Stoughton junior fueled to state championship after last year 'lit something in me'

But Borroughs knew she was in first place and needed to finish strong to secure the victory.

“It was getting close, I was getting tired, I was just like, ‘finish to the wall,’” she said.

The Stoughton junior finished the race strong, reaching the wall 2 seconds before the runner-up, to claim an especially sweet championship at Friday’s WIAA Division 2 girls high school state swim and dive meet Friday at the Waukesha South Natatorium.

Borroughs finished just one-hundredth of a second out of first place at state last year.

This year, the Iowa commit got her moment. Borroughs leapt into the 100-yard breaststroke, swimming the first 50 yards in less than 30 seconds to take an early lead. The rest of the swimmers could never catch up, and Borroughs got her revenge, finishing the race in 1:04.25.

“I’m really happy,” she said. “That was my first time winning. Definitely losing by like one-hundredth lit something in me.”

Starting the race so fast was unusual for Borroughs. She said her best split in the 100-yard breaststroke is usually above 30 seconds. With the state title on the line, she swam it in 29.86 seconds.

A combination of nerves and momentum led to the powerful first 50 yards, she said.

She became the second swimmer from Stoughton to win an individual state championship in school history after Sofia Bormett, who won the 200-yard freestyle in 2018.

Borroughs also finished second in the 200-yard individual medley, a race she had not swum at last year’s state competition.

She was proud of her finish in the event, which she swam in favor of the 50-yard freestyle. Borroughs finished in 2:07.35, more than a second faster than her qualifying time.

“I never really get the opportunity to taper it during club season, so I thought I’d try it this year and see how it goes,” the junior said.

While she considers setting a personal best a considerable achievement, Borroughs is uncertain whether she’ll attempt the 200-yard individual medley again next season.

“I’m so grateful for all my supporters, like the crowd was huge,” she said. “Stoughton is definitely a smaller school, so it’s nice when everyone comes out and cheers us on.”

Borroughs was also a part of her team’s 200-yard medley relay, in which Stoughton finished 12th with a time of 1:56.64.