East Grand Rapids Legacy Adds Title 22
November 17, 2018
By Butch Harmon
Special for Second Half
HOLLAND – The more things change for the East Grand Rapids girls swimming & diving team, the more they remain the same.
After graduating a large and talented senior class that led East to the 2017 Lower Peninsula Division 2 championship, the Pioneers moved back into Division 3 and won their 22nd MHSAA Finals title in the sport, and third consecutive title.
East Grand Rapids totaled 330 points this time to win by 46 over Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, while Hamilton placed third with 191 points.
For East Grand Rapids, the keys were a new crop of talented swimmers carrying on the tradition of hard work and winning, and a senior class determined to carry on the legacy as well.
“We lost two great senior classes the last two years that have been able to win state championships,” said East Grand Rapids coach Butch Briggs. “Losing 20 kids each year and being able to come back and keep it going is really extra-special for this group of kids. We had a lot of young kids that helped us immensely.”
Two who came through for the Pioneers were freshmen Greta Milnes and Sophie Williams. Milnes and Williams swam the first two legs of the 400-yard relay. Senior Sydney Higgins and sophomore Emma Israels swam the last two legs as the Pioneers won in a time of 3:29.66.
Higgins also won the 200 individual medley in a time of 2:07.82. Higgins used a strong finishing kick to come back and pick up extra team points.
“I’m really happy,” Higgins said. “It’s good points for the team, so I’m excited. I just swim my own race and don’t really look at anyone else.”
East Grand Rapids senior Laura Levine earned all-state honors in both the 50 freestyle and as part of the 200 free relay.
“It’s crazy,” Levine said. “Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better team, a better state team and better coaching. Coach has been with me since I started swimming. We had a lot of freshmen this year that really pulled their weight. They were all super positive. Our seniors were also amazing. We lost a lot of good people, and we filled those spots and came out victorious.”
Lauren Ors and Emily Bergstrom were part of this year’s senior class that carried on the Pioneers’ swimming legacy.
“This is one of the most special meets of my whole life,” Ors said. “It’s because of the people I’m with. This team is absolutely incredible, and we’re so lucky to be a part of it.”
Bergstrom also credited the chemistry of the entire program for the team’s success year after year.
“This is such a special experience, and we are so blessed to be with such a great coaching staff and such great teammates,” Bergstrom said. “This is absolutely incredible. This team has just worked so hard for such a long time.”
Along with East Grand Rapids winning three straight team championships, Milan senior diver Mackenzie Crawford closed out her career with a third straight title. She also set a Division 3 meet record, as she totaled 494.8 points.
“Today I was really trying to break the D3 record, and I did so I’m really freaking out right now,” Crawford said. “I was so close. It was by five points that I broke it.”
Crawford, who signed with Ohio State University earlier in the week, broke the record by coming up big on her final dive, a reverse one-and-a-half, one-and-a-half twist.
“It’s so hard for me to do,” Crawford said. “It’s more of a dive that huge guys do. It’s one and a half flips, one and a half twists and it’s reverse too, so it’s scary. I needed to get sevens on it, and I got a lot of big points.”
Cranbrook Kingswood, last year’s Division 3 champion, was led by sophomore Justine Murdock, who won the 100 backstroke in 56.34.
Hamilton was led by its 200 free relay team of Hannah Fathman, Ayvah Johnson, Jenna Kloosterman and Nella Pashak, who turned in a winning time of 1:36.30.
Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett placed sixth as a team led by a pair of swimmers who won a combined three individual titles. Junior Sophie Housey claimed a pair, in the 100 freestyle in a meet record time of 50.23, and then the 200 freestyle in 1:48.37.
Freshman Ginger McMahon won the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.94.
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep junior Rhianna Hensler won the butterfly for a third time in her career. Hensler took first in 55.67.
Bloomfield Hills Marian finished fourth as a team, led by its 200 medley relay team of Lauren Sielicki, Mary Snyder, Anika Fassett and Julie Waechter. They placed first in a time of 1:46.71.
A pair of West Michigan teams recorded firsts.
Plainwell freshman Riley Nugent, competing in her Finals, claimed her first championship as she won the 500 freestyle in a time of 5:02.02. The top seed coming into the race, Nugent shrugged off the pressure and set a new personal record by some four seconds.
“It’s amazing,” Nugent said. “I’m so beyond happy. I was very nervous because there were seniors and juniors all around me. I was very nervous, but I went out there and I tried my best, and that’s all I could ask for myself.”
South Haven sophomore Ellie Frost won the 50 freestyle in a time of 23.59. As a freshman, Frost was runner-up in both the 50 and 100 freestyles. Not only was it Frost’s first Finals title, but the first in South Haven school history.
