Corie Kuras BOARDMAN | GIRLS SWIMMING

Before this year’s district meet, there was one number going through the head of Corie Kuras: 24.62.

And in the last 50 freestyle in her high school career, she finally got it. Posting a time of 24.57 to break the school record.

“It was something that was over my head the whole time,” said Kuras, The Vindicator’s female swimmer of the year. “It was all I thought about — at practice, at everything. That record was all I wanted.”

But while the accolades and new school record are all well and good, Kuras said by far her best memories of her time as a Spartan swimmer are the times she spent with her teammates.

“My team means everything to me,” Kuras said. “Without my team and my coaches and just the support that we all give each other it wouldn’t be what Boardman swimming is.”

Kuras, well aware of the cliche, calls the Spartan swimming team a “family” and said her team was unlike any other she swam against in her high school career.

“People say that’s cheesy but when I went to practice it was more like I went there with my brothers and sisters than just my classmates,” Kuras said. “You go into locker rooms or out on the deck and the atmosphere is different in our team area. We’re pushing each other every step of the way, we know each others’ times and we know what we want to do. We’re open.”

Even opposing teams were jealous of the team camaraderie according to Kuras.

“Teams would come up to me and say, ‘We love swimming against you because you guys are just so much fun,’” Kuras said.

Her favorite swimming memory wasn’t about that school record. It was one of her final moments with her teammates.

“We were all behind the blocks cheering on the boys and I didn’t know if it was going to be my last meet at that point,” Kuras said. “I just looked at my teammates and said, ‘You guys are everything to me.’”

Kuras plans to attend Ohio State this fall where she plans to major in business and has mixed emotions about her competitive career coming to an end.

“I’ll summer swim but that’s about it,” Kuras said. “It’s a bittersweet feeling because I’ve grown up with it. It’s hard to believe it’s over, but I’d like to think the hard work paid off.”

— Charles Grove