Preview: Champions Back for More
March 12, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
An accomplished group of athletes should bring plenty of flash to this weekend’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Swimming and Diving Finals.
Nine have their names attached to at least one MHSAA Finals record, while 17 have stood on the top step of the champions podium for winning at least one individual or relay event over the last three seasons.
See below for team favorites and top individuals to watch at all three meets. Preliminaries are Friday, with championship races and diving Saturday. All three Finals also will be streamed live and can be watched with subscription on MHSAA.TV.
Click for lineups and seed times for all three meets.
Division 1 at Eastern Michigan University
Team contenders: Reigning champion Birmingham Brother Rice is again the top-ranked team after winning last season’s championship by an incredible 143 points. The Warriors have 16 individuals seeded to score among the top 16 places, plus all three relays including the top-seeded in the 400-yard freestyle. Seniors Gust Kouvaris and Mark Blinstrub have been major contributors most of their high school careers, while sophomore Rudy Aguilar owns a top individual seed and swims relays as well. Holland West Ottawa, last season’s third-place finisher, has 10 individuals seeded to score plus all three relays – and eight of those 13 are seeded first or second in their events, with senior Tabahn Afrik and sophomore Spencer Carl expected to score big points. Ann Arbor Pioneer will try to move up from fourth last season and could make some waves with all three relays seeded fourth or higher.
Tabahn Afrik, Holland West Ottawa senior – Owns the LP Division 1 Final record in the 100 freestyle of 43.9 seconds and has the fastest seed time this winter of 44.15 – and could make a run at the all-Finals record of 43.73 swam by Battle Creek Lakeview’s Clay Youngquist in 2011. Afrik also is the reigning 200 freestyle champion but will instead swim the 50, in which he’s seeded second (20.51) and set the Finals record last season leading off his relay.
Rudy Aguilar, Birmingham Brother Rice sophomore – Returns after a solid eighth in the 500 and seventh in the 200 freestyle as a freshman. He’s seeded first in the 500 (4:36.63) and sixth in the 200 (1:43.26) this weekend.
Will Brenner, Ann Arbor Huron senior – One of the rare athletes who both swims and dives, he finished sixth in the 50 freestyle and third in diving last season and should contend in both. His 20.37 qualifying time in the 50 is only one tenth of a second off the LP Division 1 record.
Spencer Carl, Holland West Ottawa sophomore – Holds second seeds in both the butterfly (50.49) and 200 freestyle (1:41.31) after finishing 11th in the butterfly last season.
Devon Nowicki, Lake Orion senior – Finished sixth in the 500 freestyle and ninth in the 200 last season, but will swim the butterfly and breaststroke this weekend and has the top seed times in both – 49.93 and 54.31, respectively. His breaststroke time would set an all-Finals record by one second.
Jack Walsh, Detroit Catholic Central senior – Owns the top seeds in both the backstroke (49.52) and 200 individual medley (1:50.02) after winning the backstroke and finishing second in the IM in 2014.
Kai Williams, Ann Arbor Pioneer senior – Owns the top seed time in the 200 freestyle (1:39.05) and third-fastest in the butterfly (50.72). He finished fourth in the butterfly last season.
Jack Herremans, Rockford junior – Posted the top Regional score of 537.25 as the reigning Division 1 Finals champion. He scored 458.00 to claim last season’s title and could make a run at the LPD1 meet record of 494.40.
Birmingham Brother Rice 400 freestyle relay – This was one of the few events Saline didn’t win when it dominated the 2013 Final, and the Warriors are going for a third straight victory with both Kouvaris and Blinstrub swimming and second straight with junior Bobby Powrie as a contributor. Aguilar fills the fourth spot.
Division 2 at Holland Aquatic Center
Team contenders: Like Brother Rice in Division 1, Birmingham Seaholm won last year’s title by a significant margin (154.5 points) and is ranked No. 1 again. All three relays are seeded first, to go with 15 individual cuts seeded to score and the top-scoring diver at Regionals, junior Sebastian Fay. Ann Arbor Skyline is expected to move up from sixth last season on the strength of three relays and 16 individual seeds in scoring position, including two top seeds. Dexter was last season’s runner-up and also has all three relays seeded among the top eight in their races, plus a top-seeded individual.
