Dawson County swimmer Matthew Wood competed in the state swim meet at Georgia Tech Feb. 2-3.

Wood swam the 100 yard butterfly and finished 25^th out of 36 on Friday, successfully making the finals to compete Saturday. The top 30 swimmers made it to the finals. He placed 11^th out of 36 swimmers when he swam in the finals and placed first in his heat.

“I just focused on winning my heat. I wasn’t focused on my time,” said Wood. “I know my limits and I know that I pushed them.”

Wood swam his fastest 100 yard butterfly of all time, with a time of 53.53.

“I am very proud of Matthew for the great swim,” said Coach Linda Sperin.

The season has been a challenge for Wood as he has been dealing with a shoulder injury that has hindered his ability to swim with his year-round team. Still, despite the injury, the young swimmer was able to take home 11^th in the state.

“My goal was to win and do my best,” said Wood. “I felt good with placing 11^th. I always want to do better, but I was content.”