Competing in Cherry Bowl for the final time, Kevin Gillooly swam a time of 51.35 seconds in the boys 15–18 100-meter freestyle, breaking the old meet record held by his brother, Patrick.
Kevin Gillooly of Barclay Farm Swim Club still remembers the 2015 Cherry Bowl vividly. It was at that meet where his brother, Patrick Gillooly, broke a 30-year-old Cherry Bowl record in the boys 15–18 100-meter freestyle with a time of 52.78 seconds.
“It was at our home pool, which was really cool,” Kevin Gillooly said. “That was a great meet for all of us and it was really cool to see him break a 30-year-old record.”
Three years later, at the 2018 Cherry Bowl, Kevin got his own moment to shine in the spotlight, winning the boys 15–18 100-meter freestyle with a time of 51.35 seconds and breaking the record his brother set three years ago.
This one was really special to me because it stays in the family now,” said Kevin, a 2017 Cherry Hill East grad and rising sophomore at Rowan University. “I wanted to set a record that hopefully no one will touch for a long time.”
The freestyle has been Kevin’s best event through high school and into college. Kevin was Cherry Hill East’s best freestyle swimmer in 2016 and 2017 and qualified for the NJSIAA Meet of Champions in the 50-yard freestyle both seasons. In his final high school meet in the 2017 Meet of Champions, Kevin finished third in the 50-yard freestyle.
Kevin’s success carried into his freshman season at Rowan University. He was the top swimmer in the 50-yard freestyle for the Profs, was selected as the New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and even qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships in the 50-yard freestyle.
Kevin credits his strong performances to having a confident approach heading into meets.
“A lot of it is hard work, but a lot of it for me, honestly, is mentality,” he said. “I believe in my mind that I’m the fastest swimmer in the pool. Although it may not be true, and in a lot of cases it’s not true, if I believe that in my head, I can be the fastest swimmer in the pool.”
Despite swimming on the biggest stage in NCAA Division III earlier this year, there was nothing keeping Kevin from coming back to Barclay Farm to compete in one final season.
“That was my main goal from the beginning of the season,” Kevin said of setting the Cherry Bowl record. “I told my coach that, no matter what, I’m swimming 100 free at Cherry Bowl. That was my plan.”
Heading into Cherry Bowl, Kevin was on pace to challenge Patrick’s record. The week prior to Cherry Bowl, Kevin swam a time of 52.78 seconds in a TCSPA meet against Woodbine, the same exact time Patrick swam in setting the Cherry Bowl record in the event in 2015. At Cherry Bowl the next week, Kevin shaved more than a second off his time to take down Patrick’s record.
Setting a record in Cherry Bowl was a big moment for Kevin, who has been competing in the meet for more than a decade and even has vague memories of competing in his first one for Barclay Farm.
“The first one I remember was roughly 12 years ago at Downs Farm,” he said. “I don’t remember much, I never used to be a great swimmer, it’s always just been fun for me.”
Kevin also described Barclay Farm Swim Club as a second home. Even though he will no longer be able to swim in Cherry Bowl, Kevin hopes to help the Barracudas to success in another way.
“The whole family aspect at Barclay Farms has made me want to stay here my entire life,” he said. “Hopefully I can coach next year so I can stay with my family here.”
