Shue a regular record breaker

Swimming star Lexie Shue is so dominant in her events, the school records she’s been breaking have been her own.

Shue, a Corona del Mar High senior who has signed with Notre Dame, broke her own school record in the 200-yard freestyle by clocking in with a time of 1:53.25 in Corona del Mar’s 104-68 Pacific Coast League pasting of Tesoro last Thursday. For good measure, she also won the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:01.68.

Shue, who chose Notre Dame over Virginia, Rice and UCLA, already holds the school record in the 500 freestyle. She originally broke the record as a freshman and has broken it multiple times since then. Shue, a member of the Sea Kings’ 2004 CIF Southern Section Division II championship team, also boasts the Pacific Coast League record in the event.

Shue said she didn’t expect to be swimming any personal-best times this early in the season, but the fact she has is bad news for opponents.

“I’m excited to see how much faster I can go,” Shue said.

While Shue’s time in the 200 freestyle is nothing to sneeze at, her best events are the longer events. In high school, the longest individual event is 500 yards. At the Irvine-based AquaZot Swim Club, she swims in events as long as 1,650 yards.

“The longer she swims, the better she is,” Corona del Mar Coach Doug Volding said. “According to her father, the 1,000 and the mile are her best events. In high school, the 500 is her best event.”

Would she prefer there be longer swimming events in high school?

“I’m definitely more distance-oriented,” Shue said. “It’d be nice to have them, but the shorter events are fun.”

Last year, swimming for the AquaZot Swim Club, Shue set records in the 800 freestyle with a time of 9:04.11 and the 1,500 freestyle at 17:20.71.

“She’s just physically and mentally tough,” Volding said. “Since her freshman year, she was an immediate star. She made an immediate impact and she has improved since then. She continues to break her own records.”

Shue’s best time to date in the 500 is 4:51. Her goals for the rest of the season include clocking in under 4:50, but she knows that’s a daunting task.

“I’d like to definitely win league, both as a team and individually,” Shue said. “And for the 500, I want to get as close to finishing under 4:50 as possible and win CIF.”

If Shue clocks in under 4:50 in the CIF finals, the title will almost certainly be hers. And she’d probably break a record in the process.

Then it’s off to South Bend, Ind., where Shue will compete for Coach Carrie Nixon and the Fighting Irish swimming and diving team.

“I love the chemistry on the team, the coaches and I felt comfortable on campus,” Shue said.

Notre Dame has captured 10 consecutive Big East championships. With Shue’s arrival, an 11th straight title is a good bet.

The Lexie Shue File

Hometown: Ridgewood, N.J.

Height: 5-foot-9

Weight: 140

Sport: Swimming

Position: 200 and 500 freestyle

Coach: Doug Volding

Favorite food: Pasta

Favorite movie: “V for Vendetta”

Favorite athletic moment: “Winning CIF my sophomore year both individually [in the 500 freestyle] and as a team.”

Week in review: Shue broke her own school record in the 200-yard freestyle by clocking in with a time of 1:53.25, and she also won the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:01.68 as Corona del Mar defeated Tesoro, 104-68, in a Pacific Coast League meet last Thursday.dpt-femaleathlete.IMGGraphicInfoM51POSU620060408M51POSU6No Captiondpt.08-aow-CPhotoInfoMF1POSBN20060408ixdh1xncMARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)