Whilst everyone was enjoying the Manchester sun, UoM and MMU swimmers were battling it out at the Varsity Swimming , which took place at the Manchester Aquatics Centre. Swimming in the 25 metre competition pool, impressive performances were put in all around, marking a fantastic afternoon of swimming for both teams.
Tensions were running high in the spectator area with fierce support for both teams. MMU supporters Eli and Shola were wowed by the warm-up and couldn’t wait to see what the rest of the afternoon had in store.
Women’s 4 x 50m Medley
Kicking things off was the Women’s 4 x 50m Medley. It was neck and neck between the swimmers until MMU powered into the lead, with Eleanor Kay finishing first and helping her team to victory.
Men’s 4 x 50m Medley
This was followed by the Men’s 4 x 50m Medley. The race began with a few technical difficulties, with the swimmers being told to stand down several times before starting. They managed to keep their heads in the game though and by the backstroke 50m it was incredibly tight. During the breastroke 50m, UoM’s Ioan Delahay was able to forge ahead in a lead that was continued by Christos Manoli. Jonny Milner was able to take UoM to victory with a stunning finish.
Women’s 100m Butterfly
Next we had the Women’s 100m Butterfly, a notoriously difficult race. MMU’s Hettie D’Ammassa initially had a lead but then it was fairly even between all four swimmers. With the crowd going wild, D’Ammassa was beaten by MMU’s other competitor, Eliza Pinkstone at the last second, with only 0.03 seconds between the pair.
Men’s 100m Butterfly
The Men’s 100m Butterfly quickly became a two-horse race with UoM’s Christos Manoli and MMU’s Joshua Ellis ploughing ahead. Ellis was able to take the win due to his stunning under water phases.
Women’s 100m Backstroke
It was an extremely close race between UoM’s Lily-May Marston and MMU’s Lucy Conroy, with both swimmers appearing to effortlessly glide through the water. The race was won at the last second by Marston in an incredibly tight finish.
Men’s 100m Backstroke
The crowd was particularly vocal during the Men’s 100m Backstroke. UoM’s Daneel Louw and MMU’s Adam Taylor stormed ahead but it was Louw that took the win with a time of 57.46 seconds.
Women’s 100m Breaststroke
You would be forgiven for thinking that this race was a synchronised swimming competition, as upon diving into the pool all four swimmers were completely in sync. Breaking out of sync, MMU’s Georgia Magg’s took the lead, closely followed by her teammate Jasmine D’Cunha and UoM’s Ella Bainbridge and Ellie Harsant. By the final 25m it was neck and neck but Maggs was able to take the victory.
Men’s 100m Breaststroke
It quickly became apparent that this race was only between MMU swimmers, as UoM lagged behind. James Escolme and Callum Nurse fiercely battled it out but the win belonged to Escolme, with an impressive time of 1:05.42.
Women’s 100m Freestyle
UoM’s Amy West broke the surface of the water first, closely followed by MMU’s Eleanor Kay and Amber Downham. West swam her way to an fantastic victory, seconds ahead of her competitors with a time of 57.94 seconds.
Men’s 100m Freestyle
This race was a total splash fest. By the second length it was almost a tie between all four swimmers. UoM’s Lenny Page managed to push ahead only to be caught by MMU’s Alfie McGuire, who was able to finish first.
Women’s 100m Individual Medley
After starting off fairly evenly during the butterfly, MMU’s Amelia Osborne forged ahead during the backstroke. UoM’s Eloise R-J was able to catch up during the breastroke but it was an unchallenged victory for Osborne.
Men’s 100m Individual Medley
UoM’s Jonny Milner pushed ahead straight away and was already past the flags on his final lap when the others were turning. An amazing performance and easy win for Milner.
4 x 50m Medley Relay mixed
UoM’s second team made the choice to put Lily-May Marston against three male competitors for the first 50m. Despite Marston’s sheer strength, this cost them a chance at a lead, putting them in last place. Meanwhile, MMU’s Jasmine D’Cunha was far ahead by the breastroke 50m, a lead that was continued by Izzy Goodwin during the butterfly.
But in a shocking twist, both UoM and the other MMU team managed to catch up by the end of the fly and it was neck and neck during the final 50m. MMU’s Jay Wright took her team to a fabulous win on the last length in a race that had everyone on the edge of their seats. Well done to all the swimmers involved.
By this point, we were halfway through the events and it was announced that MMU were 16 points ahead of UoM with 73 points to their 57. All hope was not lost though, as UoM second-year Saroop stayed confident that UoM could pull it back due to their strong team and great swimmers, with fellow second-year Kasia chiming in that “We bleed purple!”.
Women’s 50m Butterfly
It was an incredibly close race but a beautiful underwater phase from MMU’s Eliza Pinkstone put her in first place.
Men’s 50m Butterfly
A very intense race with UoM’s Christos Manoli as the victor.
Women’s 50m Backstroke
A very tight race, just taken by UoM’s Lily-May Marston.
Men’s 50m Backstroke
Another UoM victory, with a stunning performance from Daneel Louw.
Women’s 50m Breastroke
A close race but it was MMU’s Amelia Osborne that emerged victorious.
Men’s 50m Breastroke
UoM’s Ioan Delahay had the lead, closely followed by MMU’s Alfie McGuire who was able to overtake and win the race.
Women’s 50m Freestyle
The Women’s 50m Freestyle began with MMU’s Rebecca Amor in the lead but UoM’s Amy West was able to claw her way ahead and take the win.
Men’s 50m Freestyle
Another splash fest of a race, it was extremely tight but UoM’s Lenny Page was able to secure a win.
8 x 50m Canon
Finally it was time for the canon, the most exciting race of the day. The first 50m was dominated by MMU but UoM caught up by the second 50m. By the third 50m it was a tie but UoM managed to take the lead with a fabulous Léon Marchand-style under water phase from Christos Manoli. This was short-lived, however, as MMU were able to catch up. It was looking like a tie but UoM’s Amy West ploughed ahead during the penultimate 50 metres. By the final lap, UoM were light years ahead with an incredible finish from Jonny Milner.
After all that it was time for the final scores. Both teams gave amazing performances but it was MMU who were crowned the victors of this years Varsity swimming, with a total score of 119.5 to UoM’s 97.5. The atmosphere was electric, with swimmers from both teams bombing into the pool in celebration.
MMU’s Jay Wright said their successful performance today was down to their great Captain, Toby Hill and Chair, Sam Mead and that she was thankful for the support of the committee.
Davey Unwin, also MMU said that the tensions were high and they had to be on their A game. Unwin said their team moral was at a high as they didn’t expect to win by that margin and that he was personally very pleased to have shaved a second off his P.B.
UoM’s Ioan Delahay said that every0ne put in the best performance they could. The team had suffered from a few injuries and dropouts but they still managed to do themselves proud. As a 4th year, this was his last ever Varsity and “it was a great way to end, hopefully the other UoM sports teams go on to win the rest!”
All in all it was a fantastic afternoon of swimming at the Manchester Aquatics Centre with excellent performances all around.
