Strong Representation in Southern Makos Team for National Zone Swimming

Swimmers from 17 clubs throughout the South Island have been selected for Makos team to contest next month’s inaugural national Zonal Championship in Wellington.

The new one-day competition will comprise four zone teams with each comprising 20 swimmers 15 years and under and 20 swimmers 16 years and over. The competition will pit the best of each age group from throughout the country into four zone teams. The Makos are made up from Nelson/Marlborough, Canterbury West Coast, Otago and Southland regions.

Head coach Brigitte Mahan from the North Canterbury club said the new initiative presents an important opportunity for South Island swimming.

“It is another level up from racing within our clubs and it will now form an important part of the pathway to international selection for our swimmers, which is not always as easy to achieve as it is for swimmers from major cities in the North Island,” Mahan said.

“It also provides swimmers exposure to competition in team racing format.

“The South Island regions and swim coaches have been collaborating quite closely for a decade now. So this is a continuation of that process and the chance to formalise it under one banner of the Makos.”

The Makos are led by Christchurch’s Cameron Simpson (Templeton), a member of the New Zealand team to contest the FINA World Short Course Championships late last year and was runner-up in both the 50m and 100m freestyle at the world championship trials earlier this year.

The line-up includes two swimmers who are heading to the USA on scholarships in the New Year. Wharenui’s Matthew Hutchins, who competed in the World University Games this year, is heading to the University of Wisconsin while North Canterbury’s Natasha Lloyd will head to Auburn University.

Also in the team is outstanding Dunedin swimmer Kurt Crosland, now aged 29, who continues to defy the years, finishing on the podium four times at the world championship trials in March.

He is part of a strong contingent from the Neptune club that also includes national 200m individual medley champion Kate Godfrey.

The team is weakened without the availability of multi-national record holder Sophia Batchelor who has taken up her scholarship at the University of California Berkeley after competing in last month’s world championships in Spain.

The remaining three regions will be announced in the coming days.

The Makos team is:

Senior team: Andrew Trembath (Neptune, Dunedin), Matthew Hutchins (Wharenui, Chch), Cameron Simpson (Templeton, Chch), Michael Finlay (Orca, Invercargill), Rhys Applegarth (Neptune), Charles Porter (Aquagym, Chch), George Schroder (Aquagym), Kurt Crosland (Neptune), Michael Gray (Neptune), Nick Tyrell (Neptune), Kelly Scammell (Aquagym), Grace Somerville (Ashburton), Isobel Ryan (Oamaru), Carina Doyle (Neptune), Stef Gillespie (Zenith, Dunedin), Caitlin Rennell (Jasi, Chch), Natasha Lloyd (North Canterbury), Ebony Maikuku (Jasi), Kate Godfrey (Neptune), Katie Kenneally (QE2, Chch).

Junior team: Han Zhang (Neptune), Thomas Heaton (Neptune), Alex Buk (North Canterbury), Jordan Rahurahu (Wharenui), Sam McKenzie (Nelson), Satori Dobbie (QE2, Chch), Tame Govaerts (Zenith), Campbell Pearson (Alexandra), Campbell Kershaw (North Canterbury), Bailey Brandham (Neptune), Sophie Gibson (Queenstown), Caitlin Deans (Neptune), Ellie Rukuwai (Nelson South), Felecity Lowen (Aquagym), Kyra Forrest (Wharenui), Emily Rennell (Jasi), Sara Gane (Blenheim), Cassandra Wright (QE2), Korlina Volkov (Swim Timaru), Phillippa Dwyer (Nelson South).

Coaches: Brigitte Mahan (North Canterbury), Gennadiy Labara (Dunedin Swim Academy), Dave Pratley (Aquagym), Peter Burgon (Jasi/QEII).

NZ Zonal Championships