2020 BUCS Championships Day 3 Live Recap

2020 BUCS LONG COURSE SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• February 14th-16th, 2020
• Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield, England
• LCM (50m) Course
• Event Channel
• Event Schedule
• Entry Lists (Draft)
• Live Stream
• Live results

As a reminder, full live stream of the 2020 meet will be available via the SwimSwam Facebook page. For the first time, we will be expanding our coverage to live recaps of all 3 finals sessions of the meet, which will include an embedded live stream.

• Follow SwimSwam on Facebook here to watch the live stream

We’ll have live event-by-event updates of all the action. Keep refreshing this page for updates.

Heading into day 2, the combined team points according to the BUCS scoreboard is as follows for the top-tier teams:

However, where things get more heated is in the men’s race, where Stirling holds a 3-point advantage, ready to reap another team title in addition to the short course trophy they took home last year. This long course competition would be a true crown to capture, however.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY – FINAL

• GOLD – Keanna Macinnes (Stirling ) 2:12.94
• SILVER – Candice Hall (Loughborough) 2:14.74
• BRONZE – Yasmin Perry (Aberdeen) 2:17.64

Scottish national record holder Keanna Macinnes of Stirling fired off a winning time of 2:12.94 to take the first individual event on day 2 of BUCS Long Course Championships. Splitting 1:04.10/1:08.84, Macinnes beat the field by well over a second to improve her silver medal from last year.

Runner-up tonight went to Loughborough’s Candice Hall, the 22-year-old who took silver in the 400m IM yesterday. This evening, her time of 2:14.74 garnered her the 2fly silver, while Yasmin Perry of Aberdeen got on the board in 2:17.64.

Perry was also another medalist from yesterday, earning bronze in the 100m fly.

MEN’S 200 FLY – FINAL

• GOLD – Duncan Scott (Stirling) 1:58.71
• SILVER – Jay Lelliott (Sheffield Hallum) 2:00.47
• BRONZE – Jacob Greenow (Bath) 2:03.04

Two-time Olympic silver medalist Duncan Scott followed up on his 400m IM and men’s 4x100m free relay gold from last night with a 200m fly podium-topper tonight.

Stopping the clock at 1:58.71, the 22-year-old hit the only sub-2:00 time of the final, with Sheffield Hallum’s Jay Lelliott earning silver in 2:00.47. Wrapping up bronze was Bath team member Jacob Greenow, who touched in 2:03.04.

Versatile Scott owns a lifetime best of 1:56.60 in this event, a time which ranks him as the 7th fastest British performer ever. Lelliot has been as fast as 1:58.03

WOMEN’S 100 FREE – FINAL

• GOLD – Marie Wattel (Loughborough) 54.09
• SILVER – Lucy Hope (Edinburgh) 54.69
• BRONZE – Emily Crane (Loughborough) 57.12

Loughborough struck its first individual gold of this final day of competition, courtesy of heavy-hitting Marie Wattel. The 22-year-old French national crushed a winning 100m free time here in 54.09 to top the podium over half a second ahead of the field.

Edinburgh’s Lucy Hope was yesterday’s 200m free bronze medalist but upgraded that to silver in this shorter sprint. 54.69 was what she put up tonight to keep bronze medalist Emily Crane at bay.

Crane wrapped up more points for Loughborough with a time of 57.12 after the two-women show for the top.

Wattel’s personal best rests at the 53.53 she produced at a domestic meet 2 years ago. The 54.22 she logged for gold last year at this meet represented her 2nd fastest, so tonight’s effort slides in at that position en route to gold. It also establishes a new BUCS Record.

As for Hope, the 22-year-old Edinburgh racer had never been under the 55-second threshold, but she broke through that barrier in spades. Her previous lifetime best was the 55.09 produced at the 2017 British Championships. But her 54.09 effort tonight now makes her the 8th fastest British performer ever.

MEN’S 100 FREE – FINAL

• GOLD – David Cumberlidge (Heriot-Watt) 50.18
• SILVER – Jack Thorpe (Edinburgh) 50.34
• BRONZE – Scott McLay (Stirling) 50.77

No one was able to dip under the 50-second barrier in the men’s 100m free, as David Cumberlidge topped the field in 50.18. That held off Edinburgh mainstay and last year’s champion Jack Thorpe who touched only .16 behind in 50.34.

