Grayslake Swimmers Headed to Junior National Championship

Two swimmers from Grayslake will be heading to the NCSA Junior National Championship swim meet, March 12-16, held in Orlando, FL at the Orlando YMCA Aquatic and Family Center. Kirk Dickson, Grayslake Central High School, and Brenden Bolman, Grayslake North High School, achieved qualifying times to swim at this elite national meet with over 1,600 of the nation’s top swimmers.

Both Dickson and Bolman qualified for the NCSA Junior National meet in the 100 yard backstroke and 50 yard backstroke. Dickson will also swim the 200 yard freestyle and Bolman will swim in the 50 yard freestyle. They will also be a part of the 400 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay, and 400 Freestyle Relay with 6 other teammates from CATS Aquatic, a member of Illinois Swimming and a USA Swimming silver ranked club team based in Libertyville and Vernon Hills. A total of 12 CATS swimmers have qualified for the NCSA Junior National meet.

Dickson and Bolman are coached by CATS Aquatic Head Senior Coach, Vlad Pyshnenko, a former Russian freestyle swimmer who won one gold medal and two silver medals at the 1992 summer Olympics in Barcelona and one silver medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. They will also be accompanied by Vlad’s wife, Assistant CATS Aquatic Coach, Natalia Mechtcheriakova, a former freestyle swimmer from Russia who also competed in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Mechtcheriakova earned a Bronze medal while swimming the anchor leg of the 400 Medley Relay in 1992 and raced to a 6th place finish in the 50 meter freestyle in 1996.

Dickson and Bolman train year round with CATS Aquatic. During the IHSA Boys High School swim season, they represented Grayslake Central and Grayslake North and competed at the IHSA Sectional meet in Vernon Hills on Feb. 16. Both earned State qualifying times in the 100 backstroke. Dickson also qualified for the IHSA State Final meet, held at New Trier High School on Feb. 22, in the 200 yard freestyle and Bolman qualified in the 100 yard freestyle.

—District 127 provided this information.