Trebilcock will join his brother at osu

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Gavin Trebilcock

Top Athlete: Gavin Trebilcock

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There was a time, starting when Gavin Trebilcock was about 12 years old to when he was a freshman in high school, that he viewed swim practice like eating his broccoli or drinking his milk.

He knew it was good for him, but that doesn’t mean he had to like it.

“Swim meets weren’t as fun anymore,” said Trebilcock, who often practiced from 6:30 to 8:30 at night and didn’t eat dinner until around 9:30. “Once high school started up and the state tournament, you had something look forward to every year. It was a lot more fun.

“The high school environment is a lot more energetic than it was for USA Swimming. You have kids who are painting their bodies and you have student sections up there yelling and that’s obviously the fun of it.”

Trebilcock got to know the state tournament well, qualifying each of his four years at Canfield. He capped his career by swimming four events and placing second in Division I in the 200-yard individual medley — the best individual performance of his career.

But for all of his success in Ohio, Trebilcock’s experiences swimming in junior national meets have opened his eyes to how much better he can — and must — be.

“Those are awe-inspiring meets for sure,” he said, chuckling. “I was like, ‘Wow, I thought I was semi-decent and I feel like I’m horrible now.’ But it does make you see, ‘Wow, there’s a lot more to work for.’”

Trebilcock will join his older brother, Garrett, on Ohio State’s swim team next year and he’s looking forward to getting pushed — and pulled — by such a talented group of teammates.

“I took visits to a lot of colleges and the guys at OSU really made me feel like I was part of the team already,” he said. “It made me kind of excited to swim with a group of guys like that.”