Suppose they gave a statewide championship for a high school sport, and you were the only one representing your school.

Suppose you not only showed up to compete at said sporting event, but also finished among the top 15 competitors.

That was what Garden Spot junior Kayla Parry did in the PIAA Class AAA girls' swimming championships, which took place at Bucknell University on March 15 and 16.

Kayla proved herself by improving on her seeding time and shaving time off the preliminaries as well while she swam in the 100-yard butterfly event and the 200-yard individual medley.

"She was seeded 17th in the 200 IM and was able to drop .96 seconds in the prelims to be seeded 12th," explained Garden Spot coach Darin Parry.

She had a time of 2:08.11 in the preliminaries and posted the 12th-place time of 2:08.28 in the finals of the event.

In the 100 fly, her time of 57.85 was an improvement on the prelim time of 58.32 as she took 13th place in the finals.

"She was seeded 19th and was able to drop six places to be 13th overall in the finals," noted the coach. "Kayla's competitive nature and grit were on full display. She didn't give up; she went as hard as she could until she reached the wall. I am really impressed with Kayla's achievements at states."

And again, what about that scenario where you are the only person representing your school?

"There are some schools at states that have as many as 20 swimmers," Darin stated. "To have that kind of support, camaraderie and positive energy really invigorates and motivates a swimmer."

"So, for Kayla to go to states and to qualify for finals in two events on the same day is a huge accomplishment," the coach added. "I know she will be ready and hungry to return next year."