Swimming & Diving
Vlad Polyakov
- Title:
- Assistant Coach, Men's Recruiting Coordinator
- Email:
- vlad@GoCards.com
- Phone:
- 852-0984
Vladislav Polyakov, a former three-time Olympian, World Champion and NCAA Champion,has been a member of the University of Louisville swimming and diving staff and men’s recruiting coordinator since September of 2012..
“Vlad fit everything we were looking for in a new coach for our program. He brought tremendous energy to our program,” said Albiero. “His experiences as world-class athlete adds to our already experienced coaching staff. His resume speaks for itself, but more importantly, he is a humble guy with a fantastic work ethic. I had the privilege to coach him at the beginning of his collegiate career, and I am excited to work with him again. He is well respected in swimming circles in the US and worldwide, and his drive to pursue high level excellence fits in perfectly with our program philosophy. He will connect well with all of our student-athletes.”
Despite an abrupt end due to the coronavirus pandemic that resulted in the cancellation of the NCAA Championships, the 2019-20 season was still memorable for the Cardinals. UofL qualified 10 men for the national meet and tied their program best with 12 qualifiers on the women’s side, and both the women (1105.5 points) and men (1066.5 points) finished third at their respective ACC Championships. Grace Oglesby defended her 200 butterfly title for the third-straight year, Arina Openysheva was the runner-up in the 200 freestyle, and UofL finished in the top-3 in all five relays at the Women’s ACC Championships. Oglesby was also the recipient of the prestigious Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Award. At ACCs for the men, the 400 medley relay team of Mitchell Whyte, Evgenii Somov, Nicholas Albiero, and Andrej Barna earned gold while setting a new ACC Meet Record. The 800 freestyle relay quartet of Albiero, Colton Paulson, Barna, and Samuel Steele also won, while the 200 and 400 freestyle relays took second. Albiero had himself a meet, winning his third-consecutive 200 butterfly title in 1:38.65 which broke the ACC Meet Record and moved him up to No. 4 all-time in history; he also won the 100 backstroke and was named the All-ACC Academic Swimming & Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Somov defended his 100 breaststroke crown for the third-straight year and made it a sweep after winning the 200 breaststroke as well. Paulson grabbed the gold medal in the 200 freestyle, Haridi Sameh was the runner-up in the 50 freestyle, and Whyte finished second in the 200 backstroke. The Cardinals concluded the season with final rankings of No. 9 for men and No. 16 for women in the CSCAA Poll, had 31 athletes named as All-Americans, and was again selected as a Scholar All-American team.
In a memorable 2018-19, the women finished in fourth place at the NCAA Championship, the highest finish in program history. The Cards earned the program's first-ever team trophy, securing fourth with 235 points. Louisville became the first ACC program in history to have both its men's and women's teams finish in the top five at NCAAs in a single season. Arthur Albiero earned his second straight ACC Women's Swimming Coach of the Year honors and Mallory Comerford collected her third consecutive ACC Women's Swimmer of the Year honor after winning two titles at the NCAA Championship and three ACC Championship gold medals (100, 200, and 500 freestyle).Grace Oglesby won gold in the 200 fly and 400 Freestyle Relay of Lainey Visscher, Mallory Comerford, Casey Fanz, and Arina Openysheva took gold. With the award, Comerford became the first women's swimmer in ACC history to receive the distinction three times throughout her career.The men made history was made at the NCAA Championship as the Cardinals captured a program-record fifth place finish. The Cardinals' 212 points were also the most scored by a Louisville men's team at an NCAA Championship. The Cards became the first ACC program in history to have both its men's and women's teams finish in the top five at NCAAs in a single season. As a team, the men finished second at the ACC Championship for the fifth straight year. They concluded the dual meet season with a record of 5-4 with wins over Xavier, Tennessee, Virginia, Northwestern, and Missouri. Louisville was tabbed at No. 8 in the final CSCAA/TYR Poll. The Cardinals won five individual titles at the ACC Championship. Nicolas Albiero (200 fly) and Evgenii Somov (100 breast) won their second consecutive ACC championship, while freshman Bartosz Piszczorowicz won the 200 free crown. The Cards’ 800 free and 400 free relays also took home the gold.
