Another EGR Championship Unfolds in D3
November 23, 2013
By Dean Holzwarth
Special to Second half
HOLLAND – East Grand Rapids' Emily Lundquist has dedicated more than 10 years to the pool.
On Saturday afternoon, the perfect scenario unfolded to close out her high school career.
Lundquist was a part of the Pioneers' 400 freestyle relay team that won the final event, and they did it with a record-breaking performance.
East Grand Rapids clocked a Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals-record time of 3 minutes, 30.35 seconds to wrap up another MHSAA team title.
“It was incredible to end a meet like that, and basically my swimming career,” Lundquist said. “I've been swimming for 11 years, and that's the last time I'll ever swim. It was a great event.”
The Pioneers dominated Saturday's MHSAA girls swimming and diving LP Division 3 Finals at Holland Aquatic Center.
East Grand Rapids tallied 362 points, while Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood was a distant second with 220 points. Detroit Country Day was third with 162 points and Holland Christian recorded 153 points to take fourth.
It was the Pioneers' 18th MHSAA Finals championship in girls swimming and diving, and they achieved success this season with a team bolstered by a talented group of underclassmen.
“The best part of this for us is to see the culmination with the joining of a great age-group program with our high school program,” longtime East Grand Rapids coach Butch Briggs said. “Our age-group program feeds us better than everybody else, and this is the year they all got to come together.”
It was East Grand Rapids' first team title since 2010, and on Saturday its depth played a vital role with several top finishes.
“This is pretty great,” Lundquist said. “We won my freshman year, and since then we've been trying to get back up to the state title. It's been a lot of hard work on our part, and we implemented a new lifting program. I'm so proud of our freshman class and the entire team because we've been very determined. Since day one we've set a goal to win a state championship.”
The Pioneers also won the 200 free relay with a Finals-record time of 1:36.05.
The relay team was powered by sophomore Emily Converse and freshmen Lexus VanHoven, Hanna Sanford and Gabby Higgins.
Briggs, who was tossed into the pool after the awards ceremony, said a positive sign came during Friday's preliminaries.
“It was the best prelims we've had at East since I've been here,” he said. “That put us in position today to be able to just go after some things and be comfortable. These kids have risen to the occasion all year, and our relays were amazing. It's a great group of kids, and I was just so pleased.”
Converse placed runner-up in the 200 free behind Holland Christian's Ashlee Sall, but redeemed herself with a win in the 500 free (5:02.57).
“I was a little scared after I lost to the girl in the 200 and I was top seed in that, but the girl next to me took it out fast and I thought I would be able to come back and beat her,” said Converse, who also was a key cog in the winning 400 free relay. “It felt really good, and we were excited to come back to Division 3 this year and win it.”
Hamilton junior Stephanie Johnston overcame two years of disappointment at the Finals to notch a pair of wins.
Johnston swam to victory in the 50 free with a time of 23.81 and edged Higgins by 0.07 seconds. She followed that with another close win over Higgins in the 100 free.
“In past years I would get nervous, and those nerves would get to me, but I wasn't nervous at all today,” Johnston said. “After (Friday's) prelims, I was a little iffy about whether I could do it, but I got here today and got super pumped up from everybody else and how they were doing. I went out and got what I was going for, and it felt really good because it also broke my personal records.”
Hamilton coach Eric Talsma said a lack of confidence prevented Johnston from performing her best at past Finals.
“We've been waiting for a breakout meet from her,” he said. “She swims fast regular season, but it's been a bit of a struggle at state meets. We really needed her to attack her races and not wait for something bad to happen. Friday she was a bit apprehensive, but today she just went after it and just attacked it.”
Johnston also anchored the Hawkeyes' runner-up finish in the 400 free relay.
