Merrylands Amateur Swimming Club celebrated the 2025/26 season in style at its Presentation Evening, held last night at Club Merrylands. With a large attendance of swimmers, families and supporters, the night was a fitting celebration of another successful and enjoyable season.
A major highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Graded Pointscore, which rewards swimmers for consistent attendance and improvement across the season. This year’s standings were led by an outstanding performance from William Johnston, who finished as the club’s highest point scorer with 311 points, followed by Jay Shrestha (285) and Jude Johnston (276). Pointscore Champions were crowned in each age group, with William Johnston (Boys), Leah Johnston (Girls), Simon Johnston (Senior Mens) and Alison Johnston (Senior Womens) leading their respective categories.
The Club’s Age and Open Championships were also presented during the evening, where swimmers raced against others in their own age group, with a focus on performance within their division. These events featured some of the most competitive racing of the season.
The Champion of Champions award, recognising the most consistent and outstanding performances across both club and representative competition throughout the season, was presented to Alison Johnston. This award represents the highest honour for swimming performance across the season, and Alison’s result capped off a remarkable year. In addition, Alison was also named Masters Swimmer of the Year and winner of the Handicap Trophy, further highlighting her versatility and consistency across all areas of competition.
The evening also recognised swimmers who have represented Merrylands at higher levels. Representative shirts were presented to Jay Shrestha, Coralie Havea and Leo Zhu who competed at Metropolitan level and above over the past 12 months, acknowledging the commitment required to reach these standards. The club’s Representative Wall recognises swimmers who have consistently performed at Area, Metropolitan, State and higher levels over a number of years. This year, Alison Johnston’s photo was added to the wall, recognising her performances across more than 10 years at these levels.
Also recognised on the night was Damien Chan, who received the Jim Pye Development Award (Minties Trophy) in recognition of his consistency, improvement and commitment throughout the season. Daniel Brancatisano was awarded the Jack Smart Encouragement Award, highlighting his steady progress over the year.
The Coaches' Awards were presented to Pavla Hannan, Jay Shrestha, Jonathan Forsyth and Ava Whelan, each receiving a club beanie in recognition of their effort, attitude and performances within the squad program.
Providing some light-hearted entertainment, the always popular P-Plate Award for the “Silly Mistake of the Year” was awarded to Ian Johnston, drawing plenty of laughter from the audience.
The club also took the opportunity to recognise the vital contribution of its volunteers. The Lions Award was presented to Sylvia Chan for her outstanding service over the past season, while Service Excellence Awards were presented to Chris Liepins, Graham Edwards, Peter Johnston, Margaret Edwards and Ian Johnston in recognition of their long-term dedication.
A special moment during the evening was the presentation of Life Membership to Leanne Tovkach. Life Membership remains the highest honour a member can receive, recognising many years of dedication and significant contribution to the club, and was a fitting acknowledgment of her outstanding service.
The evening was a celebration of achievement at every level, from first-time swimmers through to experienced competitors and representatives at major meets. Congratulations to all our swimmers and volunteers for a great 2025/26 season.
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