Seconds Varsity 2018
2018 saw the return of the Oxford Dolphins vs Cambridge Marlins match for the first time in over 40 years. The Dolphins team has expanded hugely in recent years to become an integral and much loved part of OUSC. We are very grateful that the Match was able to return to Rosenblatt Pool and that the team was able to secure a huge win and be part of Varsity Swimming History.
A strong start to the Varsity match saw Oxford secure 1st and 2nd in the men’s 100m IM by Peter Todd and Jon Price, closely followed by 1st and 3rd place finish for Janet Chan and Imogen Laycock. Still tired from his first swim, Peter Todd returned to the pool for 50 back along with teammate Michael Shao to secure another first place win for Oxford. Emma Watts led the women’s 50 back from the wall, finishing with a three second PB and closely followed by Tilly Ansell in 3rd.
The first swimmer to dip below the minute mark was James Mason in the 100m free, finishing in first place with Maarten Swart finishing 3rd. Rosa Christie-Lowe and Giulia Filocca converted from their usual distance events to bring out the sprint in the womens 100m free, finishing 1st and 3rd respectively. Alex Picksley and Arman Karshenas stormed to victory in the 50m fly, finishing 1st and 2nd. Closing the first round Genevieve Nelson and Seconds Team Representative, Afrah Shibu, fought hard against the strong Cambridge butterfly swimmers to secure four more points for Oxford.
Swimming in near synchronization for the entire year, Caspar Paton and Maarten Swart were able to push each other through the 200m free with Caspar leading the first 100m of the race and eventually finishing in 2nd and 3rd place. Georgia Mason and Emma Watts joined the sub 2.30 club in the 200m free with some powerful swims that made the spectators whoop and wince in equal measures. Both James Mason and Jon Price returned to the water for their second event in the 50m breast, finishing in 2nd and 3rd place respectively. A 1-2 victory was secured by Janet Chan and Tilly Ansell in the 50m breast who both dipped below the 40 second mark and finished an impressive 4 seconds ahead of Marlins swimmers. The last event before the relays was the 50m freestyle which was, unsurprisingly, very close. In a nail-biting swim Leon Guerrero came in first and with Tom Lawrence touching out a Marlins swimmer by 0.4 seconds to secure 3rd. A strong performance from Rosa Christie-Lowe and Giulia Filocca placed Oxford 1st and 4th with Oxford winning to close the second round.
Since the 4x50m relays are stacked at double points, a strong team performance was needed to ensure the Dolphins maintained their lead. Oxford closed the meet with wins in the Womens Medley (Emma Watts, Janet Chan, Georgia Mason, Tilly Ansell), Mens Medley (Peter Todd, James Mason, Alex Picksley, Michael Shao) and Mens Free (Tom Lawrence, Leon Guerrero, Alex Picksley, Arman Karshenas) with the Womens freestyle team (Giulia Filocca, Afrah Shibu, Genevieve Nelson, Rosa Christie-Lowe) finishing a close 2nd to the Marlins Team.
Overall the Dolphins won by 104 points to Marlins 76! The success of this year was largely down to the hard work and dedication of every member but particular mention should go to Seconds Team Rep Afrah Shibu as well as meet managers Tarik Gooptu and Anand Jana for ensuring the smooth running of the day.