Preview: Powerful Teams, Potential Record Setters Ready to Set Pace
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 10, 2022
An anticipation of dominance accompanies this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Boys Swimming & Diving Finals.
In Division 1, Ann Arbor Pioneer is loaded with high seeds as it attempts to repeat as champion. A closer team race is expected in Division 2, but Ann Arbor Skyline enters with similar high-seed credentials. And East Grand Rapids is the favorite again in Division 3 as its seeks Finals win No. 27. At least three relay records appear in the running to be broken, and we’ll say good-bye to some accomplished individual standouts including a pair of past champions in Division 3.
Preliminaries at all three Finals sites begin at noon Friday, with swimming and then diving, with Saturday championship events starting at noon. Tickets cost $11 each day and may be purchased for Divisions 2 and 3 exclusively at GoFan. (Division 1 tickets were assigned two per participant.) Both days of all three meets will be streamed live and viewable with subscription on MHSAA.tv.
Here’s a glance at team and individual favorites:
LP Division 1 at Holland Aquatics
Reigning champion: Ann Arbor Pioneer
2021 runner-up: Holland West Ottawa
2022 top-ranked: 1. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 2. Northville, 3. Holland West Ottawa
The Pioneers have been considered the favorites to repeat all season long. They enter this weekend top-seeded in all three relays with five more top seeds over their 20 total individual entries seeded to score. West Ottawa, the 2019 champion, is expected to be back in the mix at the top with all three relays and six individual entries seeded to score. Northville jumped into the second spot in the final coaches association rankings and has a strong case with all three relays and 13 individual entries seeded to score. Pioneer and Northville also both have one diver competing.
Joshua Brunty, Saline senior: The top seed in the 100-yard breaststroke (57.02) also may swim on two top-four seeded relays. He was second in the breaststroke last season and swam on winning and runner-up relays. He also finished 13th in the 50 freestyle and will swim that again this weekend.
Ryan Gurgel, Canton junior: After placing third in the 200 individual medley and ninth in the 100 butterfly in 2021, he enters this weekend the top seed in the 200 freestyle (1:41.96) and seventh in the butterfly.
Ryan Hume, Ann Arbor Pioneer senior: Last season’s champion in the IM and runner-up in the 500 freestyle is the top seed in both at 1:50.92 and 4:33.39, respectively.
Kevin Maas, Holland West Ottawa senior: He won the 50, tied for second in the 100 free and swam on the winning 200 freestyle relay as a junior, and returns this weekend as the second seed in the 50 (21.14) and breaststroke (57.79) while likely also swimming on two of three third-seeded relays.
Gabriel Sanchez-Burks, Ann Arbor Pioneer junior: He competed at last season’s Finals in the 50, finishing 19th in qualifying, but he’s moved all the way up to having the top seed in that race this weekend (21.05) and the eighth seed in the 100.
Fletcher Smith, Huron Valley United senior: The reigning champion in the butterfly and seventh-place finisher in the 200 free, Smith is seeded fourth in the 200 (1:42.85) and third in the butterfly (50.35) this weekend.
Jack VanHowe, Rochester senior: The reigning champ in the backstroke is seeded first in that race (48.62) and third in the 100 free (46.19) after tying with Maas for second in that race a year ago.
Jack Wilkening, Ann Arbor Pioneer senior: He’ll look to build on his third place in the 100 backstroke and seventh place in the 50 from last season entering this weekend as the top seed in the 100 free (45.88) and second seed in the backstroke (49.17).
Robert Yang, Ann Arbor Pioneer senior: He’s the top seed in the butterfly (50.08) and 11th in the 50 and likely to swim on two top-seeded relays after finishing eighth in the butterfly and ninth in the 100 free in 2021.
Ann Arbor Pioneer’s 200 free relay: The expected lineup of Sanchez-Burks, seniors Harrison Sanders and Alex Farmer and Hume have a seed time of 1:23.97 that would rank as fifth-fastest in LPD1 Finals history and is just more than a second off the all-Finals record of 1:22.8 swam by Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice in 1996.
Alex Poulin, Waterford United junior: Last season’s third-place diver won his Regional this time by 80.45 points with the highest score, 469.75, at any Division 1 Regional by 23.45.
LP Division 2 at Oakland University
Reigning champion: Birmingham Seaholm
2021 runner-up: Grosse Pointe South
2022 top-ranked: 1. Ann Arbor Skyline, 2. Grosse Pointe South, 3. Detroit U-D Jesuit
The preseason and midseason rankings both read Jesuit, South, Skyline, respectively, before Skyline jumped to the front heading into this week. Skyline was fourth in Division 2 last season and last won a Finals in 2018 in Division 1. Two of three Eagles relays are top seeded, as are four individual entries, and combined all three relays and 16 individual entries are seeded to score. South has all three relays and 11 individual entries seeded to score, plus the top-scoring diver from Regionals. Jesuit, which finished third last season, has all three relays and 11 individual entries seeded to score. Skyline also has a diver competing.
