Teia Salvino (center) breaks Southern California swim record in 50-yard freestyle.

Teia Salvino has put herself with some very elite company. At the Kevin Perry Meet in La Mirada recently, Salvino clocked in an impressive 23.71 in the 50-yard free bettering the previous Southern California Swimming (SCS) record by .15. She beat out previous record holder Claire McClean from Westside Aquatics. In the process Salvino had also propelled herself to No. 1 in the nation in the 11-12 girls 50-yard free.

To give background on the amazing feat set by Salvino, the SCS organization dates to 1928 under the old regime of Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) In 1978 the AAU folded into the US Olympic Committee (USOC). The SCS is a National Governing Body of the USOC. Yearly, tens of thousands of swimmers pass through Southern California Swimming, which is arguably one of the toughest conferences in the nation.

“Typically, if you break a SCS record or even come close you are probably up there with some of the top swimmers in the nation,” said Paseo Aquatics Club head coach Chris Dahowski.

Savino’s swim also made her the fastest 11-12 year old 50-freestyler to come out of Santa Clarita Valley. The previous record held by Jennifer Parmenter (24.03) of Canyons Aquatics back in 1994. Currently, Salvino holds multiple records in the SCV including the 100IM (59.55) and 50 butterfly (26.62) as well.

“If you think about the sheer number of swimmers that have come before and will continue to come after it is quite an accomplishment,” Dahowski continued. “To think one day a young athlete will be eyeing this record set by a Paseo Aquatics Athlete is really neat. Paseo Aquatics works hard at its culture of developing athletes for success in and out of the pool.

“It wasn’t but 18 months ago that we hired Teia’s current coach. I can tell you Coach Daiki Sato and I have spent countless hours at the white board going over training plans, energy systems, training modalities and methodologies. He is a true ‘thinker’ of the sport. We have a ton of fun doing this!”

While the illustrious career as a 12-year-old closes its doors, Salvino will begin a new journey into the ever fierce 13-14 age group.

As she currently stands, she is just a mere 6/100ths away from setting yet another SCV record in the Girls’ 13-14 50 free. That record was set in 1992 by another well-respected athlete Lindsay Gassner.

Stay tuned as she gears up for the Winter Age Groups Championships on Dec. 6-8 right up the road in Ventura County.

Paseo Aquatics is on the rise. If you have any swimmers interested in joining our journey, please contact us at paseoaquatics.org.