San Pedro High School has had a renaissance in the sport of swimming in recent years, but now it has been taken to a whole new level of excellence… thanks to the amazing Audrey Steen.

The junior-to-be has already established new school and CIF-Los Angeles City Section records with her drive and determination in the water, regardless if she’s in solo events, or relays. You also don’t have to look too far for what her inspiration is.

“I am inspired by all the swimmers faster than me and that are more successful than me,” Steen says. “They are my drive. That is what pushes me in practice, to try and be the best at what I do.”

Steen would make her first big splash her freshman season in the 2015 CIF-LACS Swimming Finals where she set a section record in the 100 meter backstroke race, timing at 54.86 seconds. That wasn’t enough, as Steen continued to swim her way to two more first place finishes in the 200 meter individual medley in two minutes and 3.48 seconds (2:03.48), and also sparking the 200 freestyle relay team to the championship and another City record at 1:40.31 alongside Yasmin Saxey-Santillo, Ella Simmons and Emily Darin.

Steen acknowledges that her freshman season really set the bar of success pretty high.

“I was exposed to a higher standard of swimming and next level competition,” Steen says. “I got to the race the people I was so intimidated by their speed and even beat some of them. My freshman year made swimming a lot more serious sport for me. I had always been serious in competition but when I started getting better at swimming the practices became much more intense.”

Which might be the backdrop for even more success in 2016 during Steen’s sophomore season.

Getting to show off her talent in a local stage outside of Marine League competition early on, Steen would win the 200 IM in 2:05.25 and the 100 backstroke at 56.06 in the South Bay Invitational meet, the latter of which set a new record time for the Invitational.

The coming out party for the sophomore season of Steen, and her fellow swim mates as a whole, would come in the 2016 CIF-LACS Swimming Finals, as they came in second behind eventual champion and perennial power Palisades Charter, a better spot from the Pirates’ third place finish in 2015.

Steen would repeat as the individual champion in the 200 IM at 2:06.10, and the 100 backstroke at 56.26, but also anchored both the 200-yard medley relay (1:51.70) and 200 freestyle relay teams (1:39.72), which both set new CIF-LACS record times.

“The relay events aren't necessarily needed to be strong to do well from an individual standpoint, but in relays it is critical if you want to score points,” Steen says of the team concept for relay events. “Also relays are important for team bonding and school spirit because they hype everyone up and it is an amazing feeling when you accomplish something like a city record together knowing that all of you put 100% effort into doing that amazing thing. Having success and being surrounded by friends is something magical.”

Coming into the 2016 CIF State Swim Meet in Clovis, California a week later, Steen’s main goal and focus was clear. “My goal at state was to beat my freshman year times or at least get to the same times,” Steen said.

Steen would do all she could in finishing at 56.69 in the 100 backstroke, good for 12^th place, and finishing at 2:04.3 in the 200 IM, setting a new season best in her 13^th place finish in that event to cap off a stellar sophomore season, still, it could have been better according to Steen’s own standards of competing in swimming.

“I went into the state meet this year with a lot more pressure and anticipation that was brought on by myself because everyone was being so supportive of me,” Steen recalls of her experience in Clovis. “I swam aggressively and wanted the times more than anything else but I let the pressure get to me which was no one’s fault but mine.”

Still, there was a positive.

“On the other hand, the relay races I did great,” Steen said with glee. “I was focused and didn't worry too much because we had already broken the record at city so the pressure was off. I was especially happy with my split in the 200 Medley relay. I was much happier (at State) when I swam the relays.”

Steen also played on the girls water polo team at San Pedro, which established a new found level of her aggression in swimming.

“I believe that water polo made me work muscles that I have never really used before, which is good cross training,” Steen says. “It made me stronger in other aspects in the pool. For example, my legs became a lot stronger from all the 'egg-beater’ kicks and playing goalie quickened my reaction times.”

You can also credit Steen for her excellence in the classroom too, as she finished with a dominant 4.1 GPA in both her years of high school.

“My ultimate goal at the end of my high school swimming career is to be amongst the best swimmers in the state of California as well as the nation,” says Steen, who has dreams of continuing to swim in the college level. “Another goal I want to achieve is to bring a new light on the sport of swimming in San Pedro and the South Bay. Swimming can be overlooked at points in time or isn't seen as a real sport, so I want to show how wonderful, amazing, and demanding the sport is.”