It was a big weekend for our team of four representing Merrylands at the NSW Junior Metropolitan Championships at SOPAC this weekend.

This was the first time that all members of the team have competed at this level of competition.  While there were nerves, the team performed exceptionally well.

Matt was flying solo on Saturday and swam the 11 Years 100m Freestyle in a personal best time. Matt returned on Sunday for the 11 Years 100m Butterfly and achieved his second fastest time, after having already PB'd in this event a week ago.

Niushka was up next and after having taken 5 seconds off her time to qualify for Metrops in the first place, took another 4 seconds off her time in the 9-10 Years 50m Butterfly.  This achievement also means Niushka has qualified for her first State Age Championships, to be held in 4 weeks time.

The 11 Years 50m Freestyle followed with Merrylands being represented by three swimmers.  Matt chipped away at his PB, taking another 0.1 off his time. Summer achieved her second fastest official time in this event and Helen took almost a full second off her previous mark, achieving her first time in the 33s.

The final event for our swimmers was the 11 Years 50m Butterfly and there were solid performances after a big weekend.  Matt and Helen again swum their second fastest times and Summer broke the 40 barrier for the first time with a PB.

Overall from the 9 swims our team achieved 5 PBs with the other 4 swims their second fastest times ever.

Congratulations to all our swimmers on these wonderful achievements.

Merrylands will be represented by a team of 4 swimmers at the NSW Metropolitan Junior Championships at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on 2-3 March, 2019.

All 4 swimmers are first-time qualifiers for the Championships, with the hard work they have put in at training over the past 12 months paying off in spades.

Our team will compete in the following 9 events:

Matthew Vicic
50m Freestyle
100m Freestyle
50m Butterfly
100m Butterfly
Helen Macpherson
50m Freestyle
50m Butterfly
Summer Shrestha
50m Freestyle
50m Butterfly
Niushka Shrestha
50m Butterfly

Congratulations to all 4 swimmers on qualifying and to their coach Alison, who has coached swimmers to the Metropolitan Championships for the first time.

You can follow the team's progress over the weekend on the Swimming NSW website.

See Also

• Swimming NSW

Our team of 13 swimmers had another fantastic meet at the Metro South West Junior Championships, held at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on the 16th February, 2019.

Whilst the timeline was long due to the new format, the swimmers maintained their energy and the supporters maintained their cheer!

Throughout the meet our team had many highlights including new personal best times, finalist ribbons, medals and more Metropolitan and State qualifiers.  Other highlights included the amazing cheer squad which could be heard from our insider in the recorders office, the weet-bix slice, gutsy swims with goggle malfunctions, our swimmers killer starts, our team of timekeepers and the wonderful support of swimmers gave each other throughout the long day.

Overall our team achieved 43 new personal best times over both 50m and 100m distances. Our swimmers were finalists in 20 events and also picked up some bling throughout the day!

Congratulations to all our swimmers on these great results!

Silver
Unish Shrestha - 8 Years 50m Breaststroke

Bronze
Matthew Vicic - 11 Years 50m Butterfly
Summer Shrestha - 11 Years 50m Freestyle

Finalists
Joab Hada - 9 Years 50m Breaststroke, 9 Years 100m Backstroke, 9 Years 50m Backstroke, 9 Years 50m Freestyle
Summer Shrestha - 11 Years 50m Breaststroke, 11 Years 50m Backstroke
Laura-Belle Casey - 13 Years 50m Breaststroke, 13 Years 100m Breaststroke
Matthew Vicic - 11 Years 100m Freestyle, 11 Years 100m Butterfly. 11 Years 50m Backstroke, 11 Years 50m Freestyle
Unish Shrestha - 8 Years 50m Butterfly, 8 Years 50m Backstroke, 8 Years 50m Freestyle
Helen Macpherson - 11 Years 50m Backstroke, 11 Years 50m Freestyle
Nevah Shrestha - 10 Years 50m Backstroke
Niushka Shrestha - 10 Years 50m Freestyle, 10 Years 100m Butterfly

Good luck to our team of 13 swimmers who are representing Merrylands at the Metro South West Junior Championships on Saturday, 16th February.

The championships are being held at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.

