News

Ellie Rukuwai won the Marie Saul Cup for best all-round swimmer as the Nelson South Swimming Club claimed nearly all of the cups and trophies awarded at the Swimming Nelson Marlborough Age Group Champs, held Saturday and Sunday at Nayland Park.

Local swimmers continue to climb to new heights, as numerous swimmers broke Nelson Marlborough records, won medals, and qualified for national and Australian meets at the Wellington Long Course Summer Championships held Friday through Monday. Sally McMath (17) from Blenheim Swimming Club led the record breakers with five age group and two open records.

Waimea Swimming club had the most points for a country club at the end of the Swimming Nelson Marlborough Country & Town meet held at Hampden Street pool on Saturday, 10 January, winning the trophy from other country swimming clubs Golden Bay (second), Motueka (third) and Kaikoura (fourth).

Sally McMath led a squad of seventeen swimmers from Blenheim, Nelson South and Tasman Swim Clubs as they collected a total of 48 medals between them at the South Island Champs in Timaru last weekend and brought home the trophy for the region with most points per competitor.

Nelson Marlborough's 13-14 yr old girls freestyle relay team (Clara Foster, Sophia Elder, Sam Smith and Lucy Kerry) won a silver medal at the South Island Champs today.

Sam McKenzie collected five gold medals and broke a clutch of Nelson-Marlborough records as swimmers from the region put in an impressive performance at the National Short Course Championships last week in Wellington.

Ellie Rukuwai (16) broke four Nelson–Marlborough records and topped the Girls 15 years and over age group as she lead Nelson South to a narrow win over Tasman Swim Club at the Swimming Nelson Marlborough Winter Meet. Rukuwai was also named the winner of the Belsham Trophy for Swimmer of the Year for 2013-14.

Sam McKenzie continued his golden run at the New Zealand Age Group Championships, winning three gold medals, two silvers and one bronze and breaking Nelson-Marlborough records in five events.

Sam McKenzie of the Tasman Swim Club broke the New Zealand age group record for 14-year-old males in the prelims of the 100m freestyle at the Australian Age Group Championships in Sydney, then broke the record again in the finals later in the day.

Sally McMath of Blenheim, Clara Foster and Eddie Neill of Nelson South Swimming Club, and Emmabeth Jensen of Tasman Swim Club swam against New Zealand’s fastest swimmers at the national swimming championships held in Auckland last week, at the meet serving as trials for the Commonwealth Games.

Aleisha Max must have had a good breakfast. The 13-year-old from Tasman Swim Club nearly swam out of her skin as she helped Nelson-Marlborough retain the trophy for the top region at the South Island Country and Town Championships at Splash Palace in Invercargill.

Motueka’s 12-year-old Daniel Trevurza was the region’s top performer at the State New Zealand Junior Championships held over the weekend in Wellington. Daniel won his age group at the Swimming Nelson-Marlborough Age Group Championships earlier this month.

Fraser Neill (17) went out in style, securing the Marie Saul Cup for the best all-round swimmer and leading Nelson South Swimming Club to victory at the Swimming Nelson Marlborough Age Groups Championships.

Sam McKenzie of Tasman Swim Club led a group of nine Nelson-Marlborough swimmers who broke Nelson-Marlborough records at the Wellington Summer Champs in January. McKenzie won six events and set Nelson-Marlborough age group records in all of them.

Charlie Thain of Motueka Swimming Club won the Life Members Cup for top Country Club Swimmer, winning all eight events that she entered and notching up seven personal bests. This secured her a “double gold” for top overall 11-12 year old girl as well as top country club swimmer in her age group...

Sara Gane of Blenheim won two breaststroke events and Sam McKenzie of Nelson won the 50m freestyle as Nelson Marlborough swimmers contributed to a surprise win by the South Island Makos in the junior division of New Zealand’s first ever inter-zone swimming competition.

Clara Foster of Nelson South Swimming Club claimed the gold medal in the 50m breaststroke for 13-year-old girls during the first day of the NZ Short Course Championships yesterday in Wellington, setting a new regional age group record in the process.

Four Nelson-Marlborough swimmers have been selected for an all-South Island team - the Makos - following their impressive performances at the South Island Championships held recently in Blenheim.

Sam McKenzie of the Nelson Swimming Club, Ellie Rukuwai and Phillippa Dwyer of the Nelson South Swimming Club, and Sara Gane of Blenheim Swimming Club will be part of the South Island’s “15 years & Under” zonal team, comprising just 20 swimmers.

Sam McKenzie, Ellie Rukuwai and Amy Coulton of Nelson and Sara Gane of Blenheim won South Island titles as the South Island’s top swimmers converged at Blenheim’s Stadium 2000 Aquatic Centre over the weekend for the 2013 South Island Swimming Championships.

Records tumbled over the weekend as 100 swimmers from the top of the South contested the Swimming Nelson Marlborough Winters Champs held at the ASB Aquatic Centre.
Sarah-Kate Birkett (10) from Nelson Swimming Club took out the award for Best Overall Female Swimmer, while Oliver Stark (11) of Waimea Swimming was Best Overall Male.

Samantha Trevurza has been awarded the Belsham Trophy as Nelson-Marlborough's Swimmer of the Year for 2012-13.