North Shore Rhythmics Gymnasts Crowned National Champions

North Shore Rhythmics gymnasts captured the all-around senior individual, senior group and junior group gold medals at the USA Gymnastics Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, June 21-25.

2020 Olympian Evita Griskenas (Orland Park, Ill.) led the rhythmic senior all-around field by nearly 12 points, earning a total score of 253.650 across two rounds of hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon. She picked up national championships on hoop and clubs and was the runner up on ball and ribbon earlier in the week. Griskenas’ NSR teammate Lili Mizuno (Northbrook, Ill.) earned the senior all-around silver medal, the silver in hoop and clubs and the gold in ribbon.

Senior National Group members, who performed gold medal-winning routines with five hoops and with three ribbons and two balls, are Maria Bolkhovitinova (Northfield, Ill.), Gergana Petkova (Barrington, Ill.), Katrine Sakhnov (Sammamish, Wash.), Karolina Saverino (Elk Grove Village, Ill.), Hana Starkman (Plantation, Fla.) and Emily Wilson (Brooklyn, N.Y.).

Other NSR Senior National Team members include Daria Merkulova (Vernon Hills, Ill.) and Jenna Zhao (Hinsdale, Ill.).

NSR Junior Group National Team members include Goda Balsys (Northbrook, Ill.), Annabella Hantov, (Chicago), Kristina Lee (Woodridge, Ill.), Isabelle Novoseletsky (Highland Park, Ill.) and Kalina Trayanov (Deerfield, Ill.).

NSR’s Sophia Volkov earned a spot on the Junior National Team.

USA Gymnastics named NSR’s Natasha Klimouk, along with Dani Takova, Angelina Yovcheva, and Margarita Mamzina, coaches of the year.

Now NSR’s champions are preparing for the Pan Am Championships in Rio de Janeiro, July 7-10, and the World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, September 12-18.

NSR gymnasts train at Sachs Recreation Center in Deerfield, Ill., and the Glenview Park Center in Glenview, Ill.

With nearly 30 medals going to NSR gymnasts at the National Championships and with so many promising young athletes from other clubs, too, NSR coaches see a strong future for USA rhythmic. “The next generation is making tremendous progress and getting excellent results internationally,” says Klimouk. “We’re excited that the popularity of this beautiful sport is growing here – and that NSR athletes will be an integral component of the strength of the USA rhythmic program in coming years.”

For more information, contact Natasha Klimouk, 847-414-0678.