Swimmers shine at NSW Country Regionals

Young Amateur Swimming Club (YASC) travelled to Leeton over the weekend for the NSW Swimming Country Regionals, a major two-day meet held on Saturday and Sunday, 17–18 January at the Leeton Regional Aquatic Centre. The Country Regionals are a key event on the NSW Swimming calendar each year, hosted across three locations for country athletes. In 2026, the meets were held in Leeton, Goulburn and Inverell. The Leeton meet brought together 284 swimmers from across NSW Country areas, with YASC proudly fielding a team of 13 athletes. The squad delivered an outstanding weekend of racing, with every swimmer achieving one or more personal best times. YASC finished the meet with an impressive 19 medals. YASC swimmers who reached the podium at the 2026 Country Regionals included: • Rory Brodbeck (13 years) Gold – 200m Breaststroke Silver – 200m Individual Medley Bronze – 200m Freestyle, 100m Breaststroke, 50m Breaststroke • Samuel Presser (13 years) Silver – 50m Butterfly, 100m Butterfly, 50m Backstroke Bronze – 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle • Zoe Lake (12 years) Silver – 100m Butterfly Bronze – 100m Backstroke • Finn Gordon (10 years) Silver – 100m Backstroke Bronze – 50m Backstroke • Emma Bigwood (50 years, Multi-Class Division) Silver – 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly, 50m Breaststroke Bronze – 100m Breaststroke Two YASC swimmers achieved NSW Country Championship qualifying times at the meet: • Nate Neilsen (11 years) – Breaststroke • Evie Brodbeck (9 years) – Freestyle Both swimmers will now join the YASC team competing at the NSW Country Championships in February 2026. The YASC team in Leeton included: Emma Bigwood, Evie and Rory Brodbeck, Finn and Lily Gordon, Sarah and Zoe Lake, Nate Neilsen, Beatrice and Georgina Nowlan, Alex, George and Samuel Presser. Young Amateur Swimming Club Head Coach and President, Pat Brodbeck, said it was fantastic to see the club’s swimmers in the water giving it their all. “It was great to see our kids racing with so much determination and confidence," Pat said. "Considering we only have access to our pool for six months of the year, their performances are a huge testament to their dedication and swim ethic. “They’re competing against surrounding clubs that train year-round with indoor pool access, so to see PBs in almost every race really shows the progress being made. "I’ve been working hard with the swimmers to lift their fitness levels through our holiday training program, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see those efforts translating into results.” The Young Amateur Swimming Club now turns its focus to the upcoming Southern Inland Championships and Speedo Sprint Heats, to be held in Wagga on Saturday 31 January and Sunday 1 February 2026.