Taking on new challenges, in his first attempt at a long-distance race at a state championship meet, Jake Cirincione took first place in the 400-meter individual medley at the Long Course State Championships, in Bozeman, on July 31.

In this grueling event, racers must perform the four basic strokes — free, butterfly, back and breaststroke —over eight lengths of a 50-meter pool.

Cirincione, 12, a White-fish Middle School student, continued to win gold at the meet in a sprint event, the 50-meter butterfly.

He won the butterfly in a personal best time of 32.25 seconds, an AAA time which qualifies him for the Western Zones Swimming Championships, in San Jose, Calif., on Aug. 10-15.

Competing against "the best in the West" at Zones, Cirincione will try to hold his own against the best swimmers from 14 western states, including California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Colorado.

Cirincione will compete in six events at Zones and hopes to make it to the finals in at least two events. The finals will determine first through eighth place in every event.