Nate Kozycki, Grand Rapids Northview senior – Enters with the top seed time in the butterfly (51.34) and 11th-fastest in the backstroke (54.81) after finishing eighth in the individual medley and 10th in the butterfly in 2014.
Jacob Montague, Grosse Pointe South junior – Expected to turn a third in the IM and fifth in the breaststroke at last season’s Finals into championships this weekend. Montague has the fastest seeds in both the IM (1:53.06) and breaststroke (57.41).
Nehemiah Mork, Midland Dow junior – Posted the fastest seed times in the 50 freestyle (20.93) and 100 (46.34) after finishing fourth in the 50 and tying for second in the 100 last season.
Matt Orringer, Ann Arbor Skyline senior – Another two-event placer in 2014, he hopes to improve on his sixth in the IM and fifth in the 500. He’s seeded second in the IM (1:53.85) and first in the 500 (4:37.45).
Jack Russell, Birmingham Seaholm senior – Won the 200 individual medley last season and finished 10th in the 500 freestyle. He’s seeded sixth in the IM (1:57.61) and fifth in the breaststroke (58.81) and could be part of two more record-setting relays (see below).
Ryan Vander Meulen, Ann Arbor Skyline junior – Finished second in the 500 and fifth in the 200 freestyles last year, but enters with the top seed in the 200 (1:44.45) and will swim the 100 – where he’s seeded second (1:44.45) behind Mork.
John Vann, Battle Creek Lakeview senior – The two-time butterfly champion also took second in the 200 freestyle last season and is seeded second in both races this weekend. He’s just behind Kozycki in the butterfly (51.58) and Vander Meulen in the 200 (1:44.82).
Robbie Zofchak, Dexter junior – Finished second in the backstroke and individual medley last season after swimming the fastest IM preliminary time. He enters Friday seeded first in the backstroke (51.61) and third in the IM (1:54.13) behind Montague and Orringer.
Birmingham Seaholm 200 medley relay – Seniors Evan Burke, Russell and Nick Ross and junior Len Ciemniecki have the top seed time of 1:34.98 and could make a run on the record time of 1:33.41 set by Burke, Russell and two other teammates last season.
Birmingham Seaholm 200 freestyle relay – Seniors Enrique Hernandez and Russell and juniors Ciemniecki and Liam Little enter with a seed time of 1:25.30 – 64 hundredths of a second off the LPD2 meet record. Hernandez was part of last year’s champion in this race.
Division 3 at Oakland University
Team contenders: Top-ranked Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood won its first MHSAA team title last season after finishing runner-up in 2013, and enters with all three relays and 18 individual seeds in scoring position – including three top-seeded swimmers and one top relay. Chelsea, last season’s runner-up by only 26.67 points, has three relays and 15 individuals seeded to score, plus three contenders in diving. Chelsea is seeking its first MHSAA title, while East Grand Rapids has won 25 – most recently in 2013. The Pioneers were third last season, just 41.17 points off the lead, and should again have all three relays in contention, along with 11 individuals seeded to score.
Mitch Buccalo, Cranbrook Kingswood senior – Reigning champion in the individual medley is seeded first in that event (1:55.93). He also finished fifth in the backstroke last year, but instead will swim the butterfly and is seeded fourth (52.30).
Logan Carson, Bay City John Glenn senior – Enters seeded first in the 50 freestyle (21.59) and second in the 100 (47.81) after finishing fifth in the 50 and 12th in the 100 a year ago.
Skyler Cook-Weeks, Holland Christian freshman – Reigning 500 champ Parker Cook-Weeks graduated, but little brother Skyler has the top seed in the (4:46.14) and sixth seed in the 200 freestyle (1:47.79).
Giorgio DelGrosso, Cranbrook-Kingswood junior – Last season’s third-place finisher in the breaststroke and 10th-placer in the IM should earn even more points for the Cranes; he enters seeded first in the breaststroke (58.68) and fifth in the IM (2:00.76).
