Waccamaw’s Sullivan goes extra mile to succeed as swimmer

To say Patrick Sullivan is dedicated to his sport is a bit of an understatement.

The Waccamaw High junior spends nearly 18 hours a week driving back and forth between Pawleys Island and Mount Pleasant to ensure he gets elite training. And he’s been doing it for three years now.

The result?

He became a state champion in both the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle and was a member of Warriors’ state champion 200-yard freestyle and third-place 200-yard medley relay teams at the Class AAA state meet this past fall en route to being named Toast of the Coast Boys Swimmer of the Year.

“It’s the best training in the Lowcountry in all honesty,” Sullivan said of his choice to train with Mount Pleasant Swim Club. “They’ve pumped out the best swimmers. I want to be one of the best so I took my opportunity. It’s a lot of sacrifice, but you’ve got to do it if you want to get the results you want.”

Sullivan morphed into the most dominant boys swimmer on the Grand Strand this season while earning his first individual gold medals.

“It was excitement at first,” Sullivan said of getting onto the podium. “It was kind of a relief, too. You always get a little worked up before those [state events] and look forward to getting the adrenaline out of your system. Afterward it was happiness, looking up at my mom and family and to see them looking down there [made me] happy and proud.”

His coach, David Dear, saw it coming.

“It was obviously a breakout year for him. I wasn’t surprised. He’s a very good swimmer,” Dear said. “… He chose the right events and he delivered at the right time. Some kids rise to the challenge and some kids get nervous in the championship environment, but he’s a closer. He anchored the relay and did what he had to do in the other events. He went in very confident.”

Sullivan debuted as the Warriors’ team captain this season and helped lead the squad to a fifth-place finish at states. The new role was a natural fit, Dear said.

“There was no question from the start of the season he would be our team captain,” Dear said. “He’s a natural leader. He motivates and leads by example.”

Said Sullivan: “I feel like I did a good job. A leader is always willing to lead. But I had a pretty easy group with no big personalities and everyone got along well. It was on my part, honestly. I don’t want to take all the credit.”

After attaining three first-place finishes and a third at states this past season, many would say there’s not much more Sullivan could accomplish during his senior season. However, that’s not the way he operates.

“The next one is always my favorite one,” Sullivan said. “I’m always looking to improve on my times mostly.”

He hopes to compete at the collegiate level moving forward and improving his times will only help make that possible.

“Patrick’s got a very mature outlook. He knows a state title is a great thing, but as a swimmer you’re always competing against yourself and the next time standard,” Dear said. “He sets the bar for himself. He has much to accomplish on USA [Swimming] side and he has more time to appeal to the next level and collegiate coaches. He knows what he needs to do and he’s going to keep pushing himself.”

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Waccamaw’s Sullivan goes extra mile to succeed as swimmer."