At conference finals on Friday, Feb. 11, four swimmers broke the 200 yard medley relay record which was last set in 2005.
“We knew we wanted to break it, we knew we wanted to do it, but we thought we would do it at state,” Natasha Porporis, sophomore, said.
The relay placed first at conference with a time of 1:51:93 and consisted of freshman Abby Watson, backstroker; senior Liza Poskin, breaststroker; junior Annalise Grigereit, butterflyer and Porporis, freestyler.
“I have to admit, I was so surprised when they dropped four full seconds off their time, I had to go look up the record,” Joe Schoedel, head coach, said. “That one wasn’t even on my radar, but the girls surpassed my expectations and I think even surprised themselves as to what they were capable of.”
Poskin also broke the 100 yard breaststroke school record at conference finals and placed first with a best time of 1:04.99, lowering the previous school record by nearly one and a half seconds. Poskin finished third at the state meet with a time of 1:05.02 and sixth in the 200 yard individual medley.
Poskin said she was happy with her finishes at state and said breaking the school record had been a goal of hers since her freshman year.
“There are some impressive names on that record board and I’m so proud to be up there with them,” Poskin said.
Schoedel said he was most proud of Poskin’s record because she had been just off of it for three years.
“That was a big barrier that she not only broke, but destroyed,” Schoedel said. “The former record holder, Shannon Slattery, even came to the meet where her record was broken to cheer on Liza, showing the incredible camaraderie the team has, even after graduation.”
The third record fell at the state meet when Watson broke the 11-year-old 100 backstroke record with a time of 57:46, which placed third overall.
“I got out from the pool and I just knew I got the record,” Watson said. “I was really excited.”
Watson said she thinks the new 200 medley relay record that she helped set would stand for a while, but said her goal for the rest of her high school swimming career is to continue to lower her 100 backstroke record that she set this year as a freshman.
Schoedel agreed that Watson will make sure the 100 yard backstroke will fall repeatedly over the next three years.
“Abby has the drive to maintain the training necessary to continue to perform at an elite level,” Schoedel said.
Schoedel said he views the records as huge accomplishments for the season.
“It’s a direct result of hard work and dedication,” Schoedel said. “It’s really something to be proud of when you and girls years to come can look up at the record board and see your name.”