Payton Woodring capped her high school swimming career with two more state medals.
The state swim meet was held at Georgia Tech over a three-day span last week and concluded Saturday.
Woodring finished second in the 100-yard backstroke finals and was third in the 100-yard butterfly.
“Payton had a great meet this weekend. She swam a personal best time in the 100-yard backstroke during prelims (56.18). Considering that she has competed at the national level this year, swimming a personal best is evidence that she definitely gave her best effort this weekend,” said head coach Mary-Melissa May.
There are three competitive divisions at state, and Class 3A Gilmer High faced off against schools in 1-3A. Schools in 4-5A were grouped together, and the final division consisted of schools in 6-7A.
Woodring faced some stout competition in the backstroke. She finished in 56.25 behind Gia Pergolini at 55.21
“Pergolini swam in the 2021 Paralympics and set a new world record for 100-meter backstroke, so to say that the competition was fierce is an understatement,” May said. “Gia attends St. Francis, which is a 1A private school, so Payton (had the best) 100-yard backstroke (time) for 3A schools. We are thrilled with Payton’s swim.”
In the butterfly, Woodring clocked in at 57.04. Westminster’s GiGi Johnson took first in 52.59.
“She will leave a legacy at GHS, and I think it will be an inspiration for aspiring swimmers in years to come,” May said of Woodring, who placed second in both the 100-yard butterfly and backstroke as a junior.
“She’s an excellent example of goal-setting and dedication, and we know she will have a bright future with the Cincinnati Bearcats.”
Gilmer’s Law Lykins was also in attendance at the state meet. He achieved his state qualifying time near the end of the regular season in the 50-yard freestyle. At state, Lykins posted a time of 23.21 in the prelims.
“Overall, I have been pleased with the team this year. We’ve seen a lot of progress in new swimmers, in particular the boys team,” May said. “I know that if the boys keep up their work, they will qualify for state next year very easily. Another goal is to add more individual state cuts in addition to relays.”
One missing piece to Gilmer’s swimming puzzle is a permanent home pool to practice and grow the program. That aspect should be remedied soon.
“Construction of the Gilmer County pool is critical to the future of the swim team. Payton began swimming as part of the summer park and rec program when she was 8 years old,” May said. “For the past two years, we have been unable to have a summer swim team, which has significantly reduced the opportunity to recruit young swimmers.
“Without the summer team and the lack of a middle school team, the high school swim team will struggle to develop swimmers to their full potential. However, we are optimistic that the pool will be constructed, and with the removal of that barrier, we will see enormous growth in the size and caliber of the program.”