Getting Stirling on the board was Scott McLay, who produced 50.77 to round out the top 3.

Cumberlidge was last night’s 50m freestyle victor, with this 100m free gold giving him a sweep of the sprint free events. That’s a big step up from the 2019 edition of these BUCS Championships, where Cumberlidge faded to 5th in the 100m free, registering a much slower outing of 51.33.

The man was even quicker this morning, teetering on the 50-second barrier with a heats swim of 50.02.

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST – FINAL

• GOLD – Kara Hanlon (Edinburgh) 1:08.63
• SILVER – Katie Matts (Manchester Metro) 1:09.27
• BRONZE – Megan Morrison (Loughborough) 1:10.45

The same trio who landed on the 50m breast and 200m breast podiums last night made their appearance in the 200m breast tonight, as Kara Hanlon, Katie Matts and Megan Morrison battled it out in the final breast event.

Hanlon wound up getting her hand on the wall first, comfortably clocking 1:08.63 ahead of Matts who finished in 1:09.27. Loughborough saw its ace Morrison get on the board in 1:10.45.

This is Hanlons 2nd gold, as she took the 50m event last night.

Of note, elite breaststrokers Sarah Vasey and Molly Renshaw were both in the water this morning as guest swimmers, with the former clocking a time of 1:08.52 and the latter touching in 1:09.90.

MEN’S 100 BREAST – FINAL

• GOLD – Craig Benson (Stirling) 1:01.79
• SILVER – Greg Butler (Loughborough) 1:02.67
• BRONZE – Archie Goodburn (Loughborough) 1:02.71

Veteran Craig Benson produced a big win for his Stirling squad, hitting the wall in 1:01.79 to take gold in the men’s 100m breast. Although his silver medal time of 1:00.72 from last year was quicker, Benson’s outing here was enough to stay well ahead of Greg Butler, who finished almost a second behind in 1:02.67.

The World Junior Championships bronze medalist in the 50m breast, Archie Goodburn, stopped the clock in 1:02.71 to take bronze in this 1breast tonight and give Loughborough a 2-3 finish.

Commonwealth Games champion in the 200m breast, James Wilby, cracked the minute mark in the morning as a guest swimmer, touching in 59.56. Ross Murdoch was also in the water, putting up a morning swim of 1:01.08.

WOMEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

• GOLD – Abbie Wood (Loughborough) 2:11.77
• SILVER – Candice Hall (Loughborough) 2:17.84
• BRONZE – Becca Sutton (Swansea) 2:22.27

Abbie Wood continued her 400m IM dominance from yesterday morning into this 200m IM, crushing the field by over 6 seconds to take gold in 2:11.77.

Her time tonight falls just .12 outside of Wood’s lifetime best of 2:11.65, a mark she put up at the 2019 British Championships. That outing rendered her as Great Britain’s 6th fastest performer all-time, to put her time tonight here in perspective.

Wood is a member of the International Swimming League (ISL) team NY Breakers. She took this 200 IM title at last year’s meet, but was just 2:14.69.

Teammate Candice Hall took silver in 2:17.84, upgraded her bronze from 2019, with Becca Sutton getting on the podium in 2:22.27 for bronze.

MEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

• GOLD – Joe Litchfield (Loughborough) 2:01.62
• SILVER – James McFadzen (Loughborough) 2:02.26
• BRONZE – Jacob Greenow (Bath) 2:04.59

Loughborough’s depth was on display yet again, as Joe Litchfield and Jams McFadzen went 1-2 in the 200m IM. Litchfield got the job done in 2:01.62, while McFadzen was just over half a second behind in 2:02.26.

Bath’s Jacob Greenow was in the mix, but fell back in 2:04.59, still enough to reap bronze in the race.

Joe’s elder brother Max Litchfield, Olympic finalist in the 400m IM, was in the water this morning, hitting the wall in 2:02.51 as a guest swimmer.

WOMEN’S 50 FLY – FINAL

• GOLD – Marie Wattel (Loughborough) 26.35
• SILVER – Jessica Calderbank (Salford) 27.51
• BRONZE – Yasmin Perry (Aberdeen) 27.61

French speedster Marie Wattel would not be denied her 2nd gold, busting out a winning mark of 26.35 in this 50m fly just several events after her 100m free victory.

Mattel placed 5th in this event at the 2019 FINA World Aquatic Championships, hitting a lifetime best there of 25.50.

