Liberty senior swimmer Patrick Gilhool attended the Speedo Winter Junior Nationals Championship Meet, a time-qualifying event hosted in Greensboro, N.C., this past December.

The four-day meet saw the top swimmers compete, ages 18 and under, from across the United States.

Gilhool, the defending District XI Class 3A champion in the 100 butterfly (50.58) and the 100 backstroke (50.43), qualified for junior nationals during a club meet for Blue Eagle Swim Team last spring.

“They have bonus cuts, so if you make one event, you can swim others so you’re not going for just one event,” Gilhool said.

Gilhool posted personal bests in all the events he swam: 48.74 in the 100 fly, 20.89 in the 50 freestyle, 46.00 in the 100 freestyle, and 48.32 in the 100 back.

“It was a really fun experience. I’ve never really experienced swimming that fast. Swimming a meet like that is completely different from districts or a state meet because everyone is a district champion at that meet,” said Gilhool. “It was an eye-opener, a really humbling experience. I enjoyed it and it was fun watching kids break national records.”

Gilhool also made a summer nationals cut as a result of his performance this winter, and is currently ranked fifth overall in the state of Pennsylvania.