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MORRISTOWN - Roxbury senior Ally Kleinsorgen stood next to her younger sister, Jackie, and searched for the words to describe her last go-around on Saturday at the Morris County Championships at Morristown High School.
It took Kleinsorgen a second to put it all into context, but once she got started, the senior was an open book.
"It was nerve-wracking at first, but I just kept myself relaxed," said Kleinsorgen. "I had to make sure that I didn't tighten up and the only way to do that was to relax and swim loose."
After recording a pair of individual victories at last year's county meet, Kleinsorgen came back this year determined to defend her titles and keep Roxbury in the spotlight. The senior not only replicated her wins in the 50 free (26.61) and 100 backstroke (1:04.08), she also finished the events a second faster than she did in 2014.
"I'm glad that I was able to go out and represent Roxbury today and put the school in such a positive light," said Kleinsorgen, who will swim at Western Kentucky next year. "It meant a lot to me to be here for the last time and defend my titles. I was really happy that I could do it and I'm glad that I left the younger girls something to remember me by."
For Jackie Kleinsorgen, the times that Ally set were particularly special considering that they were the last set of results that the sisters will be able to celebrate as high school teammates.
"It was a great feeling," said the sophomore swimmer. "I love seeing my sister succeed and I just hope that one day I can live up to the reputation that she has built."