Zerin Wolfgramm Sets Two State Records

Zerin Wolfgramm Sets Two State Records, SWAMIs Score BIG

KEARNS — 10-year old Race Swami Zerin Wolfgramm wanted to set the bar so high in the 100 meter backstroke at the Utah Long Course State Championships that the record he might set would stand for 50 years, or as he put it, "until maybe my own kid breaks it someday."  

In prelims Zerin broke his own record (1:18.41) he set back in June at the Cottonwood Heights Invitational. He dropped it almost a second in the morning prelim swim, to 1:17.60. Later that evening, Zerin took the race out faster than he ever had before and held on, finishing in a blazing 1:15.55, more than two seconds faster than the morning race. That might be a tough one to break.

The 10-Under high point winner had also set a state record earlier in the meet in the 50 meter backstroke. That record (36.29) had stood since 1980. In prelims Zerin broke the record by swimming to a 35.81. Later that night in finals, he dropped it further by going 35.40.

"It was a fun meet. I loved it. Every time I swam I thought of Lily," he said, referring to Race Swami head coach Matt Finnigan's daughter, who lives with a mitochondrial disease but is, according to Zerin, one of the toughest, most resilient kids he's ever met. "Nothing seems to get her down, so why should I be? I love to race. I love to see how good I might be."

The SWAMI state record breaking bonanza didn't belong solely to Zerin, however. His 12-year old sister Fanetupou Wolfgramm also got into the action by winning the 50 back in finals and in the process, breaking older sister Amelia's 4-year old record by .08 tenths of a second, winning the race in a scorching 32.20.

"It's fun to break records but maybe not so fun when it was your sister's record," Fane remarked. "I wish it had been someone elses."

Team SWAMI as a whole had a dandy of a meet, placing 12th overall in a field of some 30 teams or so and they administered this feat with the services of a mere 13 athletes. SWAMI also had two additional swimmers who were competing as "unattached" since they had not been with the team for the mandatory 120 days. So too, there was easily a more than 90% rate of lifetime bests recorded by the SWAMIs, meaning, they performed at peak form at the Long Course state meet.

"Collectively, we are growing as a team to be sure," coach Finnigan mentioned. "Now it's a matter of developing all these younger kids so that someday, they can join these kids at this meet down the road."

This story contributed by Philip D. Filmore, noted columnist for the Salt Lake Herald Beacon