Sophomore Allison Gigante has set a new school record in the 100-yard breaststroke, with a time of 1:15:81. This shattered the previous record of 1:16:61, set by Kelley Zwart in 2001. Gigante swam the school’s best 100-breast in over a decade on Jan. 12 at a meet at Staunton River High School.

Gigante was surprised with her performance, which also broke her previous personal record (PR) of 1:16:74 by nearly a second.

“When I finished the race, I thought I had done pretty badly, and that I was going pretty slow. And then I looked at the time and I was like, ‘Wait, what?’” said Gigante.

Head coach Leslie Ayers was just as impressed by Gigante’s breaststroke improvement.

“I think it [the record] is amazing! I’m very, very excited. It’s been a long time. 2001,” said Ayers.

Gigante’s success may be a result in her change in intensity towards swimming as a sport.

“I’ve taken swimming more seriously this year,” said Gigante. “I have been doing workouts outside of practice, on Saturdays. My friends come too, which makes it more fun because we’re all trying to improve.”

Ayers sees Gigante’s record as a sign of the season’s progression. Ayers said that practices have been successful so far, despite school cancellations and winter break.

“They’re fit. They’ve gotten a lot of technique under their belts, and now it’s time to start focusing on race times,” said Ayers.

Despite this monumental accomplishment, Gigante still sees opportunities for improvement to perfect her race times before the postseason.

“My turns need to be worked on,” said Gigante. “I feel good about it, but there’s always room for improvement.”