July 23, 2009…. The Southeastern Swimming Long Course Championship started Thursday at the Centennial Sportsplex in Nashville. Southeastern Swimming consists of club swimmers from all of Tennessee and Alabama, and the Panhandle region of Florida.
Bradley Gillilan, a senior at LHS, won the Senior Men’s 800 Meter Freestyle in convincing fashion in a time of eight minutes, twenty-nine seconds and sixty-six hundredths of a second (8:29.66). He finished ahead of the second place finisher by nearly eight seconds.
The time was a 3.44 seconds from Gillilan’s best time in the event achieved last week at the Senior Sectional meet at UT-Knoxville, and qualified in the event for the USA-Swimming Short Course Senior National Championships in December.
This was Gillilan’s second Short Course Senior National cut, having achieved a cut in the 1,500 Meter Freestyle just four days earlier at Senior Sectionals.
“It’s hard to swim in back-to-back championship level meets just four days apart,” Excel Coach and Lebanon resident John Barnes noted. “Bradley had such a great meet last week with some emotional swims, and he really stepped it up this in the 800 Meters tonight.”
“His goal coming in the meet was to win the event and score points for Excel Aquatics, and he accomplished both on the first night. Nabbing a Senior National qualifying time in the process was just gravy on the mash potatoes.”
Gillilan continues to swim in six more events, two each day through Sunday. To follow results of the top distance swimmer in Wilson County swimming history, visit www.ExcelAquatics.org/age_group and click on “Real Time Results”.
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