Carly Jackson

LPHS freshman Carly Jackson stands in front of the Slicer swim record board that will soon bear her name.

Story and photo by Mike Kellems

   LaPorte High School freshman Carly Jackson broke the LPHS girls swim record in the 100 butterfly on Tuesday night, Jan. 5.

   During a dual swim meet against Chesterton, Carly posted a time of 59.33 in the fly, breaking the previous record, 59.89, set in 2003 by Angie DeWolf.

   Slicer head swim coach Bart Frank told WNLP that he felt that it was an outstanding achievement for a freshman and it raises the bar for other swimmers.

   “We are all very proud of Carly. She is a member of an up-and-coming talent on our team and we look forward to future swimming excellence from Carly,” Frank said.

   For her part, Carly admitted that she was surprised and stunned when she learned that she captured the record. She said she had decided earlier in the day that she was going to “leave it all in the pool.” During a meet against South Bend Clay earlier in the season, she came close to the record, which helped to build her confidence.

   Carly was quick to give credit to Angie DeWolf for providing inspiration needed to pursue the record. She also heaped praise on Coach Frank for making her “more sore and tired than I’ve ever been.” But she added, “It was through his direct encouragement and coaching I was able to accomplish this achievement.”

   Carly comes from a long line of succesful athletes — her mother Elizabeth was a swimmer in high school, her father Jerry was a state champion wrestler for LaPorte, and her aunt Sherri Jackson held records for diving at LaPorte.