The North Dakota state boys swimming and diving meet opens Friday in Grand Forks. The Grand Forks KnightRiders, one of the youngest teams in the state, won’t have to face the pressure associated with the team race.
But pressure still remains for the KnightRiders; they want to continue to record PRs and keep building for the future.
The future, however, may be now for the Grand Forks divers, sophomore Nick McCowan and eighth-grader Jack Bulman.
The Grand Forks divers have the potential for a top-eight place at state. At last week’s East Region meet, McCowan placed third while Bulman finished sixth.
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“They’re having a really good year,” said Grand Forks coach Brent Newman. “I’m hoping Nick can squeeze into the top eight. That’s a real opportunity for him. Diving is relatively subjective and anything can happen. He has to have a strong start.
“As for Jack, it’s his second year of doing this. For him, it’s getting the experience under his belt with the pressure of state competition. As far as skill and technique, he’s getting there. He’s going to be solid for us.”
Newman said he wasn’t surprised by the divers’ success.
“We’ve been really satisfied with their consistency this season. They’ve had gradual PR increases as the season has progressed.”
The other focus for the KnightRiders this week will be on the program’s three captains - senior Daniel Todorovic and juniors Dylan Foley and Tristan Weisz.
“They’re solid leaders; they work hard and they lead by example,” said Newman. “You want to bleed for them so they can have their best weekend.”
Todorovic will compete in the 100 and 200 freestyle; Foley will be entered in the 200 IM and 500 freestyle; and Weisz will take part in the 200 and 500 free.
West Region powers Minot and Bismarck Century, along with East Region champion Fargo North, likely will battle for the team title. Century is the defending champion.
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The bulk of the Grand Forks roster is comprised of juniors, seventh-graders and eighth-graders. The state tournament is a place to prepare for the future.
“The future does look good for us,” said Newman.
The meet begins Friday at the Hyslop Sports Center pool. Diving preliminaries begin at 12:30 p.m. The parade of athletes is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., with preliminaries in all events to follow.
On Saturday, the parade of athletes begins at 1:30 p.m., with the finals to follow.
