BEST (Borders Elite Swimming Team) performance squad members Ryan Brown and Kirsty Armstrong represented the Scottish youth team against their Irish counterparts at the Youth Dual Nations meet in Bangor.
The competition between the two national teams took the form of a dual meet where the quickest qualifier into the finals for each team was the only swimmer eligible to score points against the other team, meaning swimmers were encouraged to perform at their best in both heats and finals.
Brown scored maximum points for Scotland in both the 15/16 years 100m and 200m butterfly events with a superb, full-second PB in the former.
Armstrong also scored top points for Scotland in the 13/14 years 200m butterfly and was narrowly beaten in her other events.
Lead Coach for the Scottish Youth Team, Steve Tigg, said: “I couldn’t fault Ryan and Kirsty’s attitude and commitment one little bit.
“Both were extremely resilient under tough conditions with a lot of travel and long days, and they coped with the situation better than most”.
Brown was at it again just a few days later when BEST Performance Squad members competed at the Scottish Schools Championships in East Kilbride. Brown first won gold in the Open 400m individual medley. He then went on to win the 15/16 years 200m butterfly in Scottish Schools record time.
Squad up-and-comer Thomas Nicoll won his first Scottish Schools national title in the 12-and-under 50m freestyle, while Amy Richardson won bronze in the 13 years 200m butterfly with a massive 12-second personal best, achieving a British Age Group Championship qualifying time in the process.
Maili Brown and Jodie Pyman (both 12 and under) also did well to qualify for the championships, with both narrowly missing finals on the day. BSLT provided team t-shirts for the event.
BEST performance coach, Alex Jordan, told The Southern: “Our team members have been racing at numerous events recently and have been swimming fast.
“We also had six swimmers at the East District Challenge Meet, who recorded 26 substantial PBs from 27 swims.
“Lucy Hope also continued her preparations for next month’s Commonwealth Games Trials at a large competition in Berlin earlier this month.
“I’ve said in the past that the squad’s hard work would be rewarded in the long term and that has been proven true.”