In 2017-18, major awards during the collegiate season began when Nick Albiero was named ACC Freshman of the Year with Mallory Comerford winning ACC Swimmer of the Year, and newcomer Mariia Ashtashkina being named ACC Freshman of the Year for the women. In all, 24 Cardinals were named to the All-ACC team. At NCAAs, the Cardinals raked in the honors led by Nick Albiero (4x All-American), Zach Harting (3x All-American), Andrej Barna (3x All-American), Sam Steele, (All-American), Carlos Claverie (2x All-American), Evgenii Somov (All-American), Marcelo Acosta (All-American). (Harting, Albiero, Barna, Matyi Kovacs, Acosta, Carlos all earned HM All Americans status as well. On the women’s side, Sophie Cattermole (All-American), Mallory Comerford (6x All-American), Arina Openysheva (2x All-American) Lainey Visscher, (3x All-American), Avery Braunecker (All-American), Casey Fanz (2x All-American), Alina Kendzior (2x All-American) and Mariia Astashkina (2x All-American).
At the 2018 ACC Championships, Evgenii Somov and Nick Albiero were both two-time ACC Champions. The 200 Men's Medley relay (Albiero, Harting, Claverie, Barna) also won gold at the ACC Championships in Greensboro. For the women, Mallory Comerford was a four time ACC Champion alsong with Grace Oglesby, a two-time ACC Champion; and Mariia Astashkina, an individual ACC Champion. The 400 Medley Relay team of Kendzior, Oglesby, Friesen, and Comerford won ACC Gold.
Albiero coached his fourth NCAA Champion when Mallory Comerford won the 200 free.
The year 2016-17 brought the Cardinals to the forefront on both the national and international stage. Breakout star Mallory Comerford won five gold medals at the 2017 FINA World Championships, was the champion in the 100m free at 2017 Phillips 66 Nationals and tied for the 2017 NCAA title in the 200y free with Katie Ledecky. The Cardinals men’s team set 11 school records and finished second at the ACC Championship. The women’s team finished third in the ACC. In the NCAAs, the UofL men had 10 swimmers qualify in addition to qualifying for all five relays. The women qualified eight swimmers and all five relays as well. Women's Swimming led the nation in All-Americans with 11, finishing sixth overall to tie the school record for highest finish. The men finished 11th at the NCAAs with eight All-Americans. Andrea Cottrell and Zach Harting were named to Team USA and represented the Cards at the World University Games. On the international stage, UofL sent 10 swimmers and four coaches to the World Championships in Budapest where they won 11 medals (nine gold and two bronze) which was the third most medals in the NCAA. The Cardinals were a part of nine championship final appearances, helped set eight American Records and four World Records. Albiero was named Team USA Coach for the 2016 Short Course World Championships and the 2017 FINA World Championship. Polyakov was a member of the coaching staff for Russia in Budapest.
The year 2015-16 season saw the Cardinals win two more NCAA Championships with Kelsi Worrell picking up two more in the butterfly events. Worrell went on to make the Olympic team and win a relay gold medal after winning the Honda Award and being named as a First Team Academic All-American. She was named both the ACC Swimmer of the Year, and the 2016 Most Valuable Swimmer. In all, seven Cardinals went to Rio (Joao De Lucca, Andrea Kneppers, Tanja Kylliainen, Marcelo Acosta, Carlos Claverie, Grigory Tarasevich and Worrell). The men were the ACC Runners-up and the women were fourth. At NCAAs, the Cardinal men were 11th and the women placed eighth.
The year 2014-15 was a breakout year for the Cardinals. Polyakov helped coach the Cards to two NCAA championships, 10 ACC Gold Medals, guided a total of 14 Cardinals to All-American status, and 17 to All-ACC honors. The Cardinal men were 2nd at ACCs and the women were fourth prior to the Cardinal women finishing a school record No. 6 at NCAAs and the men finishing No. 15 in a true team effort. The Cardinals won five Pan American Medals, won two USA National Championships and put five swimmers in the FINA World Championships and two at the World University Games.
