QUEEN OF CHLORINE

February 9, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

Canfield’s Theresa Mikolay looks to break personal best and make it to state

Just break 1:08.46. — that’s one of the main remaining goals for Canfield senior swimmer Theresa Mikolay, who already has a long list of accomplishments from her four years with the Cardinals.

The aforementioned time is her personal best in the 100-yard breaststroke — and also a school record. Mikolay wants to beat it at the Division I district tournament on Feb. 20 at Cleveland State, which would help her accomplish an even more important goal.

“It’s really about just ending my senior year on a good note,” Mikolay said. “That’s what’s most important to me. And I think I will because I put so much work and time into it that no matter what happens, I’ll be happy.”

When this season ends, Mikolay will be a four-year letter-winner for the Canfield swimming team.

In addition to the 100-yard breaststroke record (which she set her freshman year), she also holds the school’s 100 meter breaststroke record.

Recently, she notched four first-place finishes at this year’s All-American Conference meet. Individually, she won the 100 breaststroke and 200-yard IM, while she was also part of Canfield’s top-finishing 200 medley and 200 free relay teams.

So, as she put it, her senior season is “going how I planned and how it’s supposed to be going.”

But even so, Mikolay has something else in mind.

“It would also be awesome, too, to make it to state this year,” she said. “It’s been a goal of mine all four years of high school. Being Division I, I’ve always just been missing that cutoff — we haven’t had a girl make it in several years. So it’d be awesome to have that experience my senior year.”

Examining her times so far, Canfield coach Brian Stahl said he believes Mikolay has a decent chance to qualify for state.

Mikolay has decided to attend Ohio State beginning next fall — not to swim, but to study pharmaceutical sciences. And don’t think she’ll be in over her head.

With her advanced placement and honors classes, she holds a 4.3 GPA. That mark is the highest for all female athletes in Canfield’s senior class. She also participates in a number of extra-curricular activities, including Student Council and National Honor Society.

“She leads by example and that’s something that means a lot to me as a coach,” Stahl said. “She’s just such a great role model for the younger swimmers.”

Added Mikolay: “It means a lot to be able to standout in the athletic part and in the school part. It’s just about being disciplined in both areas. School always comes first to me, and I use the dedication that I used in swimming also in school.”

Back to swimming, though, Mikolay expanded on that dedication.

“We have morning lifting for an hour every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and then we have practice six days a week for two hours,” she said. “Just putting in those hours every day — it’s just a lot of hard work, I guess.”

In turn, don’t be surprised if Mikolaya beats her 1:08.46 mark later this month — a fitting ending for an exceptional student-athlete.

“Just ending on a good note is honestly what’s most important to me,” she said.