Seneca Valley senior Edie Sawyer breaks the school record in the100-yard breaststroke during the Raiders' season-opening meet Friday.

Edie Sawyer is hoping that the high school winter sports season resumes next month.

She also knows there is a chance that it won't and that uncertainty played a role in her season-opening performance Friday night.

The Seneca Valley senior swimmer completed the 100-yard breaststroke in a school-record time of 1 minute, 4.45 seconds at North Allegheny High School.

The previous standard was 1:05.07, set by Kelly Connolly in 2006.

It had been announced Thursday that after Friday's competitions, high school sports across the state would be suspended for at least three weeks due to COVID-19.

“I'd wanted to break the school record since my freshman year,” said Sawyer, who lives in Cranberry Township. “I knew that we may not even have a season and that motivated me even more.“I felt good in the water and I knew I was swimming fast, but I wasn't sure it was fast enough to get the record. When I hit the wall, I looked up at the board to see my time. I was a little shocked, but very excited.”Sawyer began swimming competitively in sixth grade and said the breaststroke has always been her best event.She has put together an impressive string of accomplishments over the last 18 months.In the summer of 2019, she swam a personal-best time of 1:04.74 at a Junior National meet in Georgia.As a junior, she broke SV's pool record in the event with a 1:05.64.“It's a complex stroke, a lot of timing between the arms and legs,” said Sawyer of the breaststroke. “I've nailed that rhythm down.”Raiders' coach Brian Blackwell has seen her progression.“Seeing her mature and develop in that event, it's been fun,” he said. “She's been talking about getting top three at WPIALs since she was a freshman and I think she has a good shot at winning the title.”Last month, Sawyer signed a letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic careers at Ohio University.“Ever since I started swimming, I wanted to compete at the next level,” she said.In the meantime, Sawyer is hoping for a chance to better the school record she now holds. She is working out at home, anticipating a return to competition next month.“It could take me one or two weeks to get back into the groove of things. I'm focusing on the positives,” she added. “I know that everybody is in the same situation (with the shutdown). If I keep getting my work in at home, I should be fine.”

Sawyer