TAMPA, Fla. — Something happens to Kellen Murdock every time he hits the water.

What You Need To Know

  •  Swim Across America is an annual event that raises money for cancer research.

  •  Berkeley Prep swimmer Kellen Murdock participated in honor of his dad, who battled sinus cancer.

  •  Kellen and his Berkeley teammates helped raise nearly $12,000.

A feeling comes over him. A feeling of peace, where nothing else matters and he is truly in the moment.

“Feeling the water is great, especially after a long day of school,” he said. “There’s nothing like it."

What started as swim lessons at a young age turned into a necessity. Murdock swims for the Berkeley Prep team, which allows him to dip into his competitive side. And it allows him to forget about all his worries. When he’s in the water, he’s only thinking about swimming.

“You’re kind of in the zone,” Kellen said. “Even if you’re not racing, you’re all to yourself.”

Recently, Kellen had someone else in the water with him, someone on his mind. He participated in Swim Across America, a charity swim that raises funds for cancer research. His participation was personal.

Every participant in Swim Across America has a why, a reason for swimming a mile in grueling conditions. Kellen’s why is his dad. Five years ago, Dan Murdock was diagnosed with Stage 4 sinus cancer. After debilitating treatments, where he did chemotherapy once a week and radiation every day for nearly two months, Dan got to the ring bell and he is currently in remission. His battle became Kellen’s inspiration in the pool.

“That’s like all the motivation I get,” he said. “Without my dad, I don’t think I could be swimming.”

As a team, Berkeley Prep raised nearly $12,000 at this year’s Swim Across America event. Kellen raised more than $5,000 of that total. More importantly, he got to swim for his dad.

“It was the best feeling ever. The people there were just amazing,” Kellen said. “All around, it was just fantastic.”

Kellen continues to train in the pool. He’ll be starting his junior year at Berkeley in a couple of months. And the high school swim season is just around the corner. Another season of Kellen getting to do what he loves the most.

“I get time to myself.,” he said. “That’s probably my favorite thing about it. Stressful day, I can hop in the pool and think and swim laps.”