But this year will be her last before she is too old to swim under the Port Macquarie Swimming Club banner.

The 18-year-old will head to the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre for the February 19-21 event hoping to finish on a high note.

"I'll be happy with anything in the top 10," she said.

"With COVID we haven't had much time to compete so we've had to find a new way to set new goals for the season and find new ways to improve ourselves."

Phillips remembered her first experience at the country championships as a 10-year-old. It was one which opened her eyes to how competitive swimming could be.

"My age group is extremely competitive and we always have been particularly from the start when school swimming was introduced to us," she said.

"One of the girls that was my closest friend was heads above everyone else and her times were faster than girls who were years older than us so we all had to push harder to get to her level."

Phillips also spends time as a gymnast and gymnastics coach which has provided her with the skills to carry across into the pool.

"The strength that I have gained and use through gymnastics has helped me so much," she said.

"With my dives I'm now able to pull myself through the water faster."

Following country championships, Phillips and a number of her Port Macquarie clubmates will swim laps throughout March as part of a Laps For Life fundraiser for mental health.

The teenager herself will swim 3000.

"One of the girls I used to swim with committed suicide in year 12 and it left us all heartbroken so we're all there to raise awareness over that," she said.

"It's such a common thing in young children and young adults that it's not promoted enough."

While you're with us, you can also receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here. If you would like to support our journalists you can subscribe here.