2019 MCCULLAGH INTERNATIONAL MEET
- Friday, February 22nd – Sunday, February 24th
- Aurora Aquatic & Leisure Complex, Bangor, Ireland
- LCM
- Start Lists
- SwimSwam Preview
- Live Results
With the Irish Open Championships, the meet serving as qualification for this summer’s World Championships, taking place next month, we’re seeing some in-season swimming from some of Ireland’s brightest stars this weekend. Fine-tuning and additional racing experience is the order of the day at the Aurora Aquatic & Leisure Complex.
25-year-old Shane Ryan kicked off his McCullagh International campaign with a win in the men’s 100m freestyle, clocking the only sub-50 second outing of the field. Touching in 49.96, Ryan split a solid spread of 23.77/26.19 to take gold in a time .10 ahead of his prelims effort of 50.06. Ryan, who moved to train in Ireland this year, holds his nation’s record in the event with the 48.68 he threw down at the 2018 Irish Open Championships.
Another national record holder was in the pool today in the form of flyer Brendan Hyland. Hyland, who was given the Paddy J. Wright Memorial award earlier this month, notched an in-season time of 2:00.05 win beat the 200m fly field tonight. His national standard stands at the 1:57.38 Hyland clocked in Glasgow en route to 10th place at the European Championships.
Danielle Hill, who holds Ireland’s national record in the women’s 50m back, raced her way to the top of the podium in that event this evening. Hill stopped the clock in 29.45 to beat out Caroline Lewitt. 16-year-old Lewitt scored silver in 29.90, while Maria Godden rounded out the top 3 in 29.97.
Lewitt was back in the water shortly after the back sprint to contest the women’s 100m free. The London Region athlete hit the wall first in 57.86, the only sub-58 second swimmer of the night. Her time this evening was just .28 off of her personal best of 57.58 produced at the British Summer Championships last year.
18-year-old Ellen Walshe of Templeogue Swim Club was tonight’s 200m fly winner for the women in 2:15.90, while Darragh Greene took the men’s 100m breaststroke in 1:01.40. Greene, of the National Centre Dublin, holds the NR in 59.92.
17-year-old Eoin Corby had earlier snagged a new National Junior Record of 1:02.65 to earn the 2nd seed in the men’s 100m breast after the AM heats. That mark dipped under the previous junior record of 1:02.72 that’s been on the books since 2009. Corby was slightly slower this evening, registering a 1:02.73, but still snagged silver.
Closing out day 1 with a victory was 18-year-old Niamh Coyne, who easily defeated the pack in the women’s 100m breast with a winning effort of 1:08.83.