In 2013-14, he helped coach the Cards to a No. 11 NCAA finish along with two more national championships as De Lucca hit the wall first in both the 100 and 200 freestyle. Caryle Blondell, Thomas Dahlia, and Trevor Carroll joined De Lucca as All Americans. The Cardinal men also won the inaugural American Conference Championship.
In 2012-13, Polyakov was on the staff that helped coach the Cardinal women to their third straight BIG EAST Championship. Coming off that meet, the women sent five women as individuals and with all five relays qualifying boosted the NCAA Roster to a total of nine with the relay swimmers. Two individual swimmers made the A-finals and achieved All-American status. The men sent three individuals and also added four more as relay swimmers. Joao De Lucca became the second Cardinal in history to win an NCAA Championship, when he took the 200-free from lane one in a 1:33.49, the third fastest time in the history of the NCAA meet. De Lucca was third in the 100-free and 13th in the 50-free. Caryle Blondell was an honorable mention All-American, finishing 14th in the 100-free. The 400-free relay team that finished fourth made three additional swimmers All-Americans.
Prior to coming to Louisville, Polyakov amassed extensive international experience and gathered a laundry list of accomplishments in collegiate and professional swimming. A 2007 graduate of the University of Alabama, Polyakov swam for the Crimson Tide from 2003-2007. After graduating in 2007, Polyakov spent the last five years in the professional ranks competing.
While at Alabama, where Albiero was on the Alabama swim coaching staff at the time, Polyakov was a 5-time SEC Champion, 2-time NCAA Champion, and 2-time US National Champion
In 2005 and 2006, he was the 100- and 200- breaststroke champion in the SEC. Again in 2007, Polyakov won the100-breaststroke in the SEC. He is the school record holder in both the 100- and 200-breaststrokes for the Crimson Tide. Polyakov holds the record in the 200-breaststroke for the Southeastern Conference. He was the runner up at the 2003 and 2006 NCAA Championships in the 200-breaststroke. In 2005 and 2007, he was the 200-breaststroke NCAA Breaststroke Champion. For all of his accomplishments and honors as a swimmer for the Crimson Tide, he was named to the Alabama Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame.
“I am thrilled to rejoin with Arthur and look forward to this incredible opportunity,” said Polyakov. “We have always had a great level of understanding and respect for each other. I’ve always appreciated his professional attitude and individual approach towards his athletes. What he has been able to accomplish here at Louisville within such short period of time, really tells you a lot about this organization and its vision.”
Polyakov accumulated just as many honors as a student while at the University of Alabama. In 2002 and 2003 he was named to the Alabama President’s List. From 2002-2007 he was named to the Alabama Dean’s List. Polyakov was named Academic All-SEC four times and was also a four-time Coaches Association Academic All-American. In 2005, 2006, and 2007 he was named to the ESPN Academic All-American At-Large Team. He was given an Individual Academic All-American Award by the CSCAA in 2005. Polyakov was given the “Most Valuable” Award for Most Dedicated Student-Athlete of the Year in 2005 and 2006. During the 2006 season Polyakov was named the SEC Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year and also received the Coaches Award from the Crimson Tide team.
During his time at Alabama and after Polyakov took his talents to the international and then the professional ranks. He was a three-time Olympian having swam in the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and most recently the 2012 Olympics in London for his native Kazakhstan. In 2004, he was a finalist in the 100m breaststroke and 200m breaststroke. In other international competition, Polyakov was a 2004 FINA World Championship Bronze medalist in the 100m and 200m breaststrokes and then in 2006 he was a FINA World Championship Gold medalist in the 200m breaststroke
“It is a true honor to be a part of a program that has shown consistent record of success in the past years, both academically and athletically,” said Polyakov. “I think that the sky is the limit for this program.”
Vlad and his wife Mhyria, a former All-American swimmer from the University of Georgia, reside in Louisville. They have a son, Liam.
