Ellie McCartney was in dominant form at the Swim Ulster Senior Schools’ Cup and Championship once again, becoming a double Ulster Champion for the eighth time over the weekend.

Once again, the Aurora in Bangor played host to approximately 1,000 swimmers, with Ellie competing for Glenlola Collegiate Girls School in Bangor. The top-two finishers in each event qualify for the Irish Inter-Provincials in March.

The 2022-23 event was the last time the Year 14 student competed at the event, having been very successful in every previous year.

She entered the 100m Breaststroke and, following her Irish Winter Championship success, she also entered the 100m Butterfly for the first time.

The 17-year-old competed in the 17-19-year-old section in her events. The first event Ellie participated in was the 100m Breaststroke heat.

She lived up to her fastest seeding, winning her heat and as the first seed for the final in a new personal best time of 1:08.70.

This was followed with a similar feat in the 100m Butterfly, leaving Ellie as the top seed for both finals later that evening.

Next, the A-level student teamed up with three other schoolfriends to compete in the relays, narrowly missing out on gold in the 4 x 50m Medley Relay, and coming from behind to win the 4 x 50m Freestyle relay, with Ellie swimming the final leg with the fastest time of the day.

The swimmers returned to the pool for the finals, and Ellie maintained her streak of winning an Ulster Championship medal every year since she was nine.

In the 100m Breaststroke, Ellie finished ahead of her former teammate and friend, Anna McDade, leaving it a Fermanagh one-two in preparation for the Inter-Provincials in March.

Eight minutes later, Ellie was back in the water for a closely contested 100m Butterfly Finals, which saw her edge her closest rival to win her second title of the evening in a time of 1:00.46.

It was a fantastic way to finish her last Ulster Schools gala – an event at which Ellie has won an Ulster title every year she has competed at since the age of nine years old.

 

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