Mt. Pleasant swimmer King selected to compete in Junior Pan Pacific Championships

By: Paul Schofield
Monday, July 1, 2024 | 8:44 PM

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Mt. Pleasant rising senior Lily King had planned to participate in a couple of big swimming meets this summer.

Traveling to Australia to compete in the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in late August wasn’t on her original agenda.

King was one of 20 girls selected to represent the United States in the biannual event Aug. 21-24 in Canberra. She will get a chance to compete against swimmers from Canada, Japan, Singapore, Fiji, Samoa, Micronesia and New Zealand.

The meet is for swimmers 18 years old and younger.

In 2022 at Honolulu, the United States topped the medal count with 19 gold and 46 total medals. Japan had 29 medals and Australia 25.

She was selected to swim as part of the 400-meter freestyle relay team and will get to pick individual events to enter. She said she probably will pick the 50- and 100-meter freestyles.

The U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, where she competed in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle, also was used to pick the squad. King recorded personal records in both events.

“I’m very excited and honored to represent team USA,” King said. “It’s a dream come true. I’ll get a chance to compete with some of my friends.”

King received an email late last week congratulating her for making the team.

“I knew about the meet coming into the trials,” King said. “This is a big step for me to represent the USA and compete in my first international event. It’s going to be an amazing experience.

“It puts me on a path to my ultimate goal: competing in the Olympics.”

She has committed to swim at N.C. State.

King, who won two individual PIAA gold medals and a third on a relay team this past season, was named TribLive Westmoreland Female Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season.

She has won 10 PIAA gold medals (six individuals and four relays) and owns numerous state and school records.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Mt. Pleasant