Preview: Oakland Powers Seek 4-Peats
March 10, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Only one Lower Peninsula boys swimming & diving program has won at least four straight MHSAA Finals championships over the last two decades.
Birmingham Brother Rice in Division 1 and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood in Division 3 have the opportunity this weekend to join the Saline teams from 2010-13 in building such a remarkable streak.
Both the Warriors and Cranes are going for their fourth straight MHSAA titles as action begins both Friday (preliminaries) and Saturday at noon at three sites. See below for team favorites and top individuals to watch at all three meets.
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 and below for direct links to broadcasts of all three meets.
Division 1 - Division 2 - Division 3
LP Division 1 at Oakland University
Top-ranked Birmingham Brother Rice has won the last three Division 1 titles, but this isn’t necessarily a one-team race. The Warriors have two top seeds, but only 13 other entries seeded to score among the top 16. Second-ranked Skyline, the 2015 runner-up in Division 2, is seeking its first championship and has 17 top-16 seeds and a strong diver. Saline and Novi tied for third in the final state ranking and should be in the mix, Saline with 12 seeded to score and Novi with 14 and a diver.
Spencer Carl, Holland West Ottawa senior – The reigning champion in the butterfly and 200-yard freestyle is expected to close his career with at least one more title; he’s seeded first in the 200 (1:39.77) and second in the 500 (4:37.67.) and is expected to swim on two top-five seeded relays.
Jonathan Lee, Detroit Catholic Central junior – He moved up from 13th in the breaststroke as a freshman to fourth last season and also took sixth in the individual medley; he’s seeded only ninth in the IM (1:56.43) but first in the breaststroke (56.54).
Alex Margherio, Birmingham Brother Rice junior – Margherio was part of Finals champions last season in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays, and he also took second in the butterfly and third in the backstroke. Both relays are seeded among the top five and the medley (1:33.26) has the top seed, and individually Margherio is seeded second in the butterfly (50.17) and first in the backstroke (50.97).
Camden Murphy, Novi senior – One of the most highly-regarded swimmers his age in the country, Murphy decided to swim for his high school team as a senior and has the top seed time in the IM (1:49.10) by nearly three seconds and the top butterfly seed time (47.94) by more than two; his butterfly time would break the LP Division 1 Finals record and approach the all-Finals record of 47.51. He could also swim on any of three top-five relays.
Benjamin Rojewski, Livonia Stevenson sophomore – He placed seventh in the 500 last season as a freshman, but carries the top seed in that race (4:36.49) by more than a second and is seeded fifth in the 200 freestyle (1:42.94).
Henry Schutte, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central sophomore – He took second in both the 50 and 100 freestyles last season as a freshman, and enters this weekend with the top 50 seed (20.87) and third-fastest in the 100 (46.36).
Gabriel Trevino, Zeeland senior –
After taking fifth in the 50 and 100 last season as a junior, he’s seeded second in the 50 (20.95) and first in the 100 (46.09) and could also swim on any of three qualified relays.
LP Division 2 at Eastern Michigan University
Top-ranked Ann Arbor Huron has four MHSAA titles during a highly-regarded history, but is seeking its first since winning Division 1 in 2008. The River Rats were 10th in Division 1 last season and have 12 individuals and all three relays seeded to score. Dexter is the reigning champion and has won this division two of the last five seasons; it also has 12 individuals and all three relays in scoring position. Groves is tied with Dexter for the No. 2 ranking and finished fifth a year ago. It has 11 individual seeds among the top 16 and also all three relays in position to score, plus a diver competing.
Alexander Capizzo, Fraser freshman – At his first Finals, Capizzo enters with the fastest seed in the 500 (4:32.05) by more than three seconds and third-fastest in the IM (1:55.80).
Niklas Eberly, Dexter sophomore – After finishing 16th in the 200 freestyle and seventh in the 500 last season for Pinckney, he enters this weekend seeded first in the butterfly (51.32) and sixth in the 200 freestyle (1:45.11) and potentially part of any of three top-six relays.
Noah Frassrand, Ann Arbor Huron senior – He finished seventh in the IM and 10th in the breaststroke in Division 1 last season for Ann Arbor Pioneer, and enters this Division 2 Finals fourth in the breaststroke (59.01) and top-seeded in the IM (1:54.43) and as part of two top-seven relays.
Jacob Krzciok, Midland Dow junior – He’s back after finishing 10th in the 100 freestyle and swimming on three top-nine relays in 2016, and he’ll have a chance to contribute even more seeded first in the 50 (20.89) and second in the 100 (46.51) while possibly swimming on any of three top-11 relays.
