Finals Preview: Chasing the Champions
November 15, 2012
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Farmington Hills Mercy is expected to add to its girls swimming and diving dynasty this weekend. Holland and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood are predicted to take another step in building theirs.
All three reigning MHSAA Lower Peninsula champions are ranked No. 1 in their respective divisions heading into Friday's Finals preliminaries.
But it's not that easy, and especially after some movement among the divisions. In 2011, Mercy moved up from Division 2 to win Division 1. But this fall, top teams from all three divisions have done some shifting to others, which should cause some reordering by the time Saturday's championship races are done.
All three Finals will be streamed live on MHSAA.tv. Click for lineups and seed times for all three meets.
Here's a look at the team favorites, plus a few individuals to remember:
Division 1 at Holland Aquatic Center
Farmington Hills Mercy and Saline are tied for the No. 1 ranking after combining to win the last three championships. Mercy is seeking its sixth straight; the Marlins moved up to Division 1 and won last fall after five straight championships in Division 2. Saline finished 14.5 points back last season after winning in both 2009 and 2010. Holland West Ottawa, seventh last season, is expected to make a move and comes in ranked No. 3.
Farmington Hills Mercy – The Marlins have 19 individual seeds, plus all three relays, among the top 16 in those events. An incredible group of sophomores leads the way – Kathleen McGee has the second-best seed times in both the 200-yard freestyle (1:52.83) and 500 (4:59.74), Maddy Loniewski has the fastest in the 200 individual medley (2:05.91) and fifth-best in the breaststroke (1:05.86), and Roxanne Griffore has the fifth fastest in the 50 (24.23) and seventh in the 100 freestyle (53.37).
Saline – A strong group of seniors will try to match the boys championship in March, and they’re off to a good start with 14 swim seeds plus all three relays among the top 16 of their events heading into Friday. Senior Maddy Frost swims on two of those relays and also has the sixth-best seed time in the 50 (24.38) and seventh-best in the backstroke (58.15). Senior Emily Lau is on two relays and senior Cristina Czyrka is on one, and both also qualified in multiple individual events. Those three were on the 200 medley relay that set the Division 1 Finals record of 1:45.97 last season.
Holland West Ottawa – The Panthers have 15 individuals plus all three relays among the top 16 seeds in those events, and one of the best chances at setting a new meet record. Seniors Colleen VandePoel, Chelsea Rish, Anna Battistello and Caroline Fender have swum the 200 medley relay in 1:45.51, a little more than four tenths of a second faster than Saline’s record time in 2011. Those four also combine for six of the team’s top-16 seeds. Senior Anna Babinec has the team’s highest, the third-fastest time in the 50 (24.12) and the fourth in the 100 freestyle (52.45).
More to remember – Waterford Kettering sophomore Maddie Wright is favored to add two more individual championships to those she won during her first season. She’s seeded first in the 200 freestyle (1:50.15) and the butterfly (55.27), the races she won in 2011. Hudsonville senior Danielle Freeman has the top seeds in both sprints – 23.49 in the 50 and 51.41 in the 100 freestyle – after taking third in both last season.
Division 2 at Oakland University
After three straight runner-up finishes, Holland claimed its first MHSAA team title in 2011 and is the top-ranked team again returning a number of significant contributors from that championship effort. Grosse Pointe South was fourth last year and is ranked No. 2, but both could be pushed by a pair that placed well in Division 1 last season – Ann Arbor Skyline, which is ranked No. 3 and finished sixth in D1 in 2011, and Bloomfield Hills Marian, which finished third in Division 1 last fall and is ranked No. 4 heading into Friday.
Holland – Holland is set up to score big points again with 14 individual seeds among the top 16 in their events and all three top-seeded relays. Star Courtney Bartholomew graduated, but a crew of standouts have kept the team rushing ahead. Junior Cassie Misiewicz is the reigning champion in the 500 and seeded first again with a time of 5:02.12; she has the second-best time in the 200 freestyle (1:53.35). Sophomore Taylor Garcia has the top seed times in the backstroke (55.43) and butterfly (54.95) after winning the latter and the 50 last season. Junior Holly Morren has the top seed time in the 50 (24.04) and the second-fastest in the 100 freestyle (51.7), and senior Melissa Vandermeulen has the top seed in the breaststroke (1:04.09).
