Girls 200M Free Relay team sets school record

Tristen+Thompson%2C+12%2C+Vivien+Rothwell%2C+11%2C+Iris+Ochoa%2C+10%2C+and+Jordan+Hildebrand%2C+12%2C+pose+with+assistant+swimming+coach%2C+Laurel+Christopher%2C+after+their+record+breaking+race.

Photo courtesy of mc_swimdive

Tristen Thompson, 12, Vivien Rothwell, 11, Iris Ochoa, 10, and Jordan Hildebrand, 12, pose with assistant swimming coach, Laurel Christopher, after their record breaking race.

On Saturday, Tristen Thompson, 12, Jordan Hildebrand, 12, Vivien Rothwell, 11, and Iris Ochoa, 10, set the 200 Yard Free Relay school record at the Gwinnett County Championships. The team finished with a time of 1:37.63 beating the prior record set in 2008 of 1:38.2.

Although the team has put in work all season to drop their time, setting the record was completely unexpected, as the team didn’t go into the race anticipating to do so. “Breaking the record proved that our hard work had paid off. So I’d say it wasn’t expected but something we knew that we were capable of,” Hildebrand, 12, said.

Relay team members like Hildebrand, 12, and Thompson, 12, believe a number of factors played into their record breaking race; including months of training hard, weightlifting, the environment of the meet, and support from teammates and coaches. “County is the biggest meet of the year. Everyone is excited and in a good mood,” Hildebrand, 12, said.

The meet’s enthusiasm was evidenced by the coaches’ and teammates’ energy and support from the sidelines. “The whole team was watching no matter where they were on the pool deck and once we finished the race everyone was jumping up and down. Some teammates even came up to us afterwards and congratulated us,” Thompson, 12, said.