Brendan Gatward, Detroit Country Day junior – His seeds of seventh in the IM (2:03.67) and sixth in backstroke (54.22) might appear in the middle of a group of contenders. But Gatward is the reigning backstroke champion and took fourth in the IM in 2014.
Andrew Guan, Cranbrook-Kingswood junior – Should also be a big contributor again after finishing second in the butterfly and seventh in the 200 freestyle last season. Guan is seeded first in the 200 (1:42.48) and fifth in the butterfly (52.38).
Andy MacGregor, East Grand Rapids junior – More a distance swimmer at last season’s Finals, he finished fifth in the 500 and third in the 200 freestyles. He’s seeded second in the 200 (1:43.57) behind only Guan and owns the top seed in the 100 freestyle (47.47).
Alec Nyboer, Hamilton junior – Reigning butterfly champion is seeded first in that race (50.21), but also will try to move up from seventh last year in the backstroke; he’s seeded second (52.28) in that event.
Joey Puglessi, Grand Rapids Catholic Central junior – Won the backstroke in 2013 as a freshman but didn’t compete at last season’s Final; his seed time of 52.19 would beat the LPD3 Finals record set in 2009. Puglessi also is seeded sixth in the 200 IM (2:02.62).
Jacob Burris, Chelsea senior – Seeking repeat in diving after winning last season by 31.05 points with two-time champion Henry Swett of Marshall also in that field. Burris posted the top Division 3 Regional score this season of 513.40.
PHOTO: Swimmers launch during an event at last season’s LP Division 3 Finals.
Boys Swimming and Diving: Finals Primer
March 8, 2012
Swim coaches, more than those for any sport, have an ability to predict how a meet will end long before their athletes take to the water.
If those coaches are right this season, Saline and Birmingham Seaholm will repeat as MHSAA Lower Peninsula Swimming and Diving champions this weekend in Divisions 1 and 2, respectively. And Grand Rapids Christian will win its first MHSAA championship, claiming Division 3.
Eastern Michigan University will host this season’s Division 1 Final, with Division 2 at the Holland Aquatics Center and Division 3 at Oakland University. Preliminaries are Friday and championships will be decided Saturday.
Tickets cost $8, and competition begins at noon both days. Saturday’s championship races will be streamed live at FoxSportsDetroit.com and MHSAA.tv. Click for a full schedule and lists of qualifiers, their seed times and diving orders.
Predictions obviously don’t always come true. But here are some the teams, relays and individuals who could make the biggest waves:
You’ll recognize these contenders
Division 1: Saline and Rockford have remained unchanged in the top two spots of the coaches poll all season long, with Ann Arbor Pioneer and Birmingham Brother Rice taking turns in the third spot. Saline has dominated the last two MHSAA Division 1 championships – with Pioneer as runner-up both times. Rockford is seeking its first title since 2001. The Rams finished third last season.
Division 2: The top four in every coaches poll this season has read 1. Birmingham Seaholm, 2. Dexter, 3. Birmingham Groves, 4. Holland. Seaholm beat Groves by eight and Dexter by 30 last season. Seaholm has 40 swimming cuts (not counting relays) this time; Dexter has 26.
Division 3: Reigning champions Hamilton and East Grand Rapids have alternated winning this division since the MHSAA went from two to three five seasons ago. But Grand Rapids Christian is attempting to break that hold after finishing third, fifth and sixth the last three seasons, respectively. St. Joseph has big points potential from a couple of standouts, but might not have enough throughout the line-up to push the big three.
Pass the baton
Keep an eye on these relays, which all could post significant finishes Saturday:
Saline’s 400-yard freestyle relay: Saline would need to cut 4.53 seconds from its seed time to equal last season’s all-Finals record of 3:04.83. But this season’s top time of 3:09.36 is nearly two seconds better than the field, and seniors James Fisher and juniors David Boland and Adam Whitener all were on that record-setting team in 2011.
Birmingham Groves’ 400 freestyle relay: Groves has swum 3:12.79, 7.16 seconds off its Division 2 record pace from last season. However, seniors Scott Crosthwaite, Noah Zamler and Steven Curry all were on that record setter and are back in the line-up.
