Silver medals for Nottingham swimmer at BUCS Short Course
Over the 14th to 16th of November, the University of Nottingham swimming athletes took part in the 2025-26 BUCS Short Course Swimming Championships taking place at Pongs Forge Sheffield. Competing against other athletes from universities from around the country, Nottingham swimmers delivered outstanding performances, showcasing both talent and determination, cementing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in university swimming.
Published 04 Dec 2025
An exceptional weekend at the 2025-26 BUCS Short Course Swimming Championships saw the Nottingham swimming team achieve their highest combined points finish of all time, with athletes setting 52 season bests and personal bests and throughout the competition. Across 6 intense sessions, Nottingham swimmers displayed incredible skill and perseverance, bring home medals and breaking county records, a reflection of the team’s hard work and dedication.
Among the standout performances, Izzie Leigh excelled in the Women's 50m Backstroke, finishing second with a time of 26.32 seconds, 0.25 seconds shy of first place. Her swim broke a 16-year-old county record, set a new East Midlands regional record and established her as the 10th fastest British Women in the short course 50m backstroke. Izzie would also take to the podium in the 50m Butterfly making it a championships to remember, bringing two silver medals back to Nottingham.
Leo Pollock also impressed, smashing both the Men's 50m Butterfly and Men's 100m butterfly events, setting both club and county records in each. Alexander Lawrie also broke 2 club records, with one in the Men's 200m freestyle where he finished in 1:53:77, showing further the depth of talent within the squad.
Overall, Nottingham achieved its highest of all time male, female and combined points finish, breaking a total 17 club records, 6 Nottinghamshire country record and 1 East Midlands regional record. 22 athletes made it into the finals cementing the weekend as one to remember.
The team are now turning their focus to Winter Nationals and are eager to see what they can achieve at BUCS Long Course Championships in February.
Congratulations for everyone involved in the success of the swimming team and we look forwards to more brilliant events across the year!
To find out more about the BUCS Short Course Championships visit here: https://www.bucs.org.uk/events-page/swimming-short-course-championships-2025-26.html
For more information about swimming at the University of Nottingham visit here: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/sport/performance-sport/focus-sports/performance-swimming.aspx
Notes for editors
University of Nottingham are the top UK University for team sport, placing 2nd in the overall British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) rankings in the 2024/25 season. For more information on our performance sport offer, including scholarships and support for student athletes, please click here.
Rebecca Frost
Location: University of Nottingham