Ryan Lawrence, Birmingham Seaholm senior – He was part of championship 200 and 400 freestyle relays last season and also took second in the 100 freestyle and 10th in the backstroke. This weekend, he’s seeded second in the 50 (21.14), first in the 100 free (46.49) and those two relays also are seeded first at 1:27.49 and 3:13.24, respectively.
Zach Milke, Warren DeLaSalle junior – In addition to finishing third in the backstroke and eighth in the IM last season, Milke was part of the champion medley relay and third-place 400 relay. He’s seeded third in the 50 (21.23) and first in the backstroke (50.88) this time, and that medley relay (1:36.74) is seeded first while the 400 is seeded second (3:13.53).
Graham Miotke, Rochester Adams junior – The reigning champion in the 500 also took fourth in the 200 last season and finds himself seeded second in both races with a 1:43.41 in the 200 and 4:35.29 in the 500.
Patrick Seidel, Birmingham Groves junior – He’s expected to take another jump after finishing sixth in the breaststroke and 11th in the IM last season; he’s seeded first in the breaststroke (58.78) and sixth in the IM (1:58.48) and could swim on two top-seven relays.
David Turner, Pinckney senior – He’s looking at a strong finish to his career after taking ninth in the 200 freestyle and 11th in the 100 last winter. Turner is seeded first in the 200 (1:43.34) and third in the 100 (46.89).
LP Division 3 at Holland Aquatic Center
After trailing East Grand Rapids in the first three state rankings this season, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood grabbed a tie for the top spot with the Pioneers in the final listing as the Cranes go for a fourth straight championship. They have all three relays and 14 individuals with top-16 seeds. East Grand Rapids, last season’s runner-up, has only three relays and nine individual entries seeded to score, but also the reigning diving champion and another contender in that event. Chelsea finished runner-up in both 2014 and 2015 and has three relays and 11 individual entries among the top 16 seeds in those events, including three top seeds and two second seeds.
Rudy Aguilar, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep senior – He’s looking to add to the relay championship he won for Brother Rice as a sophomore, and is favored as the top seed in the 100 freestyle (45.71) and 200 freestyle (1:39.93). He finished second in the 100 and fourth in the backstroke for Notre Dame Prep last season.
Christian Bart, East Grand Rapids junior – He added a championship in the IM and runner-up finish in the breaststroke to two second places as a freshman; this weekend he’s seeded first in the breaststroke (57.17) and second in the 50 (21.18) with spots on two top-seven relays as well.
Skyler Cook-Weeks, Holland Christian junior – Cook-Weeks made good on his top seed in the 500 last season with the title and finished second in the 200 as well; he’s seeded first in the 500 again (4:33.98) and second to Aguilar in the 200 (1:40.67) while swimming on possibly any of three top-six relays. The 400 freestyle relay is seeded first (3:10.63) by nearly a second.
Joey Mangner, Chelsea senior – The 2015 champion in the 50 false-started in the Final last season but did finish fourth in the 100 and anchored the champion medley relay. He’s seeded first in the 50 (20.78) with a time that would tie the meet record, and second to Aguilar in the 100 (46.50) while possibly swimming on the top-seeded 200 freestyle (1:26.86), second-seeded 400 freestyle (3:11.41) or top-seeded medley (1:35.59) relays.
Luke Mason, Holland Christian junior – He enters this weekend seeded second to Cook-Weeks in the 500 (4:44.17) and first in the IM (1:56.26) and potentially could swim on any of three top-six relays as well.
Ben Puglessi, Grand Rapids Catholic Central junior – After finishing seventh in the 200 freestyle and 10th in the backstroke as a sophomore, Puglessi enters as the third seed in the 200 (1:44.73) and second in the butterfly (51.29).
Riley VanMeter, Holland Christian sophomore – VanMeter carries the top seed in the butterfly (51.15) and backstroke (52.65) into this Finals and likely will swim on at least one of those highly-seeded relays as well.
Grant Williams, East Grand Rapids senior – After jumping from 16th in diving as a sophomore to win the championship last winter, he enters this weekend after finishing second at his Regional (448.85) 10.5 points back of Hamilton senior Nolan DeJonge.
PHOTO: Swimmers launch last season at the start of the 400-yard freestyle relay at the LP Division 3 Finals. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Performance: Chelsea's Joey Mangner
March 4, 2017
Joey Mangner
Chelsea senior - Swimming & Diving
Chelsea’s standout senior will next weekend cap a career that’s seen him win two MHSAA championships – with an opportunity to at least double that total in his final meet. Mangner swam the fastest 50-yard freestyle time in Michigan this winter (20.78 seconds) to win the race at Saturday’s Southeastern Conference White championship meet and was part of three more victories and four school records total to earn the Michigan Army National Guard’s “Performance of the Week.”
