As far as Edward Little High School’s Maggie Chirayath is concerned, there are no boundaries for competitive swimmers who want to enhance their performances.

“You can push yourself no matter what,” Chirayath said. “There’s always room for improvement, and I think that in some sports you can only do so much. There is so much you can improve in swimming — your stamina, your endurance.”

She should know.

When the ELHS junior is not logging time in an Olympic-sized pool, she is on a soccer field or running long distances for the outdoor track team.

Chirayath’s work ethic and dedication to her high school and community are just two of handful of reasons why she was selected as the Sun Journal’s Girls’ Swimmer of the Year.

At this year’s Class A girls’ state meet at Bowdoin College, Chirayath finished sixth in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:06.6 and ninth in the 100-yard butterfly at 1:06.20

“Maggie is a phenomenal athlete,” Edward Little swim coach Scott Morrison said. “In addition to being a great swimmer, she has lettered in soccer and outdoor track. She is also a very good student. Maggie is very willing to help any swimmer on the team so they can improve.

“Maggie works very hard to perfect her strokes, starts and turns. Maggie works very hard and sets high goals. She is always happy with her swims even if they were not her fastest times. If she had a slow time, she’ll find the positive part of the swim, for instance, a great start, awesome kick, and or great turns.”

The three-sport athlete is equally comfortable in a pool, but just don’t ask her to swim the breaststroke. Her favorite events are the 100 butterfly and the 200 freestyle, and she has prospered in both competitions.

“I can swim pretty much swim anything except the breaststroke. I can swim it, but I don’t enjoy it,” Chirayath said.

She is also grateful to the community for making swimming a priority for athletes who have an interest in the sport.

“It’s a great community that focuses on swimming,” Chirayath said. “The YMCA is awesome for little kids. It is such a great area for swimming. Everyone is welcome to it.”

• Maggie Chirayath, Edward little, junior
• Jenna Boucher, Leavitt, freshman
• Brooke Cloutier, Lewiston, freshman
• Kristen Morissette, Leavitt, senior
• Ashley Cronkite, Lewiston, freshman
• Elizabeth Small, Lewiston, senior
• Lila Chirayath, Edward Little, freshman
• Abbie Howe, Lewiston, freshmen

Second Team

• Kaitlyn Reny, Lewiston, sophomore
• Abigail Fisher, Edward Little, freshman
• Sarah Legere, Edward Little, sophomore
• Emma Paradie, Edward Little, senior
• Amanda Poulin, Leavitt, sophomore
• Kelsey St. Cyr, Lewiston, senior
• Hailey Bouyea, Lewiston, senior
• Megan D’Alessandro, St. Dom’s, junior

Meet the Winter 2016 Sun Journal All Region Teams

They skated, ran, swam, poled, carved, slalomed, shot and scored. And they did it better than anyone else.