Connor Hill picked the best time to put in his best performance of the year. The Athens junior set his personal record and took second place in the 100-yard butterfly at the Class 6A-7A State Swim Meet in Auburn University’s Martin Aquatic Center.

Hill swam the race in 51.57 seconds, just 0.37 seconds behind winner Stephen Conrad of St. Paul’s Episcopal. It was a fitting end to a season where Hill has improved his time consistently since the season started.

“That’s what you train for all year,” Hill said. “It just felt really good to be able to do that at the state meet and at Auburn. There are a ton of talented swimmers in Alabama, and it’s fun to go up against those guys.”

Hill has been swimming since he was 8 years old and started swimming competitively in the seventh grade.

“That’s when I dropped every other sport and stuck to swimming,” Hill said. “I played basketball and tried football out, but I always came back to swimming, because I had a talent for it. The competition is great, and it really drives me to push for faster times.”

Athens swim coach Anna Underwood said Hill’s second-place finish was a great reward for the hard work he has put in throughout the year.

“He is definitely dedicated to our practices and works hard during every practice,” Underwood said. “For me, it’s great to see him reach his goals, and I’m very proud of his accomplishments.”

Hill had support from his swim teammates, as the Athens boys relay team qualified for the state meet for the first time, although they did not reach the finals.

“We’re really happy to see Connor accomplish that goal and reach his best time,” Underwood said. “The whole team was just very excited for him.”

Hill qualified for the state meet in both the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard breaststroke, setting personal bests in both races in the regionals. He broke the 1-minute mark in the breaststroke for the first time at the regional meet, which was one of his major goals for the season.

“At last year’s state meet, I was on the verge of breaking one minute, got to 1:00.04. My whole goal this year was to break that barrier, and when I finally did that, it felt so good. To be able to get past my goal and drop even more time was awesome.”

Hill went well below one minute in the finals of the 100-yard breaststroke, finishing in 58.72 seconds, which would have been good for third place. However, he was disqualified for flinching at the start before diving into the water. Once swimmers are in the set position, they are not allowed to move until the starter’s pistol fires.

Hill said he realized he flinched at the start and knew he would probably be disqualified, but he was still determined to put in the best performance he could during the race.

“As soon as I flinched, I knew I did it,” he said. “But I still tried to do the best I could in the race and put in the best time possible. I’m glad that I did because my time would have been third. So I’m glad I didn’t give up in the end.”

Despite the disappointment in the breaststroke, Hill was proud to take home a silver medal in the butterfly. He still has one more year to compete for a state championship in both events.

“My goal next year is to finish first in everything,” Hill said. “That would be fantastic.”