SWIMMERS from Priestley College narrowly missed out on a finals place after competitive races in the London Olympic pool.

They swam hard and fast in the English Schools Swimming Association Secondary Teams’ Championships to secure a reserve spot in both freestyle and medley.

However, despite their best efforts, results around them meant were not called to race again.

Shannon Campbell, Lauren Goddard, Eleanor Donald, Rachel Bate, Erin Hesketh and Catherine Ross were the only team from the North to qualify in the top 25 of the national finals and left inspired by racing in the same pool as some of the world’s greatest swimmers at the London Aquatics Centre.

During the heats, Shannon completed a personal best of under 28 seconds in the freestyle despite swimming in a 50-metre Olympic distance pool when all Priestley’s girls are more used to lanes half that length.

“It was an inspirational trip, and what was great was that a lot of their parents travelled with them so were able to share the experience,” said Priestley’s Head of Sport Nigel Howells.

“At Priestley we are keen to support all sports, not just the traditional team games, and it was a pleasure to provide these six incredibly talented female swimmers with the opportunity to compete at the highest level.”

Priestley’s swimmers had qualified at the regional finals in October where they became North West champions in both the medley and freestyle team events.