Salford got its first medal here, courtesy of Jessica Calderbank who collected silver in 27.51. Yasmin Perry of Aberdeen did her team proud once again, following up 100m fly bronze medal yesterday with another 3rd place finish here.

MEN’S 50 FLY – FINAL

• GOLD – Calum Bain (Stirling) 24.31
• SILVER – Gregor Swinney (Strathclyde) 24.93
• BRONZE – Chris Finch (Surrey) 24.96

Although Calum Bain of Stirling retained his 50m fly title from last year, collecting gold tonight in 24.31, the men who joined him on the podium gave their teams a chance to shine.

Gregor Swinney of Strathclyde clocked 24.93 for silver, pairing his medal with that of Katie Taylor’s 1500m bronze from night 1.

Surrey’s Chris Finch was also under the 25-second mark to give his squad its first medal in 24.96.

WOMEN’S 100 BACK – FINAL

• GOLD – Cassie Wild (Stirling) 1:00.08
• SILVER – Jessica Shaw (Birmingham) 1:02.10
• BRONZE – Courteney Price (Notts Trent) 1:02.39

Stirling’s Cassie Wild put on a show in the women’s 100m back event, nearly clearing the minute mark with a winning effort of 1:00.08. That beat out the field by over 2 seconds, with Birmingham’s Jessica Shaw touching next in 1:02.10 for silver.

Notts Trent got on the board with bronze, courtesy of Courteney Price‘s 1:02.39 tonight.

Wild took this same title last year in a much slower 1:01.44, while Shaw was the bronze medalist behind Lucy Hope in 2019 with a time of 1:02.83.

Going back to Wild, here time tonight checks-in as a big new personal best, overtaking the 1:00.58 she logged at the 2017 World Junior Championships. In fact, Wild’s outing here tonight now rockets her from slot #9 to slot #6 on the all-time British performers’ list.

Kathleen Dawson, the Scottish national record holder, was in the water this morning, posting a positive 59.94 performance after a bout with injuries.

MEN’S 100 BACK – FINAL

• GOLD – Luke Greenbank (Loughborough) 55.79
• SILVER – Martyn Walton (Stirling) 55.93
• BRONZE – Craig McNally (UWS) 56.27

Loughborough’s backstroking ace Luke Greenbank made it a double, following up on his decisive 200m back victory with a gold in the 100m sprint this evening.

Greenbank touched in 55.79, while Stirling’s Martyn Walton kept it close, hitting the wall just .17 back in 55.93. UWS’ Craig McNally secured bronze in 56.27.

Greenbank is Great Britain’s 3rd fastest performer ever in this event, owning a lifetime best of 53.75. Walton’s PB rests at the 55.25 at the 2019 British Championships.

WOMEN’S 4×100 MEDLEY RELAY – FINAL

• GOLD – Edinburgh 4:06.18
• SILVER – Loughborough 4:08.37
• BRONZE – Stirling 4:19.94

The Edinburgh squad of Kat Greenslade, Kara Hanlon, Tain Bruce, and Lucy Hope denied Loughborough a gold in this women’s medley relay, getting to the wall well ahead of their rival.

Greenslade led things off in 1:03.26 and handed the reigns to Hanlon who logged a leg of 1:08.06. Scottish national record holder Bruce kept the momentum going with a 1:00.67 fly leg before Hope produced a powerful final swim of 54.19.

Notable splits from elsewhere in the top 3 included a solid 58.71 fly leg from Loughborough’s Wattel and a 1:02.67 opener from Stirling’s Wild.

MEN’S 4×100 MEDLEY RELAY – FINAL

• GOLD – Stirling 3:40.14
• SILVER – Loughborough 3:41.42
• BRONZE – Sheffield Hallum 3:46.96

The combination of Martyn Walton, Craig Benson, Duncan Scott, and Scott McLay broke through with gold in this medley relay, edging out Loughborough by over a second to wrap up a stellar session for the squad.

Walton kicked-off in 56.22, trailing Loughborough’s Greenbank who posted the fastest time of the field in 55.51. Benson made up some ground with a 2nd leg of 1:01.50 for Stirling, while Scott blew up the field with a big-time 51.98 fly performance, McLay sealed the deal with a final swim of 50.44 to have Stirling collectively clock 3:40.14.

We’ll have a full points round-up in a subsequent post.