Mangner also won the 100 freestyle (46.50) and swam on winning 200 medley (1:35.59) and 400 freestyle (3:12.10) relays as Chelsea finished second to Dexter, the reigning MHSAA champion in Lower Peninsula Division 2. Chelsea is ranked No. 3 in LPD3 and finished third last season, and Mangner has played a significant part in helping the program rise over his four seasons. He’s an eight-time conference champion and as a freshman helped the Bulldogs to their first league title since 1995. He’s an 11-time all-stater, with individual titles in the 50 as a sophomore and as anchor of the medley relay last season. He’s also earned All-America status in both of those events and is part of five Chelsea pool records in addition to the four school bests.
But Mangner still has plenty he’d like to achieve next weekend at the Holland Aquatic Center. In addition to team goals, he’s focused again on his best event – Mangner was disqualified from the 50 last season for a false start and after entering the championship heat as the top seed, and his time from Saturday’s SEC meet would tie the LPD3 Finals record. He intends to swim collegiately next season and likely will choose between Oakland University and University at Buffalo, with a course of study to be determined.
Coach Dave Jolly said: “Joey is an extremely gifted young man. He has the ability to do some of the most amazing things in the water. What is even more special is how humble he has stayed throughout all his acclaim. He is all about his team and watching them all be successful. It has been a true honor and privilege to have had the opportunity to work with him over these past four years.”
Performance Point: “Out biggest rival was Dexter, in conference at least, and we knew they had a lot more depth than us, a lot more people, and we knew it would be hard to compete team-wise and scoring wise,” Mangner said of the league meet. “Going especially into my senior year, with all the other seniors, we wanted to do the best we could. It’s probably one of my favorite meets. At the state meet level it’s more about being super serious, super on. This (league meet), being at home, knowing the teams close to us, it’s more of a fun meet, for me at least. I was trying to have as much fun as I could have with it and finish off the league as best I could.”
Redemption: “When I think about last year, there was a lot of pressure on me. I had won the 50 (as) a sophomore, and coming back junior year as the defending champ, I had all the pressure. I was seeded first, and everyone was kinda expecting me to win, and then that (false start) happened. Going into this year, I can’t do anything that isn’t better than last year, and that takes a little weight off my shoulders.”
Chelsea’s climb: “It just shows if you just try hard, try your best at something, you can do whatever you want to achieve. In the offseason, I didn’t swim as much as other guys did – I still practiced, but I didn’t go to every single meet – so it’s just exciting to be one of the better swimmers to come out of Chelsea.”
Play them all: “I did water polo all four years as well, and I tried track my sophomore year but I didn’t like that too much. (But) I like to play pretty much any sport. If basketball season wasn’t the same as swim season, I definitely would’ve given basketball a try, and I also think baseball is fun.”
Dream Finals finish: “It definitely would be fun to win the medley again. Coming back from last year, I’d hopefully love to be champion in the 50 free. I’m looking at the 100 (free) more so for getting the varsity record; I’m not too worried what place I get in the 100. One of our relays, the 200 or 400 free, we’re going to stack on them and go for a state (LP Division 3) record. For the 50 I’ve tied the D3 record, so I would love to get that.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2016-17 school year, Second Half and the Michigan National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2016-17 honorees:
Feb. 23: Isabelle Nguyen, Grosse Pointe North gymnastics – Read
Feb. 16: Dakota Hurbis, Saline swimming & diving – Read
Feb. 2: Foster Loyer, Clarkston basketball – Read
Jan. 26: Nick Jenkins, Detroit Catholic Central wrestling – Read
Jan. 19: Eileene Naniseni, Mancelona basketball – Read
Jan. 12: Rory Anderson, Calumet hockey – Read
Dec. 15: Demetri Martin, Big Rapids basketball – Read
Dec. 1: Rodney Hall, Detroit Cass Tech football – Read
Nov. 24: Ally Cummings, Novi volleyball – Read
Nov. 17: Chloe Idoni, Fenton volleyball – Read
Nov. 10: Adelyn Ackley, Hart cross country – Read
Nov. 3: Casey Kirkbride, Mattawan soccer – Read
Oct. 27: Colton Yesney, Negaunee cross country – Read
Oct. 20: Varun Shanker, Midland Dow tennis – Read
Oct. 13: Anne Forsyth, Ann Arbor Pioneer cross country – Read
Oct. 6: Shuaib Aljabaly, Coldwater cross country – Read
Sept. 29: Taylor Seaman, Brighton swimming & diving – Read
Sept. 22: Maggie Farrell, Battle Creek Lakeview cross country – Read
Sept. 15: Franki Strefling, Buchanan volleyball – Read
Sept. 8: Noah Jacobs, Corunna cross country – Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Chelsea's Joey Mangner celebrates finishing first in the 50 freestyle at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals in 2015. (Middle) Mangner prepares to launch for the final leg of the 200 medley relay at last season's Finals. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)