World championship swimmers bring experience to Aquaknights Zonal team

FINA World Championship teammates Bobbi Gichard and Bradlee Ashby will add their experience to the Aquaknights team set to compete at the Zonal Championships this weekend in Auckland.

With the generous support of the Brian Perry Charitable Trust the exciting one-day competition is back on 13 February 2016 in Auckland and comprises four zone teams with each including 20 swimmers 15 years and under and 20 swimmers 16 years and over.

Ashby (Fairfield) and Gichard (Greendale) both competed in the Kazan world championships last year and will feature in the senior team for the Aquaknights.

Gichard was also a medallist at last year’s Junior World Championships and Youth Commonwealth Games.

The junior team also features some up and coming swimmers with impressive credentials.

Stratford swimmer Joshua Gilbert finished off 2015 with winning performances at the Victorian Age Group Championships which also earned him New Zealand age group records.

Thirteen year old Gina McCarthy (Hillcrest) was the second leading individual female at the 2015 New Zealand Age Group Championships.

This year’s Aquaknights team comprises of swimmers from 17 clubs from throughout the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay Poverty Bay and Taranaki regions.

The 2016 Zonal Championships will take place at the Sir Owen G Glenn National Aquatic Centre in Auckland on Saturday 13 February and will be live on Sky Sport 4 from 5.00pm with 160 swimmers vying it out for their respective zones.

The 2016 Aquaknights team is:

Senior Team: Cameron Voykovich (St Pauls), Jack Weston (Rotorua), Julian Weir (Aquabladz), Daniel Caldwell (St Peters), Bradlee Ashby (Fairfield), Eliot Lundon-Moore (Aquabladz), Andrew Jeffcoat (Fairfield), Matt Hyde (Matamata), Zac Reid (Aquabladz), Jonathan Burfield-Mills (Napier Aquahawks), Libby Bradley (Greerton), Aimee Daniels (Aquabladz), Bobbi Gichard (Greendale), Jenna Barrett (Aquabladz), Kendall Reidy (Central Hawkes Bay), Kaitlyn Tippett (Aquabladz), Ruby Matthews (Otumoetai), Vanessa Ouwehand (Te Awamutu), Moana Aupouri-Kawai (St Peters) and Saacha McCormack-Goeth (St Peters).

Junior Team: Lochlainn O’Connor (Greerton), Cai Jager (Greerton), Danyon Hardie (ACE), Chris Johnson (Stratford), David Boles (Rotorua), Matt Meuli (Aquabladz), Josh Gilbert (Stratford), Johnson Bishop (Taupo), Hadlee Dyer (Napier Aquahawks), James Raymond (Matamata), Lauren Pickett (Enterprise), Ruby Adsett (Napier Aquahawks), Katlyn Steedman (ACE), Bianca Donnelly (Rotorua), Ella Jamieson (Central Hawkes Bay), Maggie Franks (Central Hawkes Bay), Grace Soo Choon (Hillcrest), Jenna Bain (Te Awamutu), Olivia Corrin (Enterprise) and Gina McCarthy (Hillcrest).

CAPTION: Bradlee Ashby in action.

NZ Zonal Championships