SEVEN talented students from Willyama High School made their mark on the state stage last week, travelling more than 1100 kilometres to compete in the Combined High Schools (CHS) Swimming Carnival at Sydney Olympic Park, an event drawing hundreds of competitors from all corners of New South Wales.
The swimmers competed as part of the West Darling Team, representing both Willyama and the broader Far West region against a competitive field, with most rivals hailing from Sydney and nearby areas.
“There have been some impressive swims at the meet and it’s fantastic to see our students are in the mix with the high standard of the top swimmers in New South Wales,” said team manager Rachel Harvey.
Among the most prolific competitors were 13-year-olds Ellie Bevan and Amani Coorey.
Both girls competed in seven events each, covering freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, and medleys, with unwavering determination and solid results across the board.
Sixteen-year-old Sienna Bevan tackled six demanding events, including the 400m freestyle and 100m backstroke, showcasing her endurance and consistency in a high-pressure environment.
Samuel Harvey, 15, had a particularly strong meet, smashing his personal bests in nearly every event where shaved over six seconds off his 200m freestyle time, more than five seconds from his 100m backstroke, and set improvements in four other events, an incredible performance against the state’s fastest.
Zachery Barratt, 15, also held his own, reaching the final in the 50m freestyle where he placed 10th, and putting in gutsy efforts in a demanding program of four other events including butterfly and backstroke.
Cohen Clavel, 16, was a standout, reaching multiple finals and earning third place in both the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly.
He also placed 4th in the 200m freestyle timed final, setting a new personal best of 1.48 seconds, and he rounded out his performance with top 10 finishes in both the 50m and 100m backstroke.
Fourteen- year-old Veniece Coorey brought her A-game to the 200m individual medley, where she placed 1st in the 12 to 14 years girls timed final.
She also placed 5th in the 100m breaststroke final, and improved her 100m butterfly time by 2.01 seconds in the heats before placing 6th in the final.
Following the CHS carnival, Veniece and Cohen headed north as the pair travelled to the 2025 All Age and MC Age Championships on the Gold Coast, a national-level competition featuring elite swimmers from across Australia and international talent from countries including Japan, Hong Kong, and the UAE.
