds in a close one.
However it was not close in the Div 3, with St Rita’s Gemma Hutchings, an ace high jumper, winning well, while in the Div 4 there was not a struck match between the top three, with Lourdes Hills’ Maddison Palmer getting the job done.
It was wonderful seeing the three open freestyle Div 1 multi-class contested between Mt Alvernia girls Emelia Ferguson, Airlie Davis and Victoria Belando Nicholson (Loreto).
The backstrokers launched into action in style, with Allhallows’ Tesse Gibbons leading the charge in the open, while Mt Alvernia’s Saoirse O’Neill a sensational winner in the 12 Years Div 1.
Loreto’s Stella Bang continued her grand championship (Div 1, 14 Years), and in the Div 2 Creely (Allhallows) had more success.
Pattison (Loreto) then continued her outstanding championship by winning the Div 1 15 Years.
Both the 19 Years and 16 Years backstroke Div 1 event were ripping contests.
Ruby Crowther showed them how it was done for St Rita’s, but she was kept honest by Gibbons (Allhallows) and Joosep (Loreto).
Then in the 19 Years Counsel (St Rita’s) flew her school’s flag again, with Nguyen (Allhallows) second and Creswell third.
Allhallows’ Ribot-de-Bresac then kick started the breaststroke in style, winning the Open 100m from Nicola Vitanza (Loreto) and Audrey Dearlings (MSM).
There is something majestic about seeing the breaststroke swimmers power through the water and the competitors did not let us down.
After Ribot-de-Bresac’s open win, Layla Conway (Lourdes Hill) found her way to the wall in the 12 Years Div 1, edging out Brigidine College’s Eloisa Clout and Roach (Mt Alvernia).
The Mt Alvernia cheer squad was in an uproar soon after when Helen Hoessler stormed to her Div 2 victory (13 Years) after All Hallows’ Claudia McCahon had won the 13 Years Div 1 from Sienna Hoare (Lourdes Hill) and a surging Beth Kelly (Mt Alvernia).
All Hallows’ Olive Martin then had a grand Div 1, 14 Years win in her breaststroke, with Loreto’s Maddee Clarke winning Div 2 from Brigidine College’s Tia Dbu Shamaleh.
There was more success for Loreto when Georgia Joosep won her Div 1 race, while the breaststroke competition was closed down in grand style for Loreto when Matilda Buttini triumphed in Div 1 and Vitanza in Div 2.
St Rita’s Indiana Rushton then won the Year 6, under 11s from Stuartholme’s Giselle Cid.
The gruelling butterfly competition started with a bang, with Ribot-de-Bresac winning again – this time in the 100m Open fly. Second was Wild and third was Zara Goff.
It was onward and upward for St Rita’s, with Giselle Laurito winning Div 1 12 Years and MacKenzie the 13 Years Div 1 before Stella Bang struck again for All Loreto, winning the 14 Years Div 1.
Ribot-de-Bresac was running white hot for All Hallows, backing up from her open win to claim her age group win – in the 15 Years.
Ruby Crowther was another high achiever, this time claiming the 16 Years Div 1, while Div 2 was claimed by her squad mate Goff.
The butterfly 50m sprints continued in style, spearheaded by the 10 Years and under swimmer Chloe Steele (St Rita’s College).
Loreto’s Aspen Stewart then swam the house down, storming to a comprehensive win in the 200m open freestyle. It was some performance.
There was a nice finish to the championship for MSM whose 16 Years 200m relay tea of Wild, Kate Shield, Chloe TRan and Sharpe claimed victory.
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