Marie Schobel of Sea Girt, NJ broke the previous Manasquan High School record for backstroke on Tuesday, December 6. With a time of 58.33 seconds, she beat Caroline Petrone’s 2013 record of 59.04, according to NJ.com.

Schobel has been swimming for “as long as [she] can remember,” starting when she was six years old. Her parents have always wanted their kids to be able to swim, especially because they live in a beach town, so they started with her older brothers.

Without hesitation, when asked about her inspirations, Schobel said it has always been her dad, who is a very fast swimmer.

After the CHS junior swam the 100 meters in Holmdel, she knew instantly that she did well. The swimmer in the lane next to her had always been a top competitor of hers, so when she beat her she knew that her time was a good one.

Her coach was not sure if she broke the record at the time, but she was just happy that she won the race.

Not only did Schobel beat the school record, but she also improved her personal best by over 40 seconds. Last season, her best time was 101.67.

Schobel credits her improvement to this past summer’s nationals where she swam for her club team, Red Bank YMCA.

It “woke [her] up” and since then, she has become a more focused swimmer. She has changed her training and began to swim more often and more competitively.

“It’s nice to see that I beat the Manasquan record… but I think constantly improving is always more important,” said Schobel.