GPAC senior Nate Thomas captured the Florida High School Athletic Association title in the 100-yd freestyle at the 2013 3A State Championships held in Stuart, FL November 15. His win marks the first individual state champion for GPAC since Morgan Farrell posted back-to-back wins in the 100-yd backstroke in 2006.

Representing Pace High School, Thomas was the top seed in both the 50 and 100-yd freestyle going into the championship finals on Friday evening. He posted an Automatic All-American qualifying time in the preliminaries of the 50 with a personal best time of 20.69 seconds, his first time under 21 seconds from a flat start. His time is also a USA Swimming Junior National time and a new GPAC Team Record!  His 100 freestyle was another personal best of 45.88 seconds, and was an All-American Consideration qualifying time.

In the finals, Thomas won the 100-yd freestyle handedly, touching in 45.91 seconds, and won the silver medal in the 50-yd freestyle, just off his personal best set in the morning.

Another Senior boy, Alex Morris, represented Pace and GPAC at the 3A championships. Alex Morris finished 22^nd in the 100-yd backstroke. Morris was on Pace’s 200-yd medley relay that finished sixteenth and he joined Thomas on the 200-yd freestyle relay that finished twelfth.

The final swimmer to represent GPAC and Pace at the Championship was Olivia Weekley.  Olivia qualified third in the 100-yd butterfly in the preliminaries, with a personal best time of 56.11 seconds, an All-American Consideration time.  She also grabbed the second seed heading into finals in the 50-yd freestyle. At finals Olivia finished seventh in the freestyle and fourth in the butterfly, dropping her time to 55.86, which is a USA Swimming Junior and Senior National Time Standards as well as a new GPAC Team Record!

Congratulations to these GPAC seniors that concluded their high school swimming careers with distinction, we are proud of you!