Sectionals are a big deal for me because that’s where I can prove myself and push myself to be my very best,”

Bryn Kissack

BYRON — Bryn Kissack’s internal drive stems from the support of her family and her desire to prove what’s possible to both herself and others. Kissack demonstrated that drive on Saturday afternoon, when the Rochelle Township High School senior entered the water and raced to the finish during the IHSA Girls Swimming & Diving Sectional meet at Byron High School.

Kissack, who has spina bifida and competes in the athletes with disabilities division, swam three races including the 50-yard freestyle, the 100-yard freestyle and the 100-yard breaststroke on Saturday. Kissack medaled in all three events and she will represent RTHS in the IHSA State Championship meet for the third consecutive year. The IHSA State Championship meet will be held at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont this weekend. Kissack will swim on Saturday, Nov. 16.

“Sectionals are a big deal for me because that’s where I can prove myself and push myself to be my very best,” said Kissack, who’s now a three-time sectional medalist. “My goals have been to get better and faster each year… It’s a really big step for me because a lot of people support me and there are a lot of people I’ve looked up to in swimming. It’s a big deal for me to do this.”

Kissack completed the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 4:35.98, racing over a minute faster than she did at the sectional meet last year and beating her time from two years ago by nearly 50 seconds. Kissack clocked in with a time of 3:46.19 in the 100-yard freestyle and a time of 1:45.59 in the 50-yard freestyle. Although Kissack was the only swimmer with a disability racing at the Byron sectional, both her family and her determination proved to be big motivators.

“I’m the only one in the water when I’m swimming and time is my enemy,” said Kissack, who has two younger sisters (Reese and Tess) as well as one younger brother (Grange). “All of my siblings were there over the weekend and that meant a lot to me. It means a lot for my family to be so supportive in all of this… It takes practice and it takes motivation to become a better swimmer. My family is a big part of that and my family motivates me to do my very best.”

Kissack is Rochelle’s first three-time state qualifier in swimming since Allison Cole, who was a four-time state qualifier in the athletes with disabilities division from 2017-20. Kissack is also the school’s third three-time state qualifier over the last 10 years, joining Cole and Aubrey Headon, who qualified in the athletes with disabilities division three times from 2016-18. Kissack said she will be practicing at the REC Center in Rochelle this week in order to prepare for the state meet.

“It means a lot to me that I’ll get to experience the state meet once last time,” Kissack said. “It’s a great experience for me to have… I feel like I’ve gotten stronger and I feel like I’ve built more momentum each year with having the ability to swim harder and more effectively… It’s a big deal for me to go to state and I can prove to myself that I can swim competitively and win medals in something that I love dearly… My goal for this year is to finish in the top 5.”