Commonwealth swimmer leads All Stars in Zonal Championships

Eleven clubs from across the Wellington and Manawatu Regions will join together as the All Stars to compete at the 2015 Zonal Championships in Auckland next month.

The exciting one-day competition on 8 February in Auckland comprises four zone teams with each including 20 swimmers 15 years and under and 20 swimmers 16 years and over. The competition, which will pit the best of each age group from throughout the country, proved an outstanding success in his its debut 15 months ago and with the generous support of long time swimming supporter, The Brian Perry Charitable Trust, is back in 2015.

Commonwealth Games swimmer Emma Robinson leads the way for the All Stars’ women’s senior team while Junior Pan Pacific team members Ben Walsh and Liam Albery add power to the senior men’s team.

Albery also recently placed third in the 10km and 5km at the New Zealand Open Water Championships at Lake Taupo.

The All Stars junior side is without the experience of some of the other Zonal Teams but still boasts some very competitive swimmers.

Mya Rasmussen picked up five individual wins at last year’s New Zealand Age Group Championships and broke two New Zealand Age Group Records at the national Short Course Championships. She also holds a national Age Group record in the 400m individual medley long course.

In the men’s junior side Xavier Hill will add a spark to the team; the Kiwi West swimmer broke four Age Group Records at the 2014 national short course meet.

The 2015 Zonal Championships will take place at Auckland’s Westwave Aquatic Centre on Sunday 8 February and will be live on Sky Sport 4 from 5.00pm with 160 swimmers vying it out for their respective zones.

The 2015 All Stars team is:

Senior: Ben Walsh (Porirua), Blake Gunn (Kiwi West), Devlin Forsythe (Karori Pirates), Hamish Trlin (Capital), Jacob Smith (Carterton), Joe Hammond (Carterton), Kyle Barnes (Capital), Liam Albery (Capital), Nicholas Crott (Capital), Tom England (Capital), Alex Pampalone (SwimZone), Bronagh Ryan (Porirua), Emma Robinson (Capital), Jenna Buchanan (Kiwi West), Josie Kozyniak (Capital), Maggie Burns (Capital), Nikki Chapman (Capital), Rachel Smart (Tawa), Rebecca Moynihan (Raumati), Sarah O’Connor (Karori Pirates).

Junior: Aragorn More (SwimZone), Brendan de Greve (SwimZone), Cameron Gillespie (Dannevirke), Campbell Tacon (Capital), George Dorrington (Karori Pirates), Lewis Clareburt (Capital), Patrick Langley (SwimZone), Shawn O’Hara (Kapiti), Tom Berry (SwimZone),  Xavier Hill (Kiwi West), Aliesha Mitchell (Karori Pirates), Chelsey Edwards (SwimZone), Elena Forlong (Wanganui), Jessica Iggo (Capital), Keely McKnight (Kiwi West), Macy Burns ( Capital), Mya Rasmussen (Kiwi West), Ruby Heath (SwimZone), Shannon Schimanski (Wanganui), Tsai Stevens (SwimZone).

Coaches: Gary Hurring, Craig Albery, Nevill Sutton, Andrew Nichols.

CAPTION: Emma Robinson in action. (Credit: BW Media)

NZ Zonal Championships