MVC National Team
Our national level swimmers did MVC proud during an intense two weeks of high
quality competition at the Australian Open and Age championships in Adelaide.
Some of our outstanding performers were Elyse Woods clinching the 19/20-years
100m and 200m freestyle double, Benno Negri winning the 20/22-years 100m
freestyle and claiming silver in the 50m free and Ed Speller touching first in the 15
years 50m freestyle.
Ruby Halliday had a tremendous meet in the 16-18 and 17-18-years multi-class,
winning gold in the 50m breaststroke, silver in the 100 breaststroke and securing a
top eight finish in her other three events. Ahmed Kelly, one of MVC’s most
accomplished national and international athletes, added to his career haul of
Australian titles with a win in the multi-class, 150m IM.
Yunhui Kim, one of our emerging junior stars, won a brace of silver medals in the 14
years 100m and 200m butterfly and Oliver Nash, who has just celebrated his 18th
birthday, put the final touches on his impressive national age CV by finishing second
in both 17-years butterfly events.
Amid these podium performances, one of the biggest thrills for head coach Kenny
Monk was seeing our two youngest swimmers, 13-year-old Natasha Ekelmans and
Lila McNamara, make their national debut. “The way both girls handled themselves
in and out of the water was amazing to watch,’’ Kenny said.
Congratulations to our other swimmers who proudly wore the MVC cap in Adelaide:
club captains Jorden Merrilees and Koti Ngawati, Robbe Dilissen, Daniel Cave,
Isabel Ekelmans, Larissa Ekelmans, Luke Gebbie, Lev Makarushkin, Ash
McConnell, Ben Morrison, Win Oo, Katya Richardson, Justin Woolley, Hana
D’Rosario and Amelie Le Grand.
A big thanks also to our team of tireless coaches who prepared our open and age
national teams: Craig Jackson, Kenny Monk and Amanda Teh.
As a result of these strong performances, three MVC athletes have been selected by
Swimming Australia to compete in national colours.
Benno Negri can brush up on his Italian when he heads to Naples in July for the
Summer Universiade, the World University Games. In August, Oliver Nash will take
his place among Australia’s 30 best teenage swimmers at the World Junior
Swimming Championships in Budapest. In September, Ahmed Kelly returns to the
London Aquatics Centre, the scene of his 2012 Paralympic triumph, for the World
Para Swimming Championships.
Selection in an Australian team is an outstanding achievement. Make sure you let
Benno, Ollie and Ahmed know next time you see them on pool deck.