Proud, Willmott, And More Clock Fast Times At BUCS Championships

British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Long Course Championships

• Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield, United Kingdom
• Friday, February 19th – Sunday, February 21st
• Championship Page
• Full Results
• Records

The Loughborough team came out on top of the combined standings earlier this month at Britain’s BUCS Long Course Championships.

The meet also presented Top Male and Top Female awards, which, rather than being high point awards for the meet, were presented to the two swimmers with the most FINA points. Those awards went to Ben Proud of UCP Marjon and Aimee Willmott of East London.  

If Proud wasn’t an international sprinting threat before, he certainly is now. He broke his own British national record in the 50 free at the meet, swimming 21.73 to tie for fourth in this season’s rankings. That swim was also a championship record, and he set another championship record in the 100 free with 49.10, which ranks 21st internationally.

Willmott headlined her weekend with a winning performances in the 200 back (2:12.20), the 400 IM (4:36.21) and the 800 free (8:36.00), setting new championship records in both the 800 and the 400 IM. Her signature 400 IM was the most impressive of the bunch, and it would have given her a fourth-in-the-world ranking if she hadn’t already swam 4:34.82 at the Flanders Speedo Cup in January.

The British swimmers set five other championship records this weekend, including Anna Hopkins of Bath’s 25.17 50 free (good for 25th in the world rankings), Jocelyn Ulyett of Loughborough’s 2:28.45 200 breast, her teammate Tim Shuttleworth‘s 15:19.57 1500 free, Antony James of Bath’s 52.77 100 fly, and Max Litchfield of Sheffield Hallam’s 4:20.68 in the 400 IM.

Loughborough’s overall dominance at the meet came from 12 individual wins and often placing multiple swimmers in championship finals.

Edinburgh proved dominant in the relay events, with Loughborough often taking the second or third slot. Edinburgh’s team won the women’s 400 free relay (Emily Jones, Raquel Matos, Kathryn Johnstone, Lucy Hope: 3:48.68), the men’s 400 free relay (Chris McColm, Ross Gale, Suleman Butt, Jack Thorpe: 3:27.02), and the women’s 400 medley relay (Hope, Johnstone, Matos, Jones: 4:09.90).

Top 5 Combined Team Scores:

1. Loughborough: 303
2. Bath: 223
3. Edinburgh: 194
4. Northumbria: 153
5. Stirling: 128