Five University of Stirling swimmers selected for Euro U23 Championships

Five swimmers from the University of Stirling will represent Aquatics GB at the European Aquatics Under-23 (U23) Swimming Championships in Slovakia.

David Annis, Evie Davis, Rory Dickson, Lucy Grieve and George Smith will represent Great Britain at the event which runs from June 26 – 28.

It will be a second selection for a European competition for Davis and Grieve who both won silver at the last U23 Euros in 2023 in the 4 x 100m mixed medley relay. Davis also won silver in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay, with Stirling swimmers taking six medals in total at the Dublin event.

At the other end of the experience scale, Rory Dickson is set for his first opportunity to represent the British team.

David Bond, Head of Performance Sport at the University of Stirling, said: “It’s a tremendous achievement for five swimmers from our high-performance swim programme to be selected by Aquatics GB for the European Championships, and we’re looking forward to watching them test themselves against some of the best talent from elsewhere in the world.

“Our congratulations go to them on their selection and we’re all incredibly proud of their achievements so far, which is testament to the strength of the programme at Stirling. We wish them all the best in Slovakia.”

The announcement comes just a month after eight swimmers from Stirling – Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence – were selected as part of the GB squad for the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

David Bond is delighted for the swimmers who have secured their place in Slovakia.

Duncan Scott, Angharad Evans, Keanna MacInnes, Katie Shanahan, Holly McGill, Freya Anderson, Lucy Hope and Jack McMillan have been selected for the competition, running July 27 – August 3.

They will be joined in Singapore by University of Stirling Head Performance Swim Coach Ben Higson and High-Performance Swim Coach Bradley Hay, who have been selected to support the team.

Aquatics GB Team Leader for the European Championships, Nathan Hilton said: “It is an exciting prospect that we have put together a team with great depth to attend the second edition of this competition, one that will offer racing against world-class competitors in a big arena environment.

“As we progress towards the LA and Brisbane Games, exposure to these types of championship conditions play a key role within our strategic pathway to develop the next wave of talent – and provide an excellent opportunity for us to embed outstanding team behaviours as we transition athletes towards our senior team.

“With the calibre of this team including two Olympians and seven European junior medallists – while also exposing three new debutants to British teams – we know that each and every one of them can thrive in this big-meet environment and can use the opportunity to build on performances set the Aquatics GB Championships to underpin world class processes for future international competitions.”

High-performance swim scholarships

The University of Stirling offers a world-leading high-performance swim programme, which provides athletes with a bespoke package of world-class coaching, access to state-of-the-art facilities, performance mentoring and access to the latest innovations in sports research.

Those on scholarships can also benefit from academic flexibility to support their education alongside their sporting ambitions. Head Performance Coach Ben Higson leads the programme, supported by Brad Hay, Josh Williamson and Charlie Boldison.