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Wilbraham & Monson Academy's Ania Axas '19 was hoping to set a pool record at a home swim meet vs. Cheshire Academy Jan. 16.
She did, but not in the event she thought.
In a rare appearance in the 500-yard freestyle, Ania smashed the pool mark by nearly six seconds, touching in five minutes, 24.40 seconds to establish a new mark at WMA.
"I wasn't even thinking about a pool record – not at all," Ania said. "When I finished, I looked up and was shocked to see my best time I'd ever done in the 500. I knew the school record was 5:19 but I didn't know I had the pool record until Mr. (Dan) Moran told me at practice Monday.
"I'm so happy I got it. I wasn't expecting it but I'm grateful my work is paying off."
Ania, who has twice missed the pool record in the 200 individual medley by less than one second this season, set the record despite having limited experience in the 500.
"I was shocked I was in it, but I was feeling good at practice and I wanted to swim it at this meet," Ania said. "You need to know how to pace yourself in the 500. You don't want to go out too fast. You need to believe in yourself that you can finish it. It's a long race, but if you think about swimming it from the beginning to the end, and you pace it, everything will be OK."
Ania hopes to break another pool record Feb. 13, which is the final home meet of the season for the Titans.