“Vlad fit everything we were looking for in a new coach for our program. He brought tremendous energy to our program,” said Albiero. “His experiences as world-class athlete adds to our already experienced coaching staff. His resume speaks for itself, but more importantly, he is a humble guy with a fantastic work ethic. I had the privilege to coach him at the beginning of his collegiate career, and I am excited to work with him again. He is well respected in swimming circles in the US and worldwide, and his drive to pursue high level excellence fits in perfectly with our program philosophy. He will connect well with all of our student-athletes.”
Despite an abrupt end due to the coronavirus pandemic that resulted in the cancellation of the NCAA Championships, the 2019-20 season was still memorable for the Cardinals. UofL qualified 10 men for the national meet and tied their program best with 12 qualifiers on the women’s side, and both the women (1105.5 points) and men (1066.5 points) finished third at their respective ACC Championships. Grace Oglesby defended her 200 butterfly title for the third-straight year, Arina Openysheva was the runner-up in the 200 freestyle, and UofL finished in the top-3 in all five relays at the Women’s ACC Championships. Oglesby was also the recipient of the prestigious Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Award. At ACCs for the men, the 400 medley relay team of Mitchell Whyte, Evgenii Somov, Nicholas Albiero, and Andrej Barna earned gold while setting a new ACC Meet Record. The 800 freestyle relay quartet of Albiero, Colton Paulson, Barna, and Samuel Steele also won, while the 200 and 400 freestyle relays took second. Albiero had himself a meet, winning his third-consecutive 200 butterfly title in 1:38.65 which broke the ACC Meet Record and moved him up to No. 4 all-time in history; he also won the 100 backstroke and was named the All-ACC Academic Swimming & Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Somov defended his 100 breaststroke crown for the third-straight year and made it a sweep after winning the 200 breaststroke as well. Paulson grabbed the gold medal in the 200 freestyle, Haridi Sameh was the runner-up in the 50 freestyle, and Whyte finished second in the 200 backstroke. The Cardinals concluded the season with final rankings of No. 9 for men and No. 16 for women in the CSCAA Poll, had 31 athletes named as All-Americans, and was again selected as a Scholar All-American team.
In a memorable 2018-19, the women finished in fourth place at the NCAA Championship, the highest finish in program history. The Cards earned the program's first-ever team trophy, securing fourth with 235 points. Louisville became the first ACC program in history to have both its men's and women's teams finish in the top five at NCAAs in a single season. Arthur Albiero earned his second straight ACC Women's Swimming Coach of the Year honors and Mallory Comerford collected her third consecutive ACC Women's Swimmer of the Year honor after winning two titles at the NCAA Championship and three ACC Championship gold medals (100, 200, and 500 freestyle).Grace Oglesby won gold in the 200 fly and 400 Freestyle Relay of Lainey Visscher, Mallory Comerford, Casey Fanz, and Arina Openysheva took gold. With the award, Comerford became the first women's swimmer in ACC history to receive the distinction three times throughout her career.The men made history was made at the NCAA Championship as the Cardinals captured a program-record fifth place finish. The Cardinals' 212 points were also the most scored by a Louisville men's team at an NCAA Championship. The Cards became the first ACC program in history to have both its men's and women's teams finish in the top five at NCAAs in a single season. As a team, the men finished second at the ACC Championship for the fifth straight year. They concluded the dual meet season with a record of 5-4 with wins over Xavier, Tennessee, Virginia, Northwestern, and Missouri. Louisville was tabbed at No. 8 in the final CSCAA/TYR Poll. The Cardinals won five individual titles at the ACC Championship. Nicolas Albiero (200 fly) and Evgenii Somov (100 breast) won their second consecutive ACC championship, while freshman Bartosz Piszczorowicz won the 200 free crown. The Cards’ 800 free and 400 free relays also took home the gold.
