Ashley Aldan

Boardman's Ashley Aldan

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What was supposed to be the best season of Ashley Aldan’s career started with a double ear infection.

Over the next few months, the Boardman junior added triceps tendinitis (she wasn’t allowed to work on strokes, so she had to kick her way through practices), a twisted ankle (when she slipped in high heels), the flu and a pulled muscle in her back (which nearly shelved her for the postseason).

And yet, Aldan qualified for the Division I state meet in two events (100 freestyle and 100 butterfly), helped the Spartans set school records in two relays at the district meet and won three events at her conference meet.

“I had this goal that I would do really well at sectionals, go on to districts and just blow everyone out of the water at state,” said Aldan, the only Boardman girl to qualify for this year’s state meet. “And I didn’t do that, but I was really happy with how everything happened.

“It was amazing to get that far.”

Aldan holds school records in eight events (100 butterfly, 200 IM, 50 free, 100 free and all three relays), but she wasn’t an immediate success in the pool.

With her older sister Kayla at her side, Ashley started swimming when she was 7, mainly because her parents Jack and Rose didn’t know how to swim (and still don’t).

“I hated it at first,” said Aldan, who credited former Penguins Swimming coach Jackie Bak for helping her stay with the sport. “It was something I really had to work at. The first couple meets, all I could swim were freestyle and backstroke.

“Those were the only events I wouldn’t get disqualified in.”

She broke her first record at age 11 and has since developed into one of the area’s most versatile swimmers.

Aldan is successful in the classroom, too, holding a 3.8 grade point average. She plans to major in anthropology and foreign languages in college, with a minor in cryptology.

But that can wait. She has a few more goals left in high school.

“Next year I want to place somewhere in the top 16,” said Aldan, who finished 19th in the 100 free and 24th in the 100 fly at this year’s state meet. “And I want to bring my team with me.”