Bond Bull Sharks have fired at the Australian Swimming Trials, with some already punching their Glasgow Commonwealth Games ticket.
Hancock Prospecting Swimming Excellence Scholar Hannah Casey put in one of the best performances of her young career by executing her race plan to perfection in the women’s 200m freestyle.
The Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science student went out like a Bull Shark at a gate before hanging on for fourth in a world-class field.
Her effort should be enough to earn a place in a stacked Women’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay team.
With Mollie O’Callaghan winning the event after nearly edging Ariane Titmus’ world record and Lani Pallister all class in second, the Australian women will be odds-on favourites to take out the event in July.
Bond Bachelor of Business student Milla Jansen finished sixth in the same race to give herself every chance of earning a place as a relay heat swimmer.
In the men’s 50m freestyle, Bond squad star Flynn Southam was all class. He bettered the qualifying time to finish third.
With Australia able to take three swimmers in the event, Southam is a near certainty to be on the plane to Glasgow.
The fate of some other Bull Sharks will lie in the hands of selectors.
Gideon Burnes, one of the breakout stars of swimming in 2026, clocked 27.37 to touch a second behind Sam Williamson in the 50m breaststroke.
With Burnes’ time just outside the red-hot qualifying standard of 26.93, he’ll now anxiously await a selector’s phone call on Sunday.
Tuesday night delivered one of the most highly anticipated events of the trials in the men’s 100m butterfly. After qualifying second for the final behind Australian record holder Matt Temple, veteran Kyle Chalmers was a late scratching from the final.
This left the door open for Bull Shark Ben Armbruster to pinch a Commonwealth Games spot.
In a David versus Goliath battle, Armbruster hung tough, the only swimmer in the pool to get near the overwhelming race favourite.
In the last 50m, the Bond Sport and Exercise Performance student pulled up to within half a body length and looked to be ahead of the qualifying mark.
But even with a mighty second place and a near-personal best time, he was still an agonising 0.12 seconds short of the automatic selection standard. Over to you again, selectors.
Armbruster now has a chance to cement his Dolphins berth when he tackles ‘King’ Kyle Chalmers and ‘Professor’ Cameron McEvoy in the 50m butterfly on Sunday.
On the same night, fellow butterflier Claudia Fydler put in a lifetime best to mark herself as one to watch when she touched equal third in the women’s 50m.
Fydler, who joined the Bull Sharks from Sydney in 2024, was watched on by proud Dad Chris, who claimed Olympic gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay in the same pool at the Sydney Olympics.
In the 50m breaststroke, Bachelor of Health Sciences student Kyla Brown finished seventh ahead of teammate and Bachelor of Laws student Tilly King.
Looking forward, Flynn Southam will tonight take on Kyle Chalmers in the blue ribbon 100m freestyle, while Hannah Casey will return to the pool deck to take on big guns Shayna Jack and Meg Harris in the 50m and 100m freestyle events.
Elsewhere, Hancock Prospecting Swimming Excellence Scholar Josh Collett will challenge for a top two spot in the 200m breaststroke, while Mikayla Bird - on her Australian Swimming Trials debut - will tackle the gruelling 200m butterfly.