By Scott Padula

Writer

Few swimmers break records. Even fewer swimmers break records this early in the season. Kelly Pontecorvo ’14 defied these odds by breaking records in the 1,000 and 1,650 yard freestyle at the Bison Invitational on Nov. 18-20.

“Kelly is the most competitive swimmer I have ever met. Every swimmer I know puts 100 percent effort into all of their races, but she is the only one I know who races every lap of every practice,” teammate Mike Nicholson ’14 said. “We jump in the pool at 6 a.m. for warm up and she is a force to be reckoned with. While everyone is trying to wake up, she is already pounding out laps like it’s the middle of a big race.”

“She has an incredible desire to always touch the wall first and it shows in every race she swims,” he continued. “Her getting those records a couple of weeks ago were only the beginning. With her attitude and the way she practices I can see more huge time drops in the future. She is truly an incredible swimmer who just doesn’t have an ounce of quit in her body.”

Pontecorvo entered the final day of the Bison Invitational with a second place finish in the 500-yard freestyle and a goal of winning the 1,650-yard freestyle. Pontecorvo won the event and broke the record with a winning time of 16:45.08. Her finishing time beat the record set by Jamie Chakany ’12 in 2009 by more than three seconds. Pontecorvo also set the 1,000-yard freestyle record when her split time of 10:08.09 in the 1,650 moved her atop the list.

“Kelly is not the type of swimmer who takes out her event fast and tries to hold a lead,” Marshall Lambert ’14 said. “She simply stays focused and waits for her competitors to tire. That’s what makes her such a threat in the distance events. Her intense determination in the middle of a grueling mile always gets her to the finish first.”

The Orange and Blue will need Pontecorvo to continue her dominance as they prepare for a dual meet against La Salle in Philadelphia this weekend.