Christian Bouchillon, Detroit U-D Jesuit senior: He’s the top seed in the backstroke (50.17) and 10th in the IM after finishing 10th in the IM and fourth in the backstroke last season.
Charlie Bruce, Detroit U-D Jesuit senior: He won the 50, finished fourth in the 100 and swam on the winning medley relay in 2021, and enters this weekend seeded second in the butterfly (50.32) and fifth in the 50 (21.38).
Gianni Carlino, Grosse Point North senior: The reigning champion in the 500 is seeded first (4:39.51) in that race and second in the 200 free (1:43.30) after finishing sixth in the 200 last year.
Drew Collins, Detroit U-D Jesuit senior: He’s the reigning champ in the backstroke and was fourth in the 200 free last season. He enters this weekend seeded second in the backstroke (51.02) and fifth in the IM (1:55.67).
Michael Grover, Byron Center senior: The reigning breaststroke champion is seeded first (56.08) in that race and eighth in the IM after taking seventh in the latter last season.
Ben Kurniawan, Ann Arbor Skyline senior: He returns after finishing fifth in both the butterfly and IM in 2021. He’s seeded first in the butterfly (49.50) and second in the IM (1:54.42) with a chance at a pair of relay records as well.
Matthew Lee, Ann Arbor Skyline senior: He’s seeded first in the 50 (20.66) and second in the 100 free (45.61), coming off a 12th in the 50 last season. He also could be part of two record relays.
Evan McKelvey, Ann Arbor Skyline senior: He finished seventh in the 100 and fifth in the 200 as a junior and returns this weekend as the top seeds in both (49.69 and 1:39.77, respectively) and a possible leg of both record-pursuing relays.
Drew Vandeputte, Grosse Point South senior: He finished ninth in the IM and seventh in the breaststroke last season while also swimming on a winning relay. He returns as the top seed in the IM (1:54.30), fifth in the breaststroke (57.34) and as part of a top-seeded medley relay.
Ann Arbor Skyline’s 200 freestyle relay: The expected lineup of McKelvey, junior Jack Staunton, Kurniawan and Lee enters with a seed time of 1:23.69, which would best the LPD2 record by four tenths of a second.
Ann Arbor Skyline’s 400 freestyle relay: McKelvey, freshman Lucas Caswell, Kurniawan and Lee have a seed time of 3:04.36, which would break the LPD2 record by 37 hundredths of a second.
Logan Hepner, Grosse Pointe South junior: Last season’s diving runner-up won his Regional by nearly 55 points with a score of 548.15, the best at any Division 2 Regional by 49.05 points.
LP Division 3 at Calvin University
Reigning champion: East Grand Rapids
2021 runner-up: Holland Christian
2022 top-ranked: 1. East Grand Rapids, 2. Holland Christian, 3. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
East Grand Rapids will look to add to its record 26 Lower Peninsula Finals championships, making the short drive with all three relays and 12 individual entries seeded to score plus the reigning Finals champion diver and another competing. Holland Christian will attempt to take back the top spot after most recently winning back-to-back in 2018-19. The Maroons also have all three relays and 12 individual entries seeded to score, plus two divers competing. Cranbrook most recently won four straight Finals from 2014-17, and finished third last season. The Cranes have all three relays but only seven individual entries seeded to score – although two are top seeds.
Erik Bolang, Pinckney senior: This will be his second Finals as he swam the IM and 500 as a freshman, and Bolang enters this time as the top seed in the IM (1:54.84) and second seed to teammate Tyler Ray in the butterfly (49.66). He’s also slated to swim on the top-seeded medley relay.
Charles Brown, Spring Lake senior: He’s hoping to take the final step after finishing second in both the 50 and butterfly last season. Brown is seeded first in the 50 (20.54) and third in the butterfly (49.68).
Andrew Dobrzanski, Milan senior: The reigning breaststroke and IM champion also won the former as a sophomore and set the LPD3 Finals record in that race of 54.67 last season. This time he is seeded first in the 200 free (1:41.56) and second in the breaststroke (56.26).
Tyler Ray, Pinckney senior: The reigning butterfly champion could double or triple his individual championship number as the top seed in both that race (48.89) and the backstroke (50.34). He’s also part of that top-seeded medley relay.
Ethan Schwab, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood junior: Last season’s runner-up in the 500 and breaststroke (and a medley relay champion), Schwab is seeded first in both individual races in 4:43.42 and 55.59, respectively.
