Chloe Isleta set 3 new Pacific Swimming records last month, and
doesn’t appear to be slowing down
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HOLLISTER
Chloe Isleta’s time of 24.49 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle last month may not sound like much to the non-swimmer, or even remotely impressive without given some context.
But consider that Isleta is just 12 years old. Add in the fact that it was set at the exclusive Winter Sectionals in Long Beach, and the fact that it was fast enough to shatter the oldest record for 12 year old swimmers in the Pacific Swimming books, and Isleta’s 24.49 looks a whole lot brighter, and much more impressive.
It’s the fastest 50-yard freestyle swim since 1984.
“There’s been a lot of 12 year old girls that have tried to break that record, and Chloe did it,” said Dave Steele, who coaches Isleta at Rovella’s Athletic Club in Hollister.
Isleta’s time in the 50-yard free was the second fastest time in California last year, and the 11th fastest time in the nation — all of 74 one-hundredths off from the top time in the U.S.
“In the beginning, I was kind of confident that I was gonna break it because I haven’t swam that race in a long time and I was working really hard for it …” Isleta said.
In order to set the personal mark, the seventh-grader at Marguerite Maze did have a slight push from the competition at Winter Sectionals. With roughly 800 other swimmers present at the meet, Isleta was one of the youngest swimmers competing, if not the youngest.
“She was racing against girls from all different ages,” Steele said.
In fact, with some of the meet’s competitors in their mid-20s, Isleta was one of just six 12-year-old swimmers present at the meet, which pitted 14 year olds against 18 year olds, 16 year olds against 20 year olds, all in the same heat. There were no age divisions.
“I was going against 18 year olds, 17 year olds. They were pretty tough,” said Isleta, who broke the 1984 mark of 24.55 by six one-hundredths of a second. “They were, like, really fast. I was trying to keep up with them, so that’s how I tried to get that record.”
Despite the varied ages of the race, Isleta’s time in the 50 free still positioned her in 44th place overall out of nearly 200 swimmers, the majority of whom were several years older than the Hollister speed racer.
“I think it did push me a little because they’re a lot faster than me and I wanted to catch up to them so I could get that record,” she added.
Setting a personal best time wasn’t singular to just the 50 free for Isleta, though. The seventh-grader dropped her times in the 100 free (53.42), 500 free (5:11.61), 200 back (2:04.41) and 200 IM (2:08.69) as well at Winter Sectionals, which was held Dec. 17-21.
Better yet, Isleta’s previous best times in those four races were already nationally ranked, meaning she shaved time off from events that were already considered some of the best in the country.
She’s currently ranked 12th in the nation in the 100 free, 27th in the nation in the 500 free, 2nd in the nation in the 200 back, and 3rd in the nation in the 200 IM.
And those are just the races that she competed in at Long Beach. Isleta is nationally ranked in other events as well, including the 50 back, where she is positioned 5th with a 27.38.
“It’s beyond amazing,” said Steele, who also noted the eight first-place finishes Isleta compiled at the Junior Olympics in Pleasanton on Dec. 3-5, a feat that included two additional Pacific Swimming records in the 100 back (58.05) and 400 IM (4:27.62), times that place her 5th and 4th in the nation, respectively.
“She’s just really been on a tear,” Steele added.
And Isleta still has a couple more months as a 12 year old. She currently owns five records within Pacific Swimming, with four more records ripe for the takedown. She’s less than a second away from setting a new record in the 100 IM, 100 free, 200 back and 200 IM.
She could perhaps receive another push from the competition this weekend, too, when she will travel to Gresham, Ore., for the Pacific Coast All-Star Meet.
“I’m kind of close to these four records and I’m trying to beat them,” Isleta said. “I’m crossing my fingers that I can get them.”
If you are interested in competing for the Manta Rays swim team, stop by Rovella’s Athletic Club in Hollister to learn more.
Junior Olympics
Kaitlin Rooney, 10, also competed at Junior Olympics in early December and made the finals in three races, finishing in third place in the 500 free (6:16.07) and posting two eighth-place finishes in the 200 free (2:31.84) and 100 back (1:13.74).