In 2017-18, major awards during the collegiate season began when Nick Albiero was named ACC Freshman of the Year with Mallory Comerford winning ACC Swimmer of the Year, and newcomer Mariia Ashtashkina being named ACC Freshman of the Year for the women. In all, 24 Cardinals were named to the All-ACC team. At NCAAs, the Cardinals raked in the honors led by Nick Albiero (4x All-American), Zach Harting (3x All-American), Andrej Barna (3x All-American), Sam Steele, (All-American), Carlos Claverie (2x All-American), Evgenii Somov (All-American), Marcelo Acosta (All-American). (Harting, Albiero, Barna, Matyi Kovacs, Acosta, Carlos all earned HM All Americans status as well. On the women’s side, Sophie Cattermole (All-American), Mallory Comerford (6x All-American), Arina Openysheva (2x All-American) Lainey Visscher, (3x All-American), Avery Braunecker (All-American), Casey Fanz (2x All-American), Alina Kendzior (2x All-American) and Mariia Astashkina (2x All-American).
At the 2018 ACC Championships, Evgenii Somov and Nick Albiero were both two-time ACC Champions. The 200 Men's Medley relay (Albiero, Harting, Claverie, Barna) also won gold at the ACC Championships in Greensboro. For the women, Mallory Comerford was a four time ACC Champion alsong with Grace Oglesby, a two-time ACC Champion; and Mariia Astashkina, an individual ACC Champion. The 400 Medley Relay team of Kendzior, Oglesby, Friesen, and Comerford won ACC Gold.
Albiero coached his fourth NCAA Champion when Mallory Comerford won the 200 free.
The year 2016-17 brought the Cardinals to the forefront on both the national and international stage. Breakout star Mallory Comerford won five gold medals at the 2017 FINA World Championships, was the champion in the 100m free at 2017 Phillips 66 Nationals and tied for the 2017 NCAA title in the 200y free with Katie Ledecky. The Cardinals men’s team set 11 school records and finished second at the ACC Championship. The women’s team finished third in the ACC. In the NCAAs, the UofL men had 10 swimmers qualify in addition to qualifying for all five relays. The women qualified eight swimmers and all five relays as well. Women's Swimming led the nation in All-Americans with 11, finishing sixth overall to tie the school record for highest finish. The men finished 11th at the NCAAs with eight All-Americans. Andrea Cottrell and Zach Harting were named to Team USA and represented the Cards at the World University Games. On the international stage, UofL sent 10 swimmers and four coaches to the World Championships in Budapest where they won 11 medals (nine gold and two bronze) which was the third most medals in the NCAA. The Cardinals were a part of nine championship final appearances, helped set eight American Records and four World Records. Albiero was named Team USA Coach for the 2016 Short Course World Championships and the 2017 FINA World Championship. Polyakov was a member of the coaching staff for Russia in Budapest.
The year 2015-16 season saw the Cardinals win two more NCAA Championships with Kelsi Worrell picking up two more in the butterfly events. Worrell went on to make the Olympic team and win a relay gold medal after winning the Honda Award and being named as a First Team Academic All-American. She was named both the ACC Swimmer of the Year, and the 2016 Most Valuable Swimmer. In all, seven Cardinals went to Rio (Joao De Lucca, Andrea Kneppers, Tanja Kylliainen, Marcelo Acosta, Carlos Claverie, Grigory Tarasevich and Worrell). The men were the ACC Runners-up and the women were fourth. At NCAAs, the Cardinal men were 11th and the women placed eighth.
The year 2014-15 was a breakout year for the Cardinals. Polyakov helped coach the Cards to two NCAA championships, 10 ACC Gold Medals, guided a total of 14 Cardinals to All-American status, and 17 to All-ACC honors. The Cardinal men were 2nd at ACCs and the women were fourth prior to the Cardinal women finishing a school record No. 6 at NCAAs and the men finishing No. 15 in a true team effort. The Cardinals won five Pan American Medals, won two USA National Championships and put five swimmers in the FINA World Championships and two at the World University Games.
In 2013-14, he helped coach the Cards to a No. 11 NCAA finish along with two more national championships as De Lucca hit the wall first in both the 100 and 200 freestyle. Caryle Blondell, Thomas Dahlia, and Trevor Carroll joined De Lucca as All Americans. The Cardinal men also won the inaugural American Conference Championship.
