Twelve-year-old swimmer Cara Malerba of Brewer has made a big splash in competition this year.

Her most recent feat was setting a state record for 11-to-12 year old girls when she won the 100-yard breaststroke during the International Peace Meet at the Wallace Pool on the University of Maine campus in Orono last weekend.

The Old Town-Orono YMCA hosted the meet for a team of swimmers from the Syktyvkar Swim Club of Komi Province, Soviet Union to compete with teams from Maine and Canada.

Malerba won her age-group, 100-breaststroke competition with a time of 1 minute, 9.68 seconds to set a state record. The time is reportable for national age-group swimming as sanctioned by U.S. Swimming.

This most recent time, added to others she has recorded this season, should qualify Malerba for a national ranking in August, according to Coach Tim Babcock of the Hurricane Swim Club.

“Hopefully, Cara will be nationally ranked in two events,” he said of the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke categories.

Prior to the most recent meet, Malerba had three national age-group reportable times in the 50-yard breaststroke event. A recordable time is 32.59 or faster.

Her final time in zone competition, for a second-place finish, was 31.74. Malerba set a state record with that time and, Babcock believes, it should place her somewhere in the top eight in the national age-group rankings.

In the 50-yard event, Malerba regularly set state records this year as she improved with each performance. Undefeated, she won all of her state competitions in the breaststroke; was the Junior Olympic winner in the 100-breaststroke; and the Maine senior championship winner in both the 100 and 200 events.

Babcock said Malerba is only the second Maine girl, following Hannah Turlish, to qualify for national ranking by U.S. Swimming. He also believes she is the youngest swimmer in the state to qualify for the national ranking.

With the Hurricanes already in training Mondays through Fridays from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Bangor-Brewer YWCA pool for the upcoming season, Malerba’s cumulative achievements for the year will be hard to match.

A cheerleader camp, hosted by the Universal Cheerleaders Association, will be held on the University of Southern Maine campus in Gorham July 23-26.

With instructors provided by the UCA, the camp is open to all high school, junior high school and middle school cheerleaders.

Classes will include cover the areas of new cheers to conditioning and safety, and participants will also have private coaching sessions each day. Seminars will be held for cheerleaders and sponsors.

More information may be obatined from the UCA by calling 1-800-238-0296.