One of the most dedicated and disciplined athletes in our region comes in the form of a 16-year-old junior at Lake Nona High School. Jordan Agliano recently broke strides (pun intended) and qualified for the Olympic Trials in swimming. Let’s just say that this girl isn’t afraid to get her feet wet.
Agliano earned herself the Wave II Olympic Trials Cut for the 200-meter backstroke at the beginning of March. For those of us who don’t speak swim lingo, a “cut” is the time recording. Achieving Wave I Cut requirements is a baseline accomplishment, and Wave II is an even more difficult time to achieve. Agliano went in with the initial goal of meeting Wave I requirements but ended up beating her personal record by three seconds (a huge deal!) and achieving Wave II. She surpassed her own expectations, showing proof of her training and devotion to the sport.
She gets her support from her family and her water polo coach, Alex Bennett.
“My family is definitely very pumped for me,” Agliano mentioned. “They are my biggest supporters, and they knew how much getting that cut meant to me.”
“I have been coaching swimming and water polo for over 25 years, and Jordan is one of the most dedicated and focused on her goals,” said Coach Bennett. “She doesn’t let the small things get in the way. She is up early at the pool and/or the gym; she studies the sports when she is not practicing.”
Agliano’s rigorous training schedule puts many athletes to shame and brings great pride to LNHS. Three mornings every week, Agliano wakes up at the crack of dawn to practice swimming from 5:30-8 a.m. In addition, she’s in the pool five days a week after school for another two hours and a few hours every Saturday. Then, taking it another leap further, Agliano is in the gym five days every week for strength, core, and cardio workouts.
“I love swimming,” she expressed. “It is definitely the best part of my day.”
Agliano’s advice to future students with amphibious tendencies is to stay positive and not give up. My advice? Stay afloat.
The passion for swimming is evident in Agliano’s regimen. She very much looks forward to practice and sets her sights on all kinds of aquatic goals, like state records for various strokes and state championships. We’ll be seeing many more Olympic Trial qualifications from her in the future. Remember her name and look out for this Lake Nona girl making a big splash!
Photos Courtesy of Jordan Agliano
