Regional Programme – Wycombe
The Swim Ulster Regional Programme for 2024-25 travelled to High Wycombe for the 2025 Wycombe Long Course Premier Meet hosted at Wycombe Leisure Centre from the 7th to 9th March. A total of thirty-three swimmers, three coaches and two team managers travelled to the meet as part of the year’s programme:
Swimmers: Reuben Agbaje (Bangor), Ilaria Aylward (Breifne), Aodhan Barry (Banbridge), Oscar Black (Lurgan), Sophie Black (Banbridge), Riley Brown (Ballymena), Samantha Burns-Atkin (Banbridge), Cillian Cranney (Leander), Megan Diamond (Ards), Cian Doyle (Lurgan), Ellie Dunlop (Enniskillen Lakelanders), Grace Eyre (Bangor), James Gourley (Cookstown), Aaron Haire (Bangor), Eva Hand (Bangor), Daniel Harvey (Ards), Nicole Higgins (Cookstown), Leah Jacobs (Banbridge), Hannah Lynch (Enniskillen Lakelanders), Shea Mathers (Banbridge), Maeve McClean (City of Derry), Ryan McDowell (Ards), Harry McGlashan (Lurgan), Ben McGrady (Ards), Alexander Newman (Bangor), Joshua Newman (Bangor), Miks O’Flaherty (Breifne), Eimear O’Neill (Dungannon), Mathias Pickett (Ards), Matthew Rice (Banbridge), Alfie Shawe (Lisburn), Amelia Stone (Lisburn), Ben Wilson (Ards)
Coaches: Davy Wilson, Mark Craig, Mark Stoops
Team Managers: Lisa Harvey, Tina McDowell
Session 1
Male 400m I.M.
15 year old
- Shea Mathers (5th)
- Harry McGlashan (8th)
- Cian Doyle (9th)
16 year old
- Aodhan Barry (9th)
- Oscar Black (11th)
17 year old
- Mathias Pickett (2nd – Silver)
- Matthew Rice (5th)
Female 400m I.M.
15 year old
- Eimear O’Neill (11th)
- Ilaria Aylward (12th)
16 year old
- Samantha Burns-Atkin (7th)
Male 50m Backstroke (Open)
- Miks O’Flaherty (12th)
Female 50m Backstroke (Open)
- Maeve McClean (3rd – Bronze)
- Leah Jacobs (27th)
- Nicole Higgins (28th)
- Megan Diamond (33rd)
- Sophie Black (42nd)
————————————————————————————————————–
Session 2
Female 200m Backstroke
15 year old
- Ilaria Aylward (12th)
16 year old
- Hannah Lynch (7th)
18 & Over
- Maeve McClean (3rd – Bronze)
Male 100m Freestyle
15 year old
- James Gourley (10th)
- Ben McGrady (13th)
16 year old
- Miks O’Flaherty (5th)
17 year old
- Ben Wilson (4th)
- Matthew Rice (8th)
- Mathias Pickett (10th)
18 & Over
- Daniel Harvey (4th)
- Alfie Shawe (6th)
- Ryan McDowell (10th)
Female 200m Breaststroke
15 year old
- Grace Eyre (3rd – Bronze)
- Amelia Stone (6th)
- Eimear O’Neill (8th)
16 year old
- Ellie Dunlop (6th)
Male 50m Butterfly (Open)
- Alfie Shawe (10th)
- Ben Wilson (19th)
- Mathias Pickett (27th)
Mixed 800m Freestyle (Open)
Female
- Samantha Burns-Atkin (19th)
Male
- Harry McGlashan (17th)
- Aaron Haire (19th)
- Cillian Cranney (22nd)
- Oscar Black (23rd)
————————————————————————————————————–
Session 3
Female 50m Breaststroke (Open)
- Megan Diamond (9th)
- Ellie Dunlop (24th)
Male 200m Butterfly
15 year old
- Shea Mathers (1st – Gold)
16 year old
- Aodhan Barry (3rd – Bronze)
Female 400m Freestyle
15 year old
- Ilaria Aylward (11th)
16 year old
- Hannah Lynch (4th)
17 year old
- Eva Hand (4th)
Male 100m Breaststroke
15 year old
- Riley Brown (1st – Gold)
- Cian Doyle (3rd – Bronze)
17 year old
- Aaron Haire (7th)
- Ben Wilson (8th)
18 year old
- Ryan McDowell (3rd – Bronze)
Female 200m I.M.
