UCD wins Irish Intervarsity Swimming Championships

Posted February 16, 2017

• Eighth consecutive win for UCD women's team at intervarsities

University College Dublin won 16 of 33 events to come first in the men’s, women’s and overall categories at the Irish Intervarsity Swimming Championships.

The men’s team took top spot with 97 points in front of University of Limerick (74.5) and Dublin City University (39).

UCD women’s team achieved 98.5 points to finish ahead of University of Limerick (35) and Dublin City University (35).

Including mixed events, the combined score meant a top three of University College Dublin (207.5), University of Limerick (115.5) and Dublin City University (82).

Four UCD swimmers won two events each. In the women’s section, science student Natasha-lin Low won both the 100m and 200m breaststroke. Shauna O’Brien, currently completing a master’s in food business strategy at (opens in a new window)UCD Smurfit School won the 200m individual medley and 100m butterfly.

In the men’s section, information and library studies student Alex Murphy won the 100m butterfly and 50m breaststroke. Science major David Prendergast won the 100m breaststroke and 50m backstroke. Murphy and Prendergast are both Ad Astra Elite Athletes.

UCD’s other women’s winners include architecture student Katie Kavanagh (women’s 200m backstroke), (opens in a new window)health and performance science undergraduate Jane Roberts (women’s 100m individual medley) and agricultural science student Jess Stallard (women’s 100m freestyle).

Other men’s winners include engineering master’s student Kevin McGlade (men’s 50m freestyle) and sports management student Darragh Greene (men’s 100m breaststroke). Greene is an Ad Astra Elite Athlete.

The UCD team also won three relay events in the women’s 200m medley, women’s 200m freestyle and mixed 400m cannon.

A cannon relay is a freestyle event with a team including a swimmer from each age group or both a male and female swimmer from each age group.

The Irish Intervarsity Swimming Championships took place over a short course. Short course events are held in a 25m pool. Those held in a 50m pool are called long course. UCD will host the championships in 2018.

By: Jonny Baxter, digital journalist, UCD University Relations