A COLLEGE student is to head to Australia to compete with swimmers from around the world.

Cassie Wild, from Mold, has qualified for the Commonwealth Youth Games next month alongside fellow Ellesmere College student Freya Anderson.

They will travel over there on Friday for the event, which runs from April 4 to 15.

It comes hot on the heels of success at various junior competitions including European and World Championships, both in the pool and open water.

Having won more junior international medals than any other program in Great Britain in recent years, Ellesmere Titans are now starting to make an impact on the senior international stage.

The team, coached by former world and European medallist Alan Bircher, was set up in 2008 as a collaboration between the college and parents of some of the best young swimmers in the North West and West Midlands.

Mr Bircher, who started swimming aged eight and went on to become a pool and open water swimmer over distances from 400m to 25km, said: “I’ve come to expect the unexpected when it comes to this group of amazing swimmers.

“I always look for a team who work together rather than being dictated to and these rewards just show us that the partnership and bond between the coach and swimmer is at an all-time high.

“I could not be prouder of what every single swimmer has achieved already this season. But we now have a very busy period ahead and the expectation will rise again.”

The Titans programme aims to identify and develop the best aquatic athletes in Britain, acting as a talent hotspot and identifying individuals with the potential to achieve Olympic podium success.

They have access to a wide range of facilities including the college’s own 25m pool, split level gym, weights room, underwater and above surface video analysis and presentation rooms.

Ellesmere College deputy head Vicky Pritt Roberts said: “We pride ourselves on valuing the individual, which is something lots of schools claim.

“But to really demonstrate that, you need to be willing to adapt and be flexible to enable the individual to pursue their goals and have a good education.

“Helping athletes achieve both is an example of our mission and practice.

“Our swimmers have the most advanced training methods, video analysis, sports science, goal setting and lifestyle management available to them on a daily basis.

"The Titans and college aim is to give the swimmers every possibility to achieve at the highest level both in the pool and in their academic studies.”