The stunning success of the Bull Sharks swim squad in 2024 has extended beyond the athletes with head coach Chris Mooney winning two major gongs at Swimming Australia's annual awards night.
Mooney took home two of five coaching awards on offer when he was named National Age Coach of the Year and National Youth Coach of the Year.
The awards are recognition of a multi-tiered strategic plan create by Mooney and Director of Swimming Kyle Samuelson to get athletes onto the Dolphins squad for the Paris Olympics while building towards a greater Bond representation across the next two Olympic cycles.
Bull Sharks Flynn Southam, Ben Armbruster, Lani Connolly, and Omar Abbass competed in Paris with Southam returning with silver and bronze medals.
“2028 is just around the corner, and a lot of our planning is around those games, but we were still able to get four athletes onto Olympic teams this year,” Mooney said.
“Flynn and Ben are still of an age where they are going to be in their prime for the next two Olympics and I think we ended up with 19 gold medals at the Australian Age Championships, which really supports our goal was to be relevant now, but also for the next two Olympic cycles.
“And because of the way we are set up, and with the scholarships we offer, we should continue to have some pretty good talent rolling through the program.”
Mooney took particular satisfaction in breaking the historical stranglehold larger swimming programs have had on the awards.
“I can’t remember anybody outside of St Peters winning it for a long time,” he said.
“You usually have to be a big program with lots of athletes. It shows that while we haven’t got a massive program, but we have a lot of talent in our squad and a program that is really helping them maximise their potential.”
Teen star Milla Jansen swam away with the Olympic Program Flipper of the Year Award, thanks to her medal haul at the Junior Pan Pacific Games in August. No doubt Jansen’s success had a say in Mooney’s selection as Age Coach of the Year.
Australia’s depth of talent in the freestyle ranks is at an all-time high, so Jansen was competing with the likes of Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Meg Harris, and Emma McKeon - some of the biggest names in the sport - in for a spot on the Australian relay team.
Although she missed selection for the Paris Games, Jansen bounced back to claim five medals at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships.
Mooney believes her continued improvement has her in the frame to earn senior Dolphins selection for the World Short Course Championships in December.
“She made a big breakthrough by making the final at the Olympic trials,” Mooney said.
“She was disappointed she didn’t grab a relay spot, but she has made every post a winner since the trials and the rewards were there at the Junior Pan Pacs.
“There were some great performances among the junior swimmers this year, and for her to grab that award is a very special achievement. It is nice that someone else has recognised what we see from Milla every day.”
The event also served as a farewell lap for two Bond alumni, Alex Graham and Minna Atherton who hung up their racing suits this year.
Graham, now pursuing a Masters of Business Administration at Bond, and Atherton, a Bachelor of Biomedical Science graduate, were honoured with framed Dolphins caps – fitting tributes to their impressive careers.