Ronald Cowen and Sarah Bateman were the top male and female swimmers at the Bermuda National Championships last weekend at BASA Pool.

Cowen, one of the Island?s leading talents in the pool, swept to victory in six events to capture the men?s title while Bateman ? part of the visiting YTO Swim Team from Florida ? won five races and was the runner-up in another.

She prevailed in the 100 metres breaststroke and freestyle, the 200 breaststroke and individual medley (IM) and the 50 metre freestyle.

She was also second in the 50 metres breaststroke.

Cowen savoured success in the 50 metres freestyle, butterfly and backstroke, the 100 metres freestyle and the 200 metres freestyle and backstroke.

The annual meet was also marked by six new age-group records. Kaitlyn Miller broke the women?s 11 and 12 400 metres freestyle and IM records while Brooke DeSilva eclipsed the old marks in the 9 and 10 100 metres and 50 metres butterfly.

Also setting new times were Flora Duffy in the age 16-18 200 metres freestyle and Rebecca Sharpe in the 11 and 12 50 metres backstroke.

?It?s evident that since BASA changed its swimming schedule to year-round swimming with just two weeks off at Christmas and in August, our swimmers have gone from strength to strength,? said BASA president Ian Gordon.

?It?s very noteworthy that more and more of our younger swimmers are making finals in these open meets. This is a credit to the level of coaching these swimmers are receiving and bodes well for the future of swimming in Bermuda.?

He noted it?s ?remarkable? that, given the limitations of one pool for so many swimmers, the Island was able to produce at such a high level.

?The swimmers from Florida, for example, each swim 20 hours a week for training. Due to our lack of pools in Bermuda, our senior swimmers can only train eight to nine hours per week.

?We have almost 300 competitive swimmers now and there simply is nowhere else to train,? said Gordon.