Hanson Memorial Meet Kicks Off Bermuda Swimming Season
Award Winners & Hanson Family
IslandStats.com
The Bermuda Amateur Swimming Association’s (BASA) 2025/2026 season officially began with the annual Barry Hanson Memorial Meet, held in honour of the long-time coach whose commitment to the island’s young swimmers remains a cornerstone of the community.
The meet saw a poignant tribute to Hanson, with his daughter, Rebecca Singleton, donating special prizes. A sportsmanship and spirit award, based on their conduct from last season, was presented to one swimmer from each participating club. The inaugural winners were Lila Connely from Harbour Swim Club and Rhiana Hayward from Sharks Swim Club, a fitting tribute to the values Hanson championed.
The competition saw swimmers shake off the off-season rust, delivering several exciting races in the short-course format:
Senior & Age Group Highlights
Women’s 15 & Over 100 SC Meter Freestyle: The event was a tight contest, won by Ellis Champion who touched the wall in 1:18.03. She was closely followed by Rhiana Hayward (1:18.92), who showed her great competitive spirit in the water just after receiving her award. Keira Kearns finished third in 1:22.41. Men’s 15 & Over 200 SC Meter Freestyle: The senior men provided a thrilling finish, with Joseph Lau clocking the fastest time of 2:12.49, narrowly edging out Noah Fulton (2:12.91). Jackson Langley secured third place with a time of 2:17.23. 13-14 Boy’s 100 SC Meter Freestyle: Ethan Smith powered his way to victory in a time of 1:03.96, ahead of Jacob Leclerc (1:05.14) and Jens Drea (1:11.67). 11-12 Girl’s 50 SC Meter Breaststroke: Colette Durkin claimed the win in 47.20 seconds, with Charlie Collins (47.81) and Lorin Roopra (48.37) rounding out the podium in a tightly packed sprint.
The meet proved to be a great success, honouring the spirit of Barry Hanson while signalling a promising start to the new swimming season.