Our team consists of:

Laura Belle Casey
Abraham El-Chami
Bilal El-Chami
Joab Hada
Helen Macpherson
Elie Menhem
Lisa Shrestha
Nevah Shrestha
Niushka Shrestha
Summer Shrestha
Unish Shrestha
Daniel Vicic
Matthew Vicic

Our team will compete in 67 individual events at this meet.  Good luck to the team and may the whale be with you all!

Our team of 16 swimmers achieved FIFTY ONE personal best times at the Speedo Sprint Heats, held on Saturday 2nd February at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.

The meet started with the 50m Freestyle and it was clear from the beginning the hard work the swimmers had been applying to their starts had paid off.  Matt and Summer achieved their first State Age qualifying times and the team achieved 14 new personal best times between them.

The next event was the 50m Breaststroke and another 15 personal best times were smashed.  Majority of our swimmers were backing up from the 50m Breaststroke Championships held at Club only a few hours earlier and some swimmers swum two Breaststroke PBs in the one day! Unish was a finalist in the event and will contest the Speedo Sprint Finals next month.

50m Backstroke was the third event and another 13 personal best times were achieved, with the team taking off almost 30 seconds between them.

The last event was the 50m Butterfly and our swimmers continued to improve their times, with another 9 personal best times being swum. Matt added another swim to his State program, whilst Helen and Summer added to their Metropolitan program.  Niushka achieved her first Metropolitan qualifying time.

It was fantastic to see our swimmers supporting each other and cheering on each other from the grandstand.  

Congratulations to all our swimmers on their amazing performances today and thank you to our parents for being such a wonderful support crew.

Merrylands Swim Centre and Merrylands Amateur Swim Club (ASC) are turning 50 and to celebrate Cumberland Council and Merrylands ASC are hosting a breakfast and pool party on Saturday 10 November.

Mayor Greg Cummings said that for 50 years the Merrylands Swim Centre has been a cornerstone of the Cumberland community, where generations of locals have grown up learning to swim, competing in carnivals and cooling off from the summer heat.

“Fifty years is a huge milestone for the swim centre, the swim club and the entire community. Since its opening in 1968, thousands of Cumberland residents have come through the doors of Merrylands Swim Centre to enjoy the facilities,” Mayor Cummings said.

“As one of five pools in Cumberland, Merrylands Swim Centre forms part of the Merrylands Park Regional Sporting Centre and boasts an eight lane 50 metre competition pool, a training pool and a baby pool. Now that summer is here it’s the perfect time to get your togs out and go for a swim; Cumberland pools are open all summer long.

“All Cumberland residents are invited to join with current and former swim club members for the special anniversary event which will include club races, novelty events, pool inflatables, as well as a community breakfast. The event is free but regular pool entry costs apply.”

President of the Merrylands ASC and ASC member for more than 35 years, Graham Edwards believes that local swim centres such as Merrylands Swim Centre play a key role within the local community bringing together children, families and adults.

“As the local population continues to grow and age, the local swim centres are an essential community facility as they provide a range of activities, be that socially, educationally, recreationally and competitively,” Mr Edwards said.

“Swimming is a sport you can do all year round for your entire life, no matter what walk of life you come from. As a swim club we all enjoy and celebrate the successes of our members of all levels. New members are always welcome and we have swim programs for toddlers, children and adults.

“Any swimmer, young or old who can swim at least 15 metres can join in the races and registrations can be made online. We’re inviting everyone join us to help celebrate this milestone, find out what our club is about and have a fun time in the pool.”

• What: Merrylands Swim Centre and Amateur Swim Club 50 year celebration
• When: Saturday 10 November from 7am
• Where: Merrylands Swim Centre, 17 Burnett Street, Merrylands
• RSVP: Direct to the Swim Club via www.merrylandsasc.asn.au/50thanniversary/

Back row - Reece Tomkinson (Coach), Peter Johnston (Head Club Coach), Mayor Greg Cummings.
Front row - Alison Johnston (Coach), Helen Macpherson, Summer Shrestha, Charlie-Rose El Riachi

Excellent results from Merrylands' members at the Swimming NSW Achiever Squad Meet at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on Saturday, 13th October, 2018.

Helen Macpherson and Summer Shrestha competed at the meet as part of the Metro South West team, with both swimming 4 new personal best times from their 4 events.

To top it off, Helen also qualified for the NSW Metropolitan Championships for the first time.

Congratulations to the girls on their results!