In 2012-13, Polyakov was on the staff that helped coach the Cardinal women to their third straight BIG EAST Championship. Coming off that meet, the women sent five women as individuals and with all five relays qualifying boosted the NCAA Roster to a total of nine with the relay swimmers. Two individual swimmers made the A-finals and achieved All-American status. The men sent three individuals and also added four more as relay swimmers. Joao De Lucca became the second Cardinal in history to win an NCAA Championship, when he took the 200-free from lane one in a 1:33.49, the third fastest time in the history of the NCAA meet. De Lucca was third in the 100-free and 13th in the 50-free. Caryle Blondell was an honorable mention All-American, finishing 14th in the 100-free. The 400-free relay team that finished fourth made three additional swimmers All-Americans.
Prior to coming to Louisville, Polyakov amassed extensive international experience and gathered a laundry list of accomplishments in collegiate and professional swimming. A 2007 graduate of the University of Alabama, Polyakov swam for the Crimson Tide from 2003-2007. After graduating in 2007, Polyakov spent the last five years in the professional ranks competing.
While at Alabama, where Albiero was on the Alabama swim coaching staff at the time, Polyakov was a 5-time SEC Champion, 2-time NCAA Champion, and 2-time US National Champion
In 2005 and 2006, he was the 100- and 200- breaststroke champion in the SEC. Again in 2007, Polyakov won the100-breaststroke in the SEC. He is the school record holder in both the 100- and 200-breaststrokes for the Crimson Tide. Polyakov holds the record in the 200-breaststroke for the Southeastern Conference. He was the runner up at the 2003 and 2006 NCAA Championships in the 200-breaststroke. In 2005 and 2007, he was the 200-breaststroke NCAA Breaststroke Champion. For all of his accomplishments and honors as a swimmer for the Crimson Tide, he was named to the Alabama Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame.
“I am thrilled to rejoin with Arthur and look forward to this incredible opportunity,” said Polyakov. “We have always had a great level of understanding and respect for each other. I’ve always appreciated his professional attitude and individual approach towards his athletes. What he has been able to accomplish here at Louisville within such short period of time, really tells you a lot about this organization and its vision.”
Polyakov accumulated just as many honors as a student while at the University of Alabama. In 2002 and 2003 he was named to the Alabama President’s List. From 2002-2007 he was named to the Alabama Dean’s List. Polyakov was named Academic All-SEC four times and was also a four-time Coaches Association Academic All-American. In 2005, 2006, and 2007 he was named to the ESPN Academic All-American At-Large Team. He was given an Individual Academic All-American Award by the CSCAA in 2005. Polyakov was given the “Most Valuable” Award for Most Dedicated Student-Athlete of the Year in 2005 and 2006. During the 2006 season Polyakov was named the SEC Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year and also received the Coaches Award from the Crimson Tide team.
During his time at Alabama and after Polyakov took his talents to the international and then the professional ranks. He was a three-time Olympian having swam in the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and most recently the 2012 Olympics in London for his native Kazakhstan. In 2004, he was a finalist in the 100m breaststroke and 200m breaststroke. In other international competition, Polyakov was a 2004 FINA World Championship Bronze medalist in the 100m and 200m breaststrokes and then in 2006 he was a FINA World Championship Gold medalist in the 200m breaststroke
“It is a true honor to be a part of a program that has shown consistent record of success in the past years, both academically and athletically,” said Polyakov. “I think that the sky is the limit for this program.”
Vlad and his wife Mhyria, a former All-American swimmer from the University of Georgia, reside in Louisville. They have a son, Liam.
Arthur Albiero Swim & Dive Press Conference 02.12.25
Friday, May 16
NCAA Diving Zones - Zone C Day 3
Saturday, March 16
NCAA Diving Zones - Zone C Day 2
Friday, March 15
NCAA Diving Zones - Zone C Day 1
Thursday, March 14
