Monarch’s Gavin Keogh woke up for the final day of the state swim meet feeling sick.

The outbound senior had been a major part of helping the Coyotes’ swim program reach new heights in his four years of high school. And, pointed out by his coach Amber Austin, that’s not always the norm for a swimmer of his caliber, as finding a balance between the intersecting high school and club seasons can be an arduous task.

But he pushed to make it happen, a drive that wouldn’t dissipate in the hours before last month’s 4A state meet at Veterans Memorial Aquatics Center, when he was feeling far from his best.

“With how I was feeling, my main priority was just to do what I needed to do and put the team first,” Keogh, the Daily Camera swimmer of the year, said.

He did what he needed. And then some.

Keogh, who coach Austin calls “a once-in-a-lifetime athlete to work with”, went on to set a class record in the 100-yard backstroke, winning two individual events and a relay while leading the Coyotes to their first team title in the sport.

Keogh said he found a boost of energy from the crowd and his teammates before his turn in the 200 medley relay, which Monarch kicked off the meet with a win in a 4A record 1 minute and 30.07 seconds. From there, he won the 200 freestyle (1:37.47) for the first individual state title of his high school career and then set the state, 4A and pool record in the backstroke (46.54), an event he’d taken silver in the previous two seasons at the 5A level.

The North Carolina State commit finished tied for the meet’s most points alongside teammate and childhood buddy Ethan DiFronzo, who won the 50 and 100 freestyles. Those two, however, were the first to give credit to the rest of the team for the reason the Coyotes were were able to outduel meet-favorite Mullen.

Altogether, the Coyotes qualified 27 swimmers and two divers for the state meet. And from that, they won five of 12 events and placed in the top five 10 times.

“To come here and win it, and do what I needed to do, and be with Monarch,” Keogh said, “that’s all I could ask for, just being a part of this amazing team we have.”

Today, Keogh is currently at the national championships for swimming in Indiana. From it, he’s hoping to qualify for the world junior championships in Romania, which is set for late August. Then, he said, he’s headed to NC State.

His time at Monarch is done. Just won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

“The level of excellence that he brought to the program, and how he really established that standard is probably the No. 1 thing that will be his legacy that he leaves behind,” Austin said. “For somebody that elite, it’s special that he wanted to contribute and lead this team over the last four years.”