“It’s real exciting,” said Frost. “I’m so happy. I just tried to focus on the end goal this year, and it worked out. It was a really close race. I’m really happy with it, and it’s so exciting to have my teammates here with me to share it.”
PHOTOS: (Top) East Grand Rapids hoists a girls swimming & diving champion’s trophy for the 22nd time at Saturday’s Division 3 Finals. (Middle) South Haven’s Ellie Frost launches; she won her school’s first Finals title in this sport. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Pioneer Puts Emphatic End to Title Wait
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
January 16, 2021
HUDSONVILLE – It was a moment that was long overdue for the Ann Arbor Pioneer girls swimming & diving team.
And this time, they left nothing to chance.
The Pioneers rolled to a decisive victory at Saturday’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals at Hudsonville High School.
They won their first Finals since 2008 and avenged a heartbreaking half-point loss to Farmington Hills Mercy at last year’s championship meet.
“I know they were looking forward to coming back as soon as we got on the bus last year,” Pioneers coach Stefanie Kerska said. “This journey that they’ve been on for the last year has made them really appreciate and never take for granted simple things again. I know that this means a lot to them.”
Ann Arbor Pioneer tallied 368 points, while 2019 champion Farmington Hills Mercy placed runner-up at 184. Northville (164) was third and Brighton (159) finished fourth.
The top-ranked Pioneers were the favorites entering Saturday with a majority of their team returning from 2019. They lived up to that billing by winning all three relays.
“They swam really tough,” Kerska said. “They started the season tough out in a lake when it was freezing and they finished up really strong and they just never took their foot off the gas. It was a combination of discipline and desire for them, especially during the hiatus.
“As trying as it was, I think everyone is so grateful for everything everyone did to put this on to finish the season. We’ve been going since June, and they put the time and effort in to make this happen.”
Mercy coach Mike Venos knew Ann Arbor Pioneer was determined to overcome last year’s near miss.
“They are an absolute class organization, they are one of the best coached teams in the state and I’m happy for them,” Venos said. “I saw the looks on their faces. As happy as we were last year, I saw the disappointment on their faces. We knew they were coming. Stefanie and the gang are building a nice powerhouse over there again.”
Ann Arbor Pioneer junior Vivian VanRenterghem took top honors in the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 1 minute, 52.34 seconds. She placed runner-up in the event last season.
“We had so much motivation this season,” VanRenterghem said. “We were so excited and so ready. It’s been a long season, but we’ve had a really great time. Last season was rough, but this is something we’ve been working toward for a long time. It’s a great team, our coaches are amazing and there’s no group of girls I’d rather do it with.”
Pioneers’ freshman Stella Chapman was a welcomed addition to the program and made an instant impact with a win in the 100 backstroke (55.36). She also was a part of the winning 200 medley and 400 free relays.
“I’m really proud of myself and the team for what we’ve done today,” Chapman said. “I understand that it was disappointing last year, but I know how hard everyone worked for this and we pushed through.”
Kerska was a former swimmer at Pioneer under longtime coach Denny Hill and his wife, Liz. They guided the Pioneers to 16 Finals crowns over four decades.
“They’ve both done so much for Ann Arbor Pioneer swimming and I have a picture of both of them in my office,” Kerska said. “I see them every day, and it was really important for us to bring that back to Pioneer.”
Mercy senior Greta Gidley capped off her career with a pair of individual titles in the 200 IM (2:00.69) and 500 free (4:58.52).
“Going into the last two weeks of the season I was kind of focused more on taking in the final times that I was going to get to have with this team,” Gidley said. “This team is so special that coming here and spending time with everyone was just amazing.
“Getting to spend an extra few months with these girls because our season got delayed was really a blessing in disguise. It was fun to win, but it was really fun to spend time with my best friends.”
Gidley was the reigning 100 freestyle champion. She finished runner-up in the IM a year ago.
“She’s been the heart of this team for a while now, and she's leaving a really nice legacy,” Venos said. “Our girls swam very well, and I just got done telling them that their mental aspect today is what brought it because physically, with the amount of time that we had off there, there was no reason to swim as fast as we did. It was their mental approach.”
Plymouth junior Brady Kendall also collected a pair of championships.
Kendall won the 50 freestyle (22.98) and then followed with a victory in the 100 butterfly (54.35).
West Ottawa senior Lilly Brandt raced to a win in the 100 freestyle (51.53) and also took second in the 50 free behind Kendall.
The diving finals were held Friday and resulted in an upset as Mercy senior Ciara McCliment won ahead of 2019 champion Annie Costello of Ann Arbor Huron.
McCliment scored 399.70 points, while Costello was runner-up with 363.75.
PHOTOS: (Top) Ann Arbor Pioneer's Amelia Weyhing pushes toward the finish of her breaststroke heat Saturday. (Middle) Farmington Hills Mercy's Ciara McCliment performs a dive during Friday's competion. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)