In 2008, former BV swimmer Alexandra Snyder set the school record in the 50-yard freestyle, which she swam 25.78 seconds her sophomore year.

After 13 years of the record board displaying “A. Snyder,” the sign will change, but the last name will stay the same — as the record was broken by the former swimmer’s younger sister, sophomore Emily Snyder. 

During the EKL meet May 6, Snyder was clocked at a 25.64, beating her sister’s record by 0.14 seconds. 

While the team was not surprised, especially with all her hard work and dedication, Snyder was stunned to see herself break the 13-year record. 

“At [EKL], I actually had a personal goal to beat it, and I tried to go as fast as I could,” Snyder said. “I was hoping to beat it, but I hadn’t even broken 26 seconds yet, so I was in shock.”

This wasn’t a goal Snyder set in one day. It has been a topic of conversation amongst the whole Snyder family. 

“Ever since I was little, I wanted to break my sister’s record,” Snyder said. “My mom and dad didn’t think I could do it because they didn’t know I could swim that fast.”

May 6 was an exciting day not only for Snyder, but also for the people around her.

“My coaches and my teammates were really proud — it made for a great environment for the rest of the meet,” Snyder said. “My sister was really happy for me because she wanted me to break it. She was like, ‘If anyone was going to break it, I hope it’s you.’”

After EKL Snyder went a 25.75 at an invitational hosted by Blue Valley North, and 25.55 at State — beating her sister’s PR both times.

Looking to the future, Snyder has set some goals for the 2021-2022 season. 

“I’m hoping to focus on backstroke this next year and maybe beat the [100 backstroke] record next season,” Snyder said. “I’m hopeful that things will only go up from here.”