The University of Sheffield showed great ability and resilience at Sheffield swim varsity yesterday morning, although unfortunately, did not come out as winners this year.
Atmosphere wise, Uni of did take the lead, with friends, family and of course many of the swim club showing their support the whole morning.
To start off the Varsity was the 4x50m medley relay, in which Hallam took first and second over University of Sheffield, with first place holding a time of 1:42.50.
Uni of took third place, narrowly missing out on second with a time of 2:09.55.
100m races
The 100m races again saw many victories for Hallam Swim, but the University of Sheffield did secure top places.
Hallam dominated the 100m Individual Medley, taking all top three spots, but this was not the same for the rest of the strokes, as University of Sheffield’s momentum remained high and support strong.
Our George Wise successfully took 3rd place in the 100m backstroke with a time of 1:03.85, only narrowly behind a Hallam swimmer at 1:00.21.
Uni’s Zach Westhead also grabbed second place in the 100m Breastroke. Likewise, our Sam Cornish came second in 100m Fly with a time of 55.51.
100m freestyle saw Uni of’s Harrison Turner take 3rd place with a time of 54.04, only extremely narrowly behind Hallam swimmer James Rollaston with a time of 53.78.
50m races
After a break, the 50m races began, with a similar outcome for Hallam and Sheffield as the 100m races.
The atmosphere at the pool was still dominated by Uni of supporters, cheers and banners kept the competing swimmers motivated and pumped.
Uni was defeated in 50m freestyle, with all Hallam swimmers registering faster times.
In the later races, Uni of managed to come back. Cornish secured a top spot again, taking 3rd place in 50m fly.
James Handford came third place in the 50m backstroke.
In the 50m breaststroke, University of Sheffield Cornish and Zach Westhead took second and third place, making them the top University of Sheffield swimmers in Varsity 2024 with their number of top places.
The morning did end with another Hallam victory, with the opposing university beating us in the men’s 4x50m relay.
Despite the loss overall, University of Sheffield should be proud of their efforts against the tough Hallam swim team.
Hallam had a fantastic showing at Ponds Forge, taking further victories in men’s water polo and backstroke.
Uni of still remains the lead in the 2024 Varsity overall, with events soon coming to an end.
Next year will see the University of Sheffield swim club come to Varsity with the same ambition and enthusiasm, alongside new swimmers too.
Featured Image Credit: @uosswpc via Instagram
