Mar 18, 2026 5 min read

Nazar Zoukovski knows the remedy for a sleepless night. A long daytime nap.

That recipe proved golden for the Upper St. Clair High School swimmer during the PIAA Class 3A championships held March 11-14 at the Kinney Natatorium on the Bucknell University campus.

Between the preliminary qualifying session in the morning and the evening finals, Zoukovski snoozed in his hotel room. He returned more than refreshed. He was revived.

During the 200-yard freestyle final, he breezed to victory to claim his first state gold medal.

“I didn’t have the best of rest the night before. For some reasons, my body didn’t want me to go to sleep,” he said.

“After I posted a good time in my preliminary race, and our team went back to our hotel, I took a nap. A two-hour nap,” he emphasized. “I believe that was part of the reason I swam so well in the final.”

Zoukovski won the race in 44.19. It was a personal record by six tenths of a second and a tad quicker than runner-up Dom Davis and teammate Ben Whiteford, who finished third in 44.80.

“I was very pleased,” Zoukovski said of his result. “It was definitely a heart-warming moment because I have been trying to do this for so long.”

As a sophomore, Zoukovski took the bronze medal. As a junior last year, he finished fifth.

“I wanted to get a state title by the end of my high school career,” he said. “It’s exciting for it to be the last race at the end of it.”

Zoukovski stuck to his strategy and left no room for doubt as to who the best swimmer was.

“On the starting block I was thinking if I went out fast and got to the wall first after 50 that no one could catch me because I have endurance. I told myself to go out as fast as you can and bring it home with all that you’ve got. I felt strong in the water.”

Zoukovski covered the first 50 in 20.01. “Separation kicked in during the second 50,” he added.

“It was great to see him take charge from the beginning,” said USC skipper David Schraven. “The race was never in doubt. As I was watching the second 25, I said to myself ‘he’s got this.'”

Zoukovski won the race in part due to his attention to detail.

“For me, the main part was execution. I had done all the work. The only thing left was get in the water and execute.

“I was excited to swim. When I touched the wall, there was this tremendous excitement.”

Zoukovski said the victory avenged his showing in the 50 free. He finished fourth.

“I messed up my 50,” he said. “So the 100 was my revenge.”

Zoukovski’s showing in the sprint was not too shabby considering it was his first year swimming that distance. Last year, he competed in the 200 free. He switched to the shorter event when he posted a big drop from 20.7 to 20.2 in his 50 free time this season.

“The problem with the 50 though is there is no room for error. In the 200, while it’s a quick race, you can mess up a little,” he explained.

The 100-yard distance appeals to Zoukovski because it’s the best of both worlds. Of his signature swim he said, “It’s my favorite race. There’s the speed aspect to it and it’s not too boring. There’s a ton of excitement surrounding the race. Everyone watches it.”

Everyone will be following Zoukovski’s progress once he matriculates this fall to the University of Arizona. While he swims for the Wildcats, he will also major in business with the hopes of getting into a career revolving around supply chain management.

“I’m excited for where my career takes me,” he said. “My immediate goal is just to see a lot of improvement. I haven’t done much weight lifting so hopefully that will take me to the next step.”

Noting Arizona is one of the Top 5 programs in the country he added that he also wants to contribute to the team as much as possible and qualify for the NCAA Division I championships.

The sky is the limit for Zoukovski, says Schraven.

“Nazar is a really strong freestyler and he uses his legs well, which is especially important in the 100 and 200,” Schraven said. “He’ll have a great college career because he has all the pieces in place. He will be with other guys at the same skill level and he will do well. Arizona also has a great new coaching staff and they will prepare him to hit the ground running. I’m looking forward to what he can do.”

Because his parents were born in Belarus, Zoukovski can compete under that flag in the Olympics, perhaps the Summer Games scheduled for 2028 in Los Angeles. Because of the high-training he anticipates at Arizona, he says that is a goal within his reach.

“Definitely the goal is to go to Olympic Trials for the USA or because I have dual citizenship I could swim for Belarus,” he explained.

Schraven said that he would “support” that choice.

“It is so hard to make the U.S. team so he should explore every option he has,” Schraven said. “The qualifying times are still really fast. You still have to hit certain standards. So it’s still a big deal to make.”

At any rate, by virtue of his state championship, Zoukovski is in rare company at USC. His name now goes up on the record books alongside the likes of Josh Matheny, who competed in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris after a standout career at Indiana University.

“It’s definitely a thrill to see your name on the board with big names like that,” Zoukovski said. “It’s a surreal moment.”