Zimbabwean Swimmer Sean Gunn Breaks Records…….Sean Gunn is a University of Kentucky Wildcat student-athlete, but represents his home country, Zimbabwe, internationally. While at last month’s Arena Pro Swim Series in Mesa, Gunn broke two Zimbabwean national records. The 21-year-old earned records in the men’s 100m freestyle and 200m freestyle races, where he clocked new marks of 51.18 and 1:51.53, respectively. Of his performances, Gunn expressed that “I was really happy….I’ve worked really hard this season with my new coach Chip Kline and I’m glad that things came together. It feels great to have broken two national records. It has motivated me to train harder and swim faster. I think it would be really cool to set the records so they stand for a long time in the future.”
UK Wildcat Women Clean-up at “Catspys”…….The University of Kentucky Wildcat women’s swimming and diving team finished 16th at this year’s NCAA Championships and were rewarded with some hardware at UK’s year-end athletic awards ceremony. The women’s squad collectively earned a “Catspy” for Wildcat Pride, as well as one of three Academic Teams of the Year. Senior Christina Bechtel closed out her standout season with two individual awards of her own; a Catspy for Female Performance of the Year, as well as Female Athlete of the Year. Bechtel finished 6th in the women’s 100y butterfly and 2nd in the women’s 200y butterfly events at this year’s NCAA Championships. A complete list of Catspy awards can be found here.
Oak Park and River Forest High School Pool’s Site Identified…….The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the Oak Park and River Forest High School’s parking garage has been chosen as the site for its new pool facility. The site’s selection resolves more than three years of deliberations and at a cost of roughly $37 million, including the $3.5 million purchase of the garage from the village of Oak Park. Construction is scheduled to begin in June of this year and be completed by the 2018-19 school year. The plan on how the project will be funded is still to be determined.