A team of 25 athletes from across eight South Australian clubs will represent the state at this week’s Australian Open Championships, hosted at Brisbane Aquatic Centre. The meet, starting tomorrow, is one of the final major opportunities for swimmers to gain national-level racing experience ahead of June’s Australian Trials in Adelaide.
This event is not a selection meet, but it sets the stage. For many of our swimmers - including debutants, multi-class athletes and returning finalists - it’s a chance to gain exposure, chase PBs and line up against the country’s best.
Marion leads the way in representation, while Immanuel, Norwood, STARplex, and Onkaparinga all bring strong teams. Southern Performance, Tea Tree Gully and Purruna are each represented by one athlete.
Athletes to watch
Brittany Castelluzzo (Tea Tree Gully) is seeded 14th in the 200m freestyle (1:56.77) and 13th in the 400m freestyle (4:14.16). She’s also entered in the 100m freestyle (54.68), 200m butterfly (2:07.40) and 100m butterfly (57.80), consistently placing her inside the top 20 nationally.
Molly Walker (Southern Performance) comes in with a seed of 2:00.91 in the 200m freestyle, placing her just outside the top 20. Her 800m and 1500m freestyle seed times are also in competitive territory, making her one of our key distance swimmers.
James McKechnie (STARplex) is seeded 7th in the men’s 50m breaststroke with a time of 27.76. He also contests the 100m breaststroke (1:02.51), which ranks him well inside the top 20.
Gabriel Cregan (Immanuel) will swim eight multi-class events, including the 50m breaststroke (31.06) where he is seeded 2nd in his MC event. He’s also entered in able-bodied 50m breaststroke alongside his MC events, as well as freestyle, backstroke, and medley.
Taylor Corry (Purruna) is among the leading S14 swimmers, entered in six events including the 100m freestyle (1:02.40), 50m butterfly (30.20), and 50m backstroke (33.49) - each ranked within the top six for her classification.
Check out the heats program for more line-ups
Backing up after Australian Age
Four swimmers are backing up from recent Age Championships:
- Gabriel Cregan (Immanuel) - eight events
- Oscar Dingwall (Immanuel) - breaststroke and IM focus
- Alinta Dingwall (Immanuel) - racing IM, backstroke and freestyle
- Ethan Herbst (STARplex) - 100m butterfly
Multi-class depth
SA is fielding a broad multi-class representation this year. In addition to Cregan and Corry, we’re also represented by:
- Jasmin Fullgrabe (Marion) – 100m butterfly (1:13.0), 200m IM (2:42.0)
- Charlie Wilkins (Onkaparinga) – 50m freestyle (37.24), 200m IM (3:24.8)
- Emily Willett (Onkaparinga) – 400m freestyle (5:49.7), 200m freestyle (2:50.6)
Coaches & Technical Officials
A total of 14 coaches and team managers are supporting SA’s swimmers in Brisbane. On deck in officiating roles are:
- Selma Barlow (Norwood)
- Lorraine Burford (SwimmingSA)
- Darren McLachlan (Marion)
- Stephanie Robinson (Mount Gambier)
This meet is a stepping stone for many - a chance to race in national fields, reach for national titles, and sharpen up ahead of the Australian Trials in June, which take place right here in Adelaide. We’ll be following every swim and sharing updates across the week. Good luck to all our athletes, coaches, and support crew!
How to watch
Watch every session live on 9Now, with replays available on YouTube following the session.
All medal ceremonies will be live on YouTube.
