FIFTEEN-year-old Breanna Roman of Swimaz Aquatic Swim Club smashed nine meet records at the four-day Walter Rodney Age Group National Championships which ended at the National Stadium Pool to signal her readiness for the Carifta Swimming Championships set for the Easter Holidays in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Roman, a student of Campion College after transferring from Immaculate Conception High a couple years ago, showed the form that made her a champion at the Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships (CISC) held in Jamaica in 2008.

"I am back where I was three years ago," said Roman when she won the 100m freestyle at the CISC here. During that championship she suffered a "slap tear" and had to pull out of the competition.

She spent one year out of the pool to recover from surgery.

"I haven't felt that pain since," said Roman, who evolved into a star when a growth spurt at the age of 12 pushed her up to five feet, seven inches. Now with broad shoulders grounding out powerful strokes, Roman motored her way to meet records in the girls' 15 and under 800m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 400m freestyle, 200m breaststroke, 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 50m freestyle, and a share of the 50m backstroke.

Linval Rowe, her coach since she was age nine, noted that training gave Roman the confidence to perform well. "I told her that she would do well," Rowe emphasised.

"She is very committed, dedicated, and talented. Imagine one swimmer breaking nine records at one meet," he added.

In all 28 individual meet and four relay records fell at the Walter Rodgers Championships, a FINA qualifying competition, with 16-year-old Alexia Royal-Eatmon cracking five, and Tornadoes Swim Club's 14-year-old Priscilla McClure shattering four.

Olympian Allan Roy Marsh, a vice-president of the Amateur Swimming Association of Jamaica, said at the end of the meet: "This is the most exciting I have ever watched."

Tornadoes Swim Club defended their title, amassing 1,443.50 points, beating Marlin Swim Club (1,217.50), Y Speedos (996.50), Stingray Swim Club of Cayman (728), Swimaz Aquatic (464), Blue Seal (354.50), Flying Fish Ambassadors (177), Unattached Tornadoes (24), Wahoo Swim Club (16), Royal Swim Club (14), and Blue Marlin (three).

Royal-Eatmon, unattached, broke the records in the girls' 15 and over 50m butterfly, 200m individual medley, 200m backstroke, and 100m backstroke; while McClure set new standards in the girls' 13-14 50m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly, and 100m breaststroke.

Acting president of the swimming association Martin Lyn said the likely 36-member team to the XXVI Carifta Swimming Championships in Bridgetown, Barbados on April 23-26 will be announced next week.

Achievement trophies went to Roman in the girls' 15 and over, Danielle Boothe of Cayman's Stingray in the girls' 13-14, and Sidrell Williams of Marlin, Timothy Wynter of Tornadoes, and Antoine Young of Blue Seal in the boys' 13-14.

Two events that had spectators on their feet were the boys' 13-14m 200m butterfly with both Williams and Young clocking 2:29.81 for gold, and the girls' 13-14 400m medley, which Stingrays won in a time of 5:12.85, just ahead of Tornadoes (5:15.36), and Marlin (5:15.81).