Gateway girls relay team breaks 24-year-old pool record

By: Robert Scott
Friday, February 7, 2020 | 6:55 PM

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The Gateway girls 200-yard medley relay set a pool record recently, snapping a mark that had lasted 24 years.

The record time (1 minute, 51.15 seconds) was set Jan. 23 by senior Olivia Livingston and sophomore Summer Raymer along with freshmen Ayva Harris and Morgan Holmes in a section meet against Fox Chapel, breaking the 1:51.78 Gateway high school pool mark from more than two decades ago.

Swimming backstroke was Raymer, and Harris swam the breaststroke portion. Morgan Holmes competed as butterfly swimmer, and Livingston rounded out the relay with the freestyle.

“We were planning on going for the record, and a few of the girls trained up for it to try (to break the record),” Livingston said.

“I kind of wasn’t paying attention to breaking it in the moment, I just tried to go as fast as I can for it (in the freestyle). When I touched the wall and found out we broke it, it was really exciting just because I’ve never done anything like that with a relay before.”

For the Louisville commit, swimming as a part of a relay team has its own kind of pressure.

“With relays, I feel less pressure, but I also feel more because I’m swimming for multiple people and not just myself,” she said.

“It’s really cool, though, because I use relays as a chance to race really hard because if you are behind you can play catch up. It’s exciting because it’s nice to let loose.”

The relay team qualified for the WPIAL championships March 25-28 and is seeded fourth, according to coach Sherry Sonetti.

In the same meet, Holmes qualified for three individual events: the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle races.

“Ayva and Morgan are only freshmen, and Summer is in 10th grade so having that young of swimmers in that relay was very impressive,” Sonetti said of the record-breaking performance.

“(The young swimmers) are very hard workers and very respectful. We’ve had a rough three years, and all the freshmen came in this year wanting to do well with their goals set high.”

Robert Scott III is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.

Tags: Gateway