AUSTRALIA'S EMERGING SWIM STARS TO RACE ON WEST COAST TOUR
April 2: Swimming Australia has today announced a 12-strong Telstra Dolphins emerging squad to contest the prestigious 2009 West Coast USA tour in June.
The young Dolphins will take on some of the world's best swimmers in the Tucson Ford Dealers Southwest Classic (June 5-7) before racing at the 42nd Santa Clara International Grand Prix in California (June 11-14).
After missing the World Championship team by 0.15 seconds, Southport Olympic, QLD breaststroke sprinter Leiston Pickett and coach Glenn Baker will jump at the opportunity to race at two international meets against some of the best swimmers in the world.
Pickett was one of the stars of this year's Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney in January.
She was a close-up third to Sarah Katsoulis and duel Olympian Tarnee White in the 50m breaststroke final (30.90pb) and sixth in a hotly contested 100m breaststroke final (1:08.46, pb).
Fellow breaststroker Samantha Marshall (Cook and Phillip, NSW), who attended this year's Junior Pan Pacs in Guam and coach Steve Garner will join Pickett and Baker after making all three finals at the Australian Open Championships.
Marshall (1:07.86pb) was fifth in the 100m, fourth over 200m (2:29.05) and fifth in the 50m (31.79).
Baker and Garner are the team coaches for the West Coast tour under National Youth Head Coach Leigh Nugent and have been selected off the performances of Pickett and Marshall at the National titles.
"This will be a great opportunity for these youngsters to travel and race in the US and another step along the way to bigger and better things," said Nugent.
"It is a reward for their persistence and we look forward to following their progress over the next couple of years.
"These 12 young rising stars are seen as future National senior team members and will all gain a huge benefit from travelling and racing against some of the world's elite."
Other members for the West Coast tour include:
- Gold Coast teenagers and training partners from Pro-Ma Miami QLD, Daniel Smith, Jade Neilsen and Katie Goldman.
- Victorian Nunawading VIC team mates Chelsea Carpenter, Sam Ashby and Ellese Zalewski.
- Sprint freestylers Lloyd Townsing of Melbourne Vicentre VIC and Luke Kerswell of Southside Aquatics QLD.
- Junior Pan Pac team mates, breaststroker Jeremy Meyer of Traralgon VIC and medley and freestyle swimmer, AIS-based Thomas Fraser-Holmes of Hunter NSW.
Smith, Meyer, Marshall, Fraser-Holmes and Zalewski were all members of the Australian Junior Pan Pac Team from Guam while Pickett and Goldman have both graduated from the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival Team.
TELSTRA DOLPHINS AUSTRALIAN SWIM TEAM, West Coast Tour, June, 2009: Men - Daniel Smith (Pro-Ma Miami, QLD), Lloyd Townsing (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC), Luke Kerswell (Southside Aquatics, QLD), Jeremy Meyer (Traralgon, VIC), Thomas Fraser-Holmes (Hunter, NSW), Sam Ashby (Nunawading, VIC), Women - Katie Goldman (Pro-Ma Miami, QLD), Jade Neilsen (Pro-Ma Miami QLD), Chelsea Carpenter (Nunawading, VIC), Leiston Pickett (Southport Olympic, QLD), Ellese Zalewski (Nunawading, VIC), Samantha Marshall (Cook and Phillip, NSW). Head coach: Leigh Nugent. Coaches: Glenn Baker (Southport Olympic, QLD) and Steve Garner (Cook and Phillip, NSW). Support staff - Manager: Paul Bruce. Massage Therapist: Clare Burns. Performance Science: Bernard Savage.