15 year old
- Grace Eyre (11th)
- Eimear O’Neill (12th)
- Sophie Black (24th)
16 year old
- Samantha Burns-Atkin (5th)
- Leah Jacobs (10th)
- Nicole Higgins (16th)
- Ellie Dunlop (17th)
————————————————————————————————————–
Session 4
Female 50m Freestyle (Open)
- Maeve McClean (5th)
- Megan Diamond (12th)
- Amelia Stone (21st)
- Sophie Black (111th)
Male 100m Butterfly
15 year old
- Shea Mathers (1st – Gold)
- Riley Brown (14th)
16 year old
- Aodhan Barry (3rd – Bronze)
17 year old
- Matthew Rice (4th)
- Mathias Pickett (9th)
18 & Over
- Alfie Shawe (5th)
Female 200m Freestyle
15 year old
- Grace Eyre (13th)
16 year old
- Hannah Lynch (15th)
- Samantha Burns-Atkin (22nd)
- Leah Jacobs (24th)
17 year old
- Eva Hand (6th)
Male 100m Backstroke
15 year old
- Cian Doyle (9th)
- Ben McGrady (17th)
16 year old
- Miks O’Flaherty (2nd – Silver)
- Cillian Cranney (21st)
17 year old
- Mathias Pickett (6th)
18 & Over
- Daniel Harvey (4th)
————————————————————————————————————–
Session 5
Male 200m Backstroke
15 year old
- Shea Mathers (3rd – Bronze)
16 year old
- Miks O’Flaherty (10th)
17 year old
- Mathias Pickett (8th)
18 & Over
- Alex Newman (1st – Gold)
Female 100m Freestyle
15 year old
- Amelia Stone (8th)
- Grace Eyre (17th)
- Sophie Black (33rd)
16 year old
- Leah Jacobs (17th)
- Samantha Burns-Atkin (22nd)
- Nicole Higgins (29th)
17 year old
- Eva Hand (16th)
18 & Over
- Maeve McClean (3rd – Bronze)
- Megan Diamond (4th)
Male 200m Breaststroke
15 year old
- Cian Doyle (1st – Gold)
- Riley Brown (3rd – Bronze)
17 year old
- Aaron Haire (2nd – Silver)
18 & Over
- Ryan McDowell (2nd – Silver)
Female 50m Butterfly (Open)
- Maeve McClean (7th)
- Megan Diamond (27th)
- Nicole Higgins (34th)
Mixed 1500m Freestyle (Open)
Male
- Harry McGlashan (13th)
Female
- Hannah Lynch (6th)
- Ilaria Aylward (21st)
————————————————————————————————————–
Session 6
Male 50m Breaststroke (Open)
- Ryan McDowell (5th)
- Riley Brown (14th)
- Ben Wilson (18th)
Female 200m Butterfly
17 year old
- Eva Hand (4th)
Male 400m Freestyle
16 year old
- Cillian Cranney (3rd – Bronze)
- Aodhan Barry (7th)
- Oscar Black (9th)
- Joshua Newman (19th)
17 year old
- Aaron Haire (10th)
- Matthew Rice (11th)
Female 100m Breaststroke
15 year old
- Grace Eyre (2nd – Silver)
- Eimear O’Neill (7th)
- Amelia Stone (10th)
16 year old
- Ellie Dunlop (6th)
18 & Over
- Megan Diamond (5th)
Male 200m I.M.
15 year old
- Shea Mathers (1st – Gold)
- Cian Doyle (3rd – Bronze)
- James Gourley (5th)
- Riley Brown (7th)
17 year old
- Mathias Pickett (4th)
- Reuben Agbaje (10th)
18 & Over
- Alexander Newman (1st – Gold)
————————————————————————————————————–
Session 6
Male 50m Freestyle (Open)
- Daniel Harvey (5th)
- Alfie Shawe (10th)
- Ryan McDowell (14th)
- Miks O’Flaherty (15th)
- Reuben Agbaje (27th)
- James Gourley (36th)
- Ben McGrady (48th)
- Joshua Newman (70th)
Female 100m Butterfly
15 year old
- Eimear O’Neill (6th)
16 year old
- Leah Jacobs (11th)
- Samantha Burns-Atkin (13th)
- Nicole Higgins (14th)
17 year old
- Eva Hand (4th)
Male 200m Freestyle
15 year old
- Harry McGlashan (7th)
- James Gourley (11th)
- Ben McGrady (21st)
16 year old
- Oscar Black (12th)
- Aodhan Barry (13th)
- Cillian Cranney (18th)
- Joshua Newman (22nd)
17 year old
- Ben Wilson (4th)
- Mathias Pickett (8th)
- Matthew Rice (10th)
- Aaron Haire (15th)
- Reuben Agbaje (18th)
18 & Over
- Daniel Harvey (6th)
- Alex Newman (7th)
Female 100m Backstroke
15 year old
- Ilaria Aylward (9th)
- Sophie Black (13th)
16 year old
- Nicole Higgins (11th)
18 & Over
- Maeve McClean (2nd – Silver)
- Megan Diamond (14th)
After an amazing weekend of racing, Mark Craig (Pathway Development Coach) reflected on the trip to Wycombe: “The trip was a superb experience and huge thanks to the incredible team staff whose knowledge and experience significantly enhanced the experience for all the athletes involved.
The swimmers conduct and engagement in the experience were excellent and the can all say they did themselves, their parents, coaches, clubs and region proud. I know I took huge pride in having the opportunity to work with them.
As a process meet, the performances were understandably up and down but the desire to learn and improve from each swim and the experience as a whole was there for every athlete.
For me, this trip represented how we move swimming forwards in Ulster. A team of athletes competing in an individual sport with a complex web of club allegiances, rivalries, backgrounds etc. supporting each other positively, with energy and enthusiasm, creating an incredible team and sense of community to help push each other to thrive and succeed.
Thank you all, staff and swimmers, for creating a memorable experience and I would happily go away on a trip with each and every one of you again.”
To see all our medallists from the weekend, click here to view the album.