Every day athletes are trying to break their records and other people’s records. A Senior and swimmer Mackenzie Mergel has broken five records and beaten her own personal best records several times in her swimming career at PHS.
Growing up, Mergel went from sport to sport trying to find the sport that she felt good about doing.
“I just tried a whole bunch of sports just to see what I was good at like [recreational] basketball, [recreational] softball, I did volleyball once, I even did ballet once. I did basketball for a long time but I realized I never really loved any of it. I did not really have a passion for any of those sports,” Mergel said.
During one summer, Mergel’s parents enrolled her into a swimming program to help her strengthen her swimming skill. They did not expect what was to come as she climb the ranks and levels improving her skill.
“I tried swimming at the YMCA. I found what I was good at and what I was passionate for. Then I did swimming for two years and they told me I should do club because they thought I had so much more potential. I have been on club for about seven years. I have never done any sport since. It is a huge part of my life,” Mergel said.
Swimming three hours a day, six days a week is a schedule Mergel is not looking to change any time soon as she plans for her future in competitive swim.
“I am going to finish out my club season which ends in the summer and I plan on swimming in college,” Mergel said.
Not only breaking records in her final year of high school competitive swim, Mergel goes on to tell about the previous records she had broken while at PHS.
“The first record I broke was sophomore year, I beat the 200-free record and then junior year I broke the 200-free record again, which was my own record, then I broke the 100-breaststroke. Then Junior year I broke those same two records again and two relay records. Then this year I broke the same two records again and one more relay record,” Mergel said.
Still looking into the future, Mergel has decided to not let these be the last records she breaks as she continually improves her swimming skills.
“I think it just goes to show that I have put in so much work that I have continually every year gotten better to beat my own personal best records. It makes me happy that I am able to improve every year and not have a peak. Many people reach that peak and then never go beyond that peak and I have been able to continually improve in that,” Mergel said.
Wanting to give credit to those around her who helped with her success in improving and reaching her goals, Mergel thanks her supporters.
“I am super thankful to have all my family, co-swimmers and high school supporting me. We [co-swimmers] all have each other’s backs and we are so proud of each other. I set out freshman year to break a record and I come out senior year breaking five, I chose my ultimate goal and that is something I am proud of,” Mergel said.