Ben Sytsma, Grand Rapids Christian sophomore: He finished seventh in the 50 and swam on three scoring relays as a freshman, and this weekend enters as the top seed in the 100 free (46.41), second in the 50 (21.06) and as part of top-seeded 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
Charley Bayer, East Grand Rapids senior: The reigning champion diver posted a score of 520.80 to win his Regional by 97.3 points and pace all of Division 3 by 38 points.
PHOTO A pair of swimmers launch side-by-side during a relay at last season's Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Cranbrook Pulls Far Ahead for Repeat, GR Christian's Sytsma Adds to Title Total
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
March 9, 2024
HOLLAND – The Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood boys swimming & diving team cleared a major hurdle last year in winning the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals by a narrow margin.
This year, the role of favorite suited the Cranes just fine as they rolled to a repeat Saturday at Holland Aquatic Center.
Cranbrook put forth an impressive all-around effort and finished with 380 points to overwhelm the rest of the field.
East Grand Rapids (243) edged Holland Christian (211) for second place, while Adrian (151) finished fourth.
“I think last year, when we got over that hump and we won the meet, we saw what we had coming back,” Cranbrook coach Paul Ellis said. “I feel like the boys were a lot more relaxed all season. We didn't have that ‘we’re chasing it’ mindset, and it was about widening the gap and the boys did a phenomenal job.
Cranbrook won two individual events with seniors Andrew Delzer (100-yard breaststroke) and Colin Zexter (100 backstroke) and collected relay titles in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle.
“We had great leaders on our team,” Ellis said. “We had a couple seniors come in that haven't swam for us before, and they really helped bring us all together. They are all team players, they care about their teammates and they bust their butt and set a good example that helped everyone make a huge step forward in terms of training and in bringing that team atmosphere together.
“It helped in how they swam. We had so many lifetime bests this weekend and throughout the season, and it was really fun. It was an enjoyable season.”
Delzer and Zexter joined Joseph Wiater and Will Farner on the 200 medley and AJ and Will Farner on the 400 relay.
“All of our seniors stepped up and were scoring points, and we had a blast,” Delzer said. “There definitely was a target on our back, but we weren't going to let anyone hunt us down. It was a privilege to be in that position, and we had a great time doing it.”
This was Zexter’s first year on the Cranbrook team after swimming club previously.
“This one was amazing, and it's my first one,” Zexter said. “I did high school just to have fun, and the whole team this season was like family. We were so close, and to have the perfect season and be undefeated is the best feeling.”
Grand Rapids Christian’s Ben Sytsma was named Swimmer of Meet by the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association after a dominating performance to cap off an illustrious career.
Sytsma added two more individual titles to his career total by winning the 50 and 100 freestyle events. He also helped the Eagles to a victory in the 200 freestyle relay and a runner-up effort in the 400.
His time of 43.87 in the first 100-yard leg of the 400 relay was an LP Division 3 Finals record. He finished his high school career with four individual championships and having been part of three relay winners.
“I really just wanted to go out with a bang,” Sytsma said. “The boys and I worked really hard, and I was really proud of how they did.
“We really wanted to win those relays. We came up short in the 400, but beat our school record so I think we are all very satisfied with how it ended up.”
Sytsma recorded a time of 19.98 in the 50 and became only the second swimmer in meet history to break 20 seconds.
“That was Cam Peel (in 2019), and I always looked up to him as an idol and followed his career,” Sytsma said. “I wanted to be like him in that 50, break 20, and I wasn't the first to do it, but I was the second one so I’m happy with that.
“There were definitely goals I had coming into this meet, state records I was looking at. I came up short in the 50 and that 100 record in the final relay was really emotional for me. I was happy with myself.”
East Grand Rapids placed runner-up for the second straight year.
“Second place in this year’s meet is all you could hope for,” Pioneers coach Milton Briggs said. “Cranbrook is definitely far and away better than all of us, so for us to come in and take second among this talent, you have to feel good about that. We knew it was going to be close between us and Holland Christian.”
East Grand Rapids was led by senior Carter Kegle, who won the 500 for the third consecutive year and claimed top honors in the 200 freestyle.
Otsego sophomore Liam Smith won two individual titles. He repeated in the 100 butterfly (48.02) and also swam to victory in the 200 IM (1:48.64).
Chelsea senior Mitch Brown defended his diving title. He recorded a score of 503.05 to finish ahead of runner-up Carson Reynolds of DeWitt.
PHOTOS (Top) Cranbrook Kingswood celebrates its victory Saturday at Holland Aquatic Center. (Middle) Grand Rapids Christian's Ben Sytsma looks to the scoreboard and celebrates. (Below) Otsego's Liam Smith, bottom, pulls away for the win in the butterfly. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)