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The GHSA state swimming meet at Georgia Tech on Feb. 6 served as the culmination of a lifetime of hard work for Callaway High sophomore Daniel Gudgin. After battling through the recovery process for a broken arm during his freshman season with the Cavaliers, Gudgin was back to form for his sophomore year and earned a 10th finish at state in the 500-yard freestyle.

“I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished,” said a humble Gudgin. “

What was even more remarkable was the fact that Gudgin dropped 12 seconds of his time from last year, he fell from eighth to 10th place. The new classifications have made swimming in 2A even more difficult. 

Gudgin hopped out of the water on Thursday satisfied with his finish, but also with an insatiable hunger to improve and get better.

“I just came back from an injury last year and focused on one event. I was able to drop 12 seconds even though I worked on multiple events this year,” Gudgin said. “The goal is to keep dropping time each year and not focus on what place I finish.”

Gudgin officially qualified for six different events at state but had to dwindle those down to his best two as GHSA rules only allow a swimmer to compete at two different events at the state competition. In addition to the 500-yard freestyle, Gudgin also participated in the 100-yard backstroke. There was barely a chance for Gudgin to rest between events and will likely be coming up with a new strategy at state next season after having participated in just one race at state last season.

“Really it is about timing,” Gudgin said. “There is a very short window to rest. It was only about 15 to 20 minutes when it was all said and done.

“I ended up being very tired for the second race,” he added.

Despite racing in back-to-back events, Gudgin was able to secure a 12th-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke, just narrowly missing out on two top-10 finishes this season.

Competitive swimming for the high school teams in Troup County has been on life support since the COVID-19 pandemic. Gudgin is hoping to help lead a revival of high school swimming in the area.

“I want to see more Cavaliers qualify for state next year,” he said. 

Despite having just one representative at state, Callaway finished 29th in the 1A-3A classification, just a handful of points behind a top-25 finish. 

Gudgin is at a point in his life where he spends almost as much time in the water as he does on land. When he is not at the Mike Daniels Center getting reps in with the Cavaliers, he is heading to Pike County to work with his personal coach one-on-one.

“I go to school, then go to GreenPower, then leave the school, drive an hour to Pike County, swim for two or two and a half hours after practice, get back home, eat, study,” Gudgin said. “I usually practice five or six days a week.”

Not even halfway through his high school career, Gudgin already has two top-10 finishes at state. With two years left in the pools for Callaway, Gudgin has eyes on bringing home the first swimming state title in school history.