Barnesville’s Liv McCrate, left, and swim coach Danielle Anderson, right, pictured after McCrate set a school record in the 500 freestyle, previously belonging to Anderson, on Dec. 20 at Wheeling University during the Red Devil Invitational.

BARNESVILLE — In a historic week, Barnesville High School sophomore Liv McCrate has rewrote the record books not once, but three times. Between December 16 and December 23, McCrate set a new high-mark for her Barnesville Shamrocks in the 100 breaststroke, re-set the record, and set another school record in the 500 freestyle to boot.

“It was a pretty exciting eight days for myself as a coach and for Liv,” Barnesville swim coach Danielle Anderson said. “Last year she was a freshman and broke the school record in the a hundred breaststroke, she had broken it several times. She’s put in a lot of work in and out of the pool over this last year and the summertime, and she’s a lot stronger this year and very determined to make it to the state level.

The record-breaking swims began on Tuesday, December 16 during a quad meet against Brooke, Morgantown, and Union Local at Brooke High School. Competing in her signature event, the 100 yard breaststroke, McCrate touched the wall in a time of 1:11.29, a new Barnesville record.

On Saturday, December 20 at the St. Clairsville Red Devil Invitational held at Wheeling University, Liv McCrate shifted her focus from sprinting to endurance. Stepping onto the blocks for the 500 yard freestyle, she showcased her masterclass in pacing and grit. By the final turn, she was racing only against the clock, finishing with a blistering time of 5:54.37. The record was previously held by her own coach, Danielle Holskey Anderson, with a time of 6:00.36.

The third and final record-breaking moment came on Tuesday, December 23 at the Wheeling Park National Guard Invitational. Exactly one week after setting a new record in the 100 yard breaststroke, McCrate proved that her previous performance wasn’t a ceiling, but a starting line. With a near perfect start and powerful pullouts, she stopped the clock at 1:10.19, breaking her week-old record yet again.

“Watching her break the record, not once but twice in that eight-day period in the 100 breaststroke was amazing,” Anderson said. “And then in the 500, she hasn’t swam that in a while, so for her to go out there this year and break the school record, which was mine, it was very rewarding to see her breaking a record of mine that had been there for way too long.”

Anderson sees more bright things in McCrate’s future.

“She is probably one of the most coachable kids,” Anderson said. “She’s very well-disciplined and she listens and takes everything in and works to her fullest potential in practice. Then she gets to see these awesome results in the pool during competition. She is also a very intelligent athlete, she is a student first and does well academically in the classroom and then is a beast in the water.”

Barnesville’s next meet is Dec. 30 at the Brooke Invitational.