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Freshman swimmer breaks 12-year-old record

Photo+by+Devlin+Francis+15.+Maiorana+practices+the+fly%2C+after+having+broken+the+record.
Photo by Devlin Francis ’15. Maiorana practices the fly, after having broken the record.

Devlin Francis ’15 | Staff Writer

Dating back to 2000, Lindsey Rodin’s ’02 100 yard fly record for South’s Girls Varsity Swim Team looked as if no one would ever touch it. That all changed when Jennifer Maiorana ’16 tied it on Tuesday ,Oct. 9th, and then broke it four days later.

Rodin’s record was 58.93 seconds, which Maiorana tied in a meet against Ann Arbor Skyline.

“I was really sore after, but really surprised,” said Maiorana. “I was just in shock that I’d tied the school record.”

Maiorana said that along with her happiness and excitement, she was a little depressed she wasn’t able to break the record. However, these emotions motivated her to swim even faster at the next meet.

“I trained extra hard for the next race,” said Maiorana. “I really wanted to get it (the record), and I was incredibly motivated.”

Maiorana did not have to wait long for her next chance to break the record.  Four days later, she was able to race again, and ended up creating school history. At the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (MISCA) meet, Maiorana broke the record with a time of 58.77 seconds.

“I was in the zone and nothing else really mattered,” said Maiorana. “When I finally finished, my heart was pounding, and I just looked up at the scoreboard and there it was.”

Rodin’s record was the oldest unbroken swimming record for the girl’s team, Head Coach Eric Gunderson said. It has been practically untouchable since it was set, he added.

“That record is from 2000, and has lasted over a decade,” said Gunderson. “For a record to last that long shows how good it is, and for a freshman to do something like that, it’s pretty damn impressive.”

Gunderson said he’s most impressed that Maiorana was able to break the record without a taper, a steep lessening in workouts leading up to more competitive meets. Swimmers usually have their fastest swims on taper, and Gunderson expects Maiorana to hopefully drop another second when she tapers for the State Championship Meet, he said.

Like Gunderson, Assistant Coach John Fodel is also extremely proud of Maiorana for breaking the record.

Along with coaching South, Fodel is the head coach of the Grosse Pointe Gators Swim Club, where Maiorana trains during the offseason. Fodel has been coaching Maiorana for about six years now, since she was 8, he said.

“I’ve know Jen for such a long time and been able to develop a strong relationship with her,” said Fodel. “When she was swimming the race she looked really good, and was doing really well, and I was just really excited and happy for her.”

Fodel also expects Maiorana to go even faster once she begins to taper. She is a very hard worker, and he would be shocked if she wasn’t able to go even faster at States, Fodel said.

“She’s been dedicated for so long, and worked towards it,” said Fodel. “She was able to break that record because she’s been committed to swimming for so long, and I expect her to improve and get even faster over the course of high school.”

Both Fodel and Gunderson have high expectations for Maiorana going forward, and expect her set a record that’s practically unbreakable in the 100 fly during her career at South, they said.

Maiorana is very much looking forward to States, she said. She hopes to drop another second in the fly, and earn her Junior National qualifying cut.

The Junior National cut is 56.09 seconds. Maiorana would have to drop 1.68 seconds to qualify, and would go with the Gators to the meet.

Gunderson expects Maiorana to finish top eight in the 100 fly and be All-State.  She could possibly be All-State in the 200 yard Individual Medley and will likely be in two relays, he said.

The future is bright for Maiorana, as she hopes to continually break her own record over the years to come, and cement her legacy with South’s Girls Swim Team.

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