COFFS Harbour Masters Swimming Club put on a strong showing at the NSW Short-Course Championships in Woy Woy on 11-12 October.
Winning 22 gold medals, the team held their own against some of Australia’s best clubs.
Leanne Da Costa and Anthea Barnfield dominated the women’s 65-69 years category.
Leanne, fresh off the world championships, won five golds across butterfly and backstroke events while Anthea won the breaststroke, 25m, 50m, and 100m races as well as wins in the freestyle 25m and 50m events.
“Leanne’s achievements are even more impressive when considering that she is ranked in the Australian top 10 for every stroke and across multiple distances,” Coffs Masters spokesperson Paul Edwards told News Of The Area.
“A highlight for the Club was seeing Michelle Stubbs win gold in the highly competitive 25m freestyle in the 55-59 years.”
This was Michelle’s first State medal, and she backed it up with a bronze in the 50m freestyle.
Michael Stubbs maintained momentum from his national success earlier in the year in the Men’s 60–64 division.
He won the 200m freestyle and three backstroke distances, the 25m, 50m and 100m, plus a silver in the 100m freestyle – ranking among the country’s best in both strokes.
Paul Edwards added to the club’s success with a golden run in the Men’s 55–59 category, winning five events: the 50m and 100m freestyle, and the 25m, 50m and 100m butterfly.
His national ranking in the top three for butterfly from 25m through to 200m reflects a standout season.
On the back of the strong individual performances, the club also enjoyed relay success, winning the 4x50m freestyle (Michelle, Anthea, Michael, Paul) and finishing second in the 4x50m medley (Michael, Anthea, Leanne, Paul), both in the 240–279 age group.
The 2026 Masters Swimming Nationals are being held at Brisbane from 28 April – 2 May, 2026.
This will be a short-course carnival which means events are from 25m through to 800m.
“If you’ve ever been keen to try Masters Swimming this might be the perfect time to start training and join the local club, it would be fantastic to travel to Brisbane with a large representation from Coffs on the National stage.”
By Andrea FERRARI
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