Bermuda head coach Ben Smith has described the recent National Swimming Championships as a “sensational opening meet” for the new Aquatics Centre.Any concerns about whether the Championships would run smoothly were quickly allayed, said Smith, who praised the National Sports Centre for ensuring the event was a resounding success.Smith also believes the Championships acted as an important dress rehearsal for the Aquactics Centre, which hosts next month’s NatWest Island Games swimming events.“As it was the first opportunity to compete at the new pool, using new timing equipment and new starting blocks, there were some moments of worry leading into the biggest local meet on the calendar,” admitted Smith.“We need to give a big thank you to the NSC staff for working tirelessly to have the facility ready for each session and for making adjustments to the new equipment to make everything work so well.“All the local volunteers who officiated and organised should also be commended for putting on a great meet at the new facility.“We also had a great helping hand from Mike Kinish from Isle of Man, Trevor Cowen from Canada and veteran official Chris Smith.“Along with Alice Mastalir they helped make National Championships run smoothly with their eye on the success of next month’s Island Games.”Smith was particularly impressed with the Island’s female swimmers such as Rebecca Sharpe, Maddy Moore, Shannon Hassell, Emma Harvey and Rebecca Heyliger many of who will compete at the Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Championships (CCCAN) in Costa Rica later this month.“On the final day we were treated to a great 200 free women's race that saw both Maddy Moore and Shannon Hassell dip under the record but Shannon touched ahead of Maddy so it is her record for now,” said Smith.“It was great to see some of the really strong swims in the junior national portion of the meet with the likes of Ashley Irby, Emma Harvey leading the way with spectacular performances.“The finale of the meet was the 50 free and we were treated to some very close races with Jesse Washington taking the men's title while setting a new record and Rebecca Heyliger taking the women's title.“The performances of Rebecca Sharpe who flew in from University of Toronto need to be highlighted as she performed at her best with really good swims in her signature backstroke events.“As an example to the strong crop of young girls coming behind her it was good to have her back. The swimmer who stole the show in my opinion was Rebecca Heyliger who has recently returned home for the summer from USC.“Rebecca swims for the University that sat at number one in US swimming for most of the year and has not had as many opportunities to compete because she is on such a powerhouse team. She made sure that we all remember how talented she is with spectacular performances in multiple events.”He added: “I’m looking forward to having these swimmers perform at the CCCAN Championships in Costa Rica at the end of the month and we should all be excited about what we should see from our Island Games team in July.”The Championships were held at the Aquatics Centre from Thursday until Sunday.