Grand Rapids Christian’s 200 freestyle relay: The Eagles will try to win one of the best races of the day in any division. Grand Rapids Christian has posted a top time of 1:27.95. Hamilton set the Division 3 record last season with a 1:26.10 and has a top time this season of 1:28.60. But Hamilton also has three swimmers back from that record-setting relay – seniors Joey DeGood and Ryan Hagen and junior Zach Lepird.
Athletes to Watch
David Boland, Saline junior – He could add fifth and sixth individual MHSAA championships to his list this weekend after winning both the individual medley and butterfly as both a freshman and sophomore. He’s also the Division 1 Final record holder in both races and as part of the 400 relay. His 400 and 200 relays won championships as well last season.
Ben Carter, St. Joseph freshman – The first-year phenom is seeded first in two Division 3 races – the 50 (21.58) and 100 freestyles (47.79), with healthy edges in both. He also will swim on three relays expected to score, including two contenders.
Eric Chisholm, Rockford senior – He’s looking to finish his high school career as the elite sprinter in Division 1. He won the 50 freestyle last season and his top time this winter of 20.59 seconds is a second better than both his winning time last season and the best times from the rest of the field. Chisholm also has the second-fastest 100 freestyle time (46.84) and will swim on three relays expected to contend.
Daniel Gironza, South Lyon senior – Based on Regional score, he’s the heavy Division 1 favorite after finishing seventh at the 2011 Final. Gironza’s score Tuesday of 490.55 was 89 points better than that of any other Division 1 diver.
Jackson Goethe, Midland Dow junior – He’s got the top-seeded Division 2 time in the 50 (21.43) and 100 freestyles (46.82), the latter by more than a second. He’ll swim on all three Dow relays, including two that should be in the running for first.
Matt Hooper, East Grand Rapids junior – The reigning Division 3 breaststroke champion has the top seed time in that race (57.77), which would be good enough to set a Division 3 record. Hooper also is seeded third in the IM (1:58.40) and will swim on two relays – including the reigning champion in the 200 medley.
Brennan LaBar, St. Johns junior – He won the Division 2 diving championship last season and won his Regional on Tuesday with a score of 451.50. But he’ll have to hold off Highland-Milford’s Scott Jessup, also a Regional champion with a score of 461.85.
Ben Martin, Midland Dow junior – His 200 individual medley seed time (1:54.77) is 2.2 seconds better than the rest of the Division 2 field, and his 100 butterfly time of 52.69 is a half-second better than the rest. Like teammate Goethe, he’ll also swim on all three relays.
Christian Mellos, Grosse Pointe North senior – After finishing seventh in the individual medley and fifth in the breaststroke last season, Mellos brings in the top Division 2 seed time in the latter (58.46) and the third-best (1:57.44) in the IM. He’ll also swim on two relays – one expected to contend and the other expected to push for a spot in the top heat.
Aaron Moyer, St. Joseph senior – He’s favored heavily to win his third-straight Division 3 championship in the individual medley and has the top seed time (1:56.54) by nearly two seconds. He’s also the top seed in the butterfly (51.99) and, like teammate Carter, will swim on all three relays.
Seiji Osawa, Ann Arbor Pioneer senior – Looking to go out strong after winning the 500 freestyle as a sophomore, Osawa has Division 1’s top seed time in that race (4:41.14) and the second-fastest in the 200 freestyle (1:42.76). He’ll also swim on two relays expected to contend for a spot in the championship heat.
Henk Plaggemars, Haslett senior – He’s taken over for graduated teammate Chris McLauchlan, who finished Division 3 runner-up last season. Plaggemars won his Regional with a score of 417.90, 16 points better than anyone else in his division. He finished sixth at last season’s Final.
Adam Whitener, Saline junior – He won both the 100 and 200 freestyles at last season’s Division 1 meet. And not surprisingly, he’s posted the lowest seed times in both of those races this winter. Whitener also could finish as part of two winning relays for the second straight season.
Victor Zhang, Canton senior – The reigning champion in the 100 backstroke has Division 1’s fastest seed time in both that race (52.04) and the 200 individual medley (1:51.65). In the latter, he’ll likely compete with reigning champion Boland of Saline. Zhang also will swim on two relays.