PHOTOS: (Top) East Grand Rapids athletes pull coach Butch Briggs into the pool for the traditional celebratory dip after winning Saturday's Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final. (Middle) Swimmers keep pace during a race Saturday. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
East Grand Rapids' Depth Nets 24th Team Title, While Jenison Stars Shine
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
November 19, 2022
GRAND RAPIDS – There may not be a heated competition between sisters, but that's definitely not the case for opponents of Grace and Emma Albrecht.
The speedy Jenison siblings went head-to-head in two events in addition to swimming together on two winning relays at Saturday's Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals at Calvin University's Venema Aquatic Center.
"We push each other," said Grace, a junior. "But it's the same as with any other swimmer – we want to win."
The two were critical in helping Jenison finish runner-up behind East Grand Rapids with 219 points. The Pioneers notched their 24th Finals title with 280.
The sisters had a memorable afternoon as Grace edged her younger sister, a freshman, in the 50 freestyle. Grace won the event with a time of 23:41, while Emma was second at 23.82. Grace also was second in the 100 backstroke (54.50), while Emma was seventh (57.46). The two were part of the winning 200 medley (1:43.59) and 400 free relays (3:27.18).
When pressed, Grace will admit she looks at her sister more as a sibling rather than someone she needs to beat.
"Sometimes, once in a while," she said. "But most of the time we're competing against each other."
The sisters began their swimming background at virtually the same time at the club level about seven years ago. Emma said for the most part she looks at her older sister as a competitor, not a sibling.
"She's like any other swimmer," she said. "But we work together as teammates. She taught me always to have a positive attitude, no matter what."
The Pioneers continued their domination of Division 3/Class B Finals. Saturday's title was the team’s sixth in seven years, eighth since 2013 and 14th in 24 years. The program won its first title under coach Butch Briggs in the third year of Swim Finals in 1978 after finishing runner-up at the first two championship meets.
Briggs said the success never gets old. Different maybe, he said, but his swimmers never take anything for granted.
"Coming into the meet we were relatively beyond our seed times. But we found a way to win," said Briggs, who credits depth for the victory. "It's the way we've been all year with the depth. We have a little less than some teams, but Friday was one of our best days I can remember. We were up like 14 points without diving, and diving has saved (us) more than once over the years."
EGR senior Allison Alguire agreed that depth is a team strength, but so is another factor.
"We have a lot of perseverance," said Alguire, one of the team's co-captains who swam personal bests in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke while helping the 200 medley and 400 relays to second and third-place finishes, respectively. "We got close at the end of the year, which made our chemistry better. With our team we don't swim for a best time, we swim for the team."
EGR had only one first place, in the 200 free relay with Caroline Flermoen, Ellery Chandler, Alyssa Hein and Kate Simon.
The top individual performance in the meet came from Dexter senior Lily Witte, who won her fourth-straight diving title with a 554.65, as Caroline Li of Okemos (492.25) finished runner-up for the fourth year. Witte’s score was a Michigan all-Finals and pool record.
"It gets more special," said Witte, who will attend Indiana next season. "The fact that it’s my senior year and last year makes it special. I just try to go out and do what I need to do and try not to worry."
The meet's only double winner was Jenison's Sophie Umstead. She won the 200 individual medley (2:00.33) and the 100 breaststroke (1:01.11). She made a smashing transition from being a club swimmer a year ago as a freshman to becoming a two-event Finals champ.
"I just wanted to come in and swim my best," she said. "Club is similar to high school, but maybe a little more chilled."
Other first places were collected by two Birmingham Seaholm swimmers, Kelley Hassett in the 500 free (4:58.63) and Samantha Clifford in the 200 free (1:48.64). Rhian Russell of Rochester Adams in the 100 butterfly (54.30), Lily Cleason of Ann Arbor Skyline in the 100 backstroke (53.95) and Ella Roberson of Midland Dow in the 100 free (50.13) also won titles.
PHOTO (Top) An East Grand Rapids swimmer leaves the blocks during the 400 freestyle relay. (Middle) Swimmers approach the wall during the breaststroke final. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)