One more goal: Tri-Valley's Lawler aiming for school record against state's best

NASHPORT — The backstroke was not A.J. Lawler's first choice when he started swimming competitively.

Yet, it's the event the Tri-Valley freshman has excelled in, earning a spot in the Division II state meet.

Lawler will compete in the 100 backstroke during today's preliminaries, while the finals are Friday at C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton.

His time of :54.68 ranks 27th out of 32 competitors, as the field has expanded from 24 last season.

"I despised the backstroke when I started. I loved the breaststroke," Lawler said. "By middle school, I slowly noticed that I was getting better in the back. I put more time into it, and now I feel really comfortable with where I'm at."

Others, like Tri-Valley coach Christi Holmes, see Lawler as a "natural backstroker." She attributed his passion as to why he's achieved so much in the pool this season.

"AJ is naturally talented and simply loves swimming," Holmes said. "He is a fierce and fearless competitor — he loves to race and win. He has a terrific work ethic in practice, is always looking for ways to improve his stroke technique and has a super positive attitude. He seems to just enjoy every aspect of the sport."

His approach and dedication are behind his development. Joining Pau Hana Swim Team in Granville in the fall of 2021 allowed Lawler to focus on the sport year-round.

Holmes noted Lawler practices three days per week with Pau Hana and two with his Tri-Valley squad. She works with Teresa Fightmaster, his club coach, to help Lawler reach his potential.

"She and I work together to support these kids so they can do both club and high school swimming at the same time. It's a partnership," Holmes said. "AJ has totally blossomed since then because he has better training partners, and more intense workouts have brought out the best in him.

"It also helps that he's a terrific teammate and character kid. He always has a smile on his face and is always ready for a challenge."

This season has tested Lawler, who is also a 4.0 student. He admitted adjusting to tougher meets took time, but when he finished 23rd in the Northeast Classic around midseason, he knew qualifying for state was a possibility.

"The competition has helped a lot. When I was at slower meets, it was hard to post a fast time, but as the times got better, it made it easier to drop time because of all the competition," Lawler said. "I would not be in the 54s without all the competition."

Lawler also saw more competition since a standard high school season has more meets than a club season, said Holmes. He has reaped the benefits of facing competition more often.

"Though he has trained with his club teams for several years, I'm sure he hasn't ever raced this much in such a short time," Holmes said. "The frequency of meets in high school swimming is much greater than in club swimming and I think this aspect of high school swimming is probably what has helped him grow and improve most during his freshman season.

"He is goal-oriented and very motivated to beat his previous times," she added. "Competing twice a week gave him many opportunities over the season to really sharpen those racing skills."

Lawler has seen his confidence grow and he credited training from Holmes, Fightmaster and former club coach Lance Lynch for that.

His focus now is to swim his best race with the school record in reach. His time entering the state meet is 54.68, and the Tri-Valley mark is 54.62, held by Kevin Bell.

"I have the best coaches and like Coach Fightmaster told me, you're in shape by this point so it's 90% mental. Don't psyche yourself out," Lawler said. "I'm driven to beat my PRs (personal records), and I had to make cuts at certain meets. I'm close to the school record, and it would be great to beat it at state. I'm excited to get this chance at state, and, no matter the competition, I always compete against myself."

The state meet will provide valuable experience, noted Holmes. She wants Lawler to embrace the moment and use it as motivation in the offseason.

"I want him to just take it all in and have fun representing Tri-Valley in the 'Greatest High School Swim Meet in the USA,'" she said. "He'll be able to draw on what he learns from this experience to further focus his training going forward."

bhannahs@gannett.com; @brandonhannahs

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Tri-Valley's Lawler eyeing school record against state's top swimmers