Swim Ulster Schools Cup and Championship – Friday 9th February 2024, in Bangor
On Friday 9th February, 27 swimmers from Banbridge Academy represented the school at the Ulster
Schools’ Cup Championship. There were a record number of entries for this gala and the format was
changed to accommodate. It was a long day for the swimmers, parents & volunteers with some people taking
part in both the morning and evening sessions.

For the first time 5 different local swimming clubs were represented by the 27 swimmers from Banbridge
Academy, Banbridge, Lurgan, Portadown, Newry and Lisburn. It was great to see them come together and
show excellent team spirit. They all swam amazingly well, cheered each other on in the individual swims and
got behind the relay teams.

The schools gala is broken up into different age groups with the team cup represented to the team in each
age group that scores the most points. In the last two years of this competition Banbridge Academy has won
at least one team cup, so we were hopeful of bringing home more silverware.
Swimming for Banbridge Academy in the different age groups were:

Overall, from these Banbridge Academy swimmers there were:
Personal Bests – 14
Due to the numbers this year there were no finals, and so swimmers had to perform at their best in the heats
to see if they would finish with a medal. The standard of swimming was excellent, with tight races and some
swimmers just missing out on higher places by the slimmest of margins.
Out of the individual swims, the following swimmers came away with medals:

The relays were very exciting, and our teams performed well.

● 2nd in Girls 12-14 200 Medley Relay Team was Sophie Black, Rose Turley, Rebecca Lane, Hollie
Jennings.

● 1st in Girls 15-16 200 Medley Relay Team was Sophie Black, Samantha Burns-Atkin, Tara Kennedy,
Cara Magee.

● 2nd in Girls 15-16 200 Free Relay Team was Cara Magee, Nancy McCusker, April McFarlane, Tara
Kennedy.

Interpro Team
Qualification for the Ulster Interpro Team requires being placed in the top two of the event for the specific age
group. This is a significant achievement and means that anyone selected will be representing the school at
Regional level against other Irish provincial teams later this season. Those selected for the team are:

● Sophie Black
● Zachary Black
● Samantha Burns-Atkin

Overall Awards
Finally, the team cups are awarded on points, to get points swimmers need to finish in the top ten of their
individual events. This year it was the turn of the 15-16 year old girls to bring home the silverware. This is the
first time Banbridge Academy has won this cup and the third year in a row that Banbridge Academy has
brought home a team cup. The girls in this age group all swam well and all contributed.
A big well done to: Samantha Burns-Atkin, Tara Kennedy, Cara Magee, Nancy McCusker and April
McFarlane.