Castlebar Swimming Club recently held its annual fun gala and awards night for all the squad swimmers. Club captains for the season were appointed and they are Caitriona Walsh and Nicholas Quinn.

The awards were presented for the following categories.

The senior boy swimmer of the year was awarded jointly to Nicholas Quinn and Eoghan Grady.

Nicholas who is on the 2012 high performance squad continues to advance towards his ultimate goal of Olympic qualification and among his many highlights this year were the two golds at the recent Irish short course nationals and the honour of being named captain of the Irish Schools team for the International Schools competition.

Eoghan, a member of the Connaught squad has also enjoyed an amazing year. His performance at the Irish age group championships saw him claim six gold medals and finish first overall in the 13 years age group. He then finished the season by claiming gold in the community games national finals in Athlone.

The senior girl's award went to Sara English who continues to compete at the highest level and is brilliant example to the younger swimmers. Her performance at the recent Irish short course nationals saw her achieve personal best times and made several finals but just narrowly miss out on a medal. Sara also took part in the World Masters Competition in Sweden during the summer breaking a number of Irish masters records in the process. Sara has also claimed a place on the Connaught squad.

The junior boy's award went to Cillian Melly who has enjoyed an excellent year of competition including a strong showing in the Connaught Championships resulting in two gold medals. The Irish age group championships saw Cillian gain further success with silver and bronze medals in the 13 years age group. He is also a member of the Connaught squad.

The junior girl's award was presented to Sinead Mylette. Already a member of the Connaught squad Sinead is definitely one to watch. Her achievements this year include gold in the Irish minor schools championships, gold in the Community games national finals in Athlone, two firsts in the interprovincial competition representing Connaught and a silver and bronze at the Irish Age Groups Championships.

The award for the most dedicated swimmer went to Chloe Sheridan. She has shown tremendous commitment and dedication throughout the year travelling from Westport several times a week and twice on a Saturday to take part in training sessions. Her hard work was rewarded with her qualification for the Irish age group championships last July. Competing against the best swimmers in Ireland she performed brilliantly to make the final in the 200 meter backstroke.

Finally the award for the best newcomer was presented jointly to Edel Egan and Aoibheann Hennigan. Both Edel and Aoibheann have shown excellent dedication and determination throughout the year and success will surely follow for these talented young swimmers.

Many thanks as always to the committee, our coaches Marian English and Joe Moran and all the teaching team who help to keep Castlebar Swimming Club at the very top.