Gamelier

TOLEDO, Ohio — Looking back on her high school swimming career, Seneca Valley graduate Kylie Gamelier can recall a couple of gold medals.

She hopes to have the same fond recollections of her college career.

Now a junior on the University of Toledo women's swimming team, Gamelier broke two school records during the Rockets' victory at the University of Buffalo last weekend.

She broke her own record in the 100-meter breaststroke, swimming a time of 1 minute, 4.61 seconds to top her previous mark by .33 of a second, and swam the 200 breaststroke in 2:18.70, snapping the previous school mark of 2:19.32 set three years ago.

"I set the 100 breaststroke record last January and knew I could beat it,"Gamelier said. "The 200 breaststroke record, I wasn't so sure of. ... I mean, maybe I could get there at some point.

"It was a little surprising it happened this soon."

Gamelier's college swimming career may be surprising to Gamelier, but not to Rockets coach Lars Jorgensen.

Gamelier won the WPIALtitle in the 100 breaststroke and was part of the Raiders' state championship 200 medley relay team during her senior season.

"Kylie is a very talented swimmer and she's improved here each year because of her hard work,"Jorgensen said. "She's matured a lot in and out of the pool.

"All she needs is the confidence and belief that she can compete at the national level. Hopefully, she'll become a conference champion and NCAAqualifier. Those things are within her grasp."

Gamelier's goals of swimming 1:02.9 in the 100 breaststroke and 2:16.9 in the 200 breaststroke this season would still leave her short of NCAAqualifying times.

"I look at where I'm at, play around with the numbers and that's what comes out,"Gamelier said. "I want to get to nationals, if not this year, definitely next year."

Before her senior swim season at Seneca Valley, Gamelier made Toledo her college selection over Duquesne and Towson State (Md.).

She swam the butterfly and breaststroke in high school and began excelling in the 200 breaststroke as she began focusing on that event in college.

"My 200 breaststroke was awful in high school,"Gamelier said. "My best time was 2:29. I was excited just to break 2:30.

"But in high school, you don't train especially for certain events. When I got to college, I concentrated on my breaststroke and that's been the difference."

When Gamelier got to Toledo, Jorgensen was entering his second season and the Rockets were an eighth-place team in the Mid-American Conference.

Last year, Toledo placed fourth in the MACTournament. This year, the Rockets are 8-2 overall, 5-0 in the conference, and are taking aim at the conference crown.

Besides swimming the 100 and 200 breaststrokes, Gamelier will swim the 200 individual medley and compete in a couple of relays at the conference meet.

"Pennsylvania has some good swimmers, but Kylie wasn't challenged in high school like she's being challenged now,"Jorgensen said. "It takes athletes a while before they realize they can compete at this level."