A Vineyard swimmer has set a new record in the 50-yard men’s freestyle event.

Senior captain Kaua De Assis broke the record on Dec. 19 in a home meet against Barnstable with a time of 23.16. The previous record was held by Christian Flanders at 23.36.

“It feels amazing,” De Assis said. “I’m happy to break the school record. It’s been one of my long-time goals. Since I joined the swim team, I always wanted to be on that board, and now I am individually.”

With that time, De Assis qualified for the state championship.

Swim coach Jennifer Passafiume has coached De Assis for four years and is proud of his growth.

“He is just a really dedicated swimmer, and he comes with a lot of talent,” she said. “He puts a lot of work in and really spends his time during the season working on those little things that he needs to do and it’s paid off.”

De Assis still has other goals he wants to achieve before graduating, including breaking the 100-yard freestyle school record.

“I was pretty close to breaking that last year, but I just missed it by a little bit, so I think I can do that this year,” he said. “Then I also want to place at state championships, and I want to win a conference championship with the team another time.”

Like many athletes, De Assis has a pre-race ritual that he goes through before he dives into the water.

“When I get up there, I always put my foot on the small block before the actual diving block, hold on to the board, say a little prayer and try to get my nerves down,” he said. “I also do some breathing exercises.”

Though he’s competed in dozens of races, he still gets nervous.

“It’s always the same nervousness [even if] I’m swimming against someone that I know that I’ll beat,” he said. “I’m always still there, completely nervous. Never underestimate your opponent. I feel that little bit of pressure while I’m in the air, and then as soon as I hit the water, all goes away and I just push through it from there.”

As both a senior and captain, De Assis said he tries to always set a good example, spreading positivity and even cheering on opponents.

“The swim team’s always been like that, where we’ve always been nice to each other and always been supportive teammates,” he said.

De Assis said his accomplishments are part of a larger story.

“I’m proud of myself for setting an impact as a senior and captain and also as part of the Brazilian community here on Martha’s Vineyard,” he said.