Grosse Pointe South – The Blue Devils have eight individual seeds plus all three relays among the top 16 in their events, and two divers competing as well. They’re led by the DeLoof sisters – junior Gabby and senior Catie – who swim on two relays ranked among the top five. Gabby DeLoof also has the third seed time in the 200 individual medley (2:07.61) and the second-best in the backstroke (57.31), while Catie won the 100 freestyle last season and has the third-best time in that race (52.18) and the eighth in the 50 (24.67). They’re joined on those two relays by freshman Jennifer Maiorana, plus freshman Claire Young on the 200 medley and junior Cassandra Morse on the 400 free. Maiorana has two top-16 individual seeds, including the seventh-best time in the butterfly (58.77).
Ann Arbor Skyline – Although ranked behind Grosse Pointe South, Skyline might be the team best in position to catch Holland. The Eagles are led by a reigning Division 1 champion in senior Ashley Shanley, who won the breaststroke at that Final last season and has the second-seeded time in that event (1:04.61) and the top seeded in the 200 individual medley (2:06.08). Those are two of 10 top-16 individual seeds, and all three relays are ranked second right behind those from Holland. Senior Rebecca Dickey, junior Shannon Cowley and freshman Katie Portz all are seeded among the top eight in both of their individual events. Those four swim together on the 400 freestyle relay.
More to remember – Bloomfield Hills Marian sophomore Mollie Pulte swims on two top relays and has the top seeds in both of her individual events, the 200 freestyle (1:51.66) and the 100 freestyle (51.42). She was third in the 200 and fifth in the 100 at the Division 1 Final last season. East Grand Rapids senior Olivia Kassouni has won the Division 3 diving championship the last two seasons and will try to add one more against some new competition.
Division 3 at Eastern Michigan University
After two straight runner-up finishes to East Grand Rapids, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood won its first team championship last season. East Grand Rapids moved into Division 2 this fall, but the Cranes must hold off local rival Bloomfield Hills Lahser as it seeks its first title in its final season before merging next year with Bloomfield Hills Andover. Plainwell, third last season, is ranked No. 3.
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood – The Cranes are loaded for another run at the title and for the next few seasons as well. They are seeded among the top 16 in all three relays and 18 times individually – the breakdown being seven seeds by seniors, two by juniors, three by sophomores and six by freshmen. Senior Kylie Powrie is the reigning champion in the 500 and 200 freestyles; she’s tied for the third seed in the 200 (1:57.84) and her top seed time of 5:07.49 in the 500 is more than five seconds better than the second seed. Sophomore Lara Kokubo has the top-seeded time in the 100 freestyle (52.84) and the third-best (24.31) in the 50. Among those speedy underclassmen, freshmen Charlotte Lee and Anuschka Sambel both have two top-five seed times in their individual events.
Bloomfield Hills Lahser – The Knights return winners of three races last season. Junior Ines Charles won the backstroke and the butterfly and is tied with Adrian junior Jennifer Wagley for the top seed time in the butterfly (58.99) and has the top seed alone in the backstroke (57.99). Charles and the rest of her reigning champion 200 medley relay team – senior Lucy Ramonat and juniors Hailey Sambor and Mary Pilibosian – will go for another repeat. Pilibosian has the top seed time in the 200 individual medley (2:09.09) and is second only to Charles in the backstroke (58.78).
Plainwell – Although Plainwell has only four individual seeds (plus all three relays) among the top 16 in those events, the Trojans have a two-time reigning champion in sophomore Mallory Comerford. She won the 50 and the 100 freestyles last season, but this weekend has the top seed in the 200 freestyle (1:54.24) and third-fastest in the 500 (5:14.96). Sophomore Kim Jones was the runner-up diver last year.
More to remember – After finishing fourth in the breaststroke and fifth in the individual medley in 2011, Tecumseh senior Rachel Waite is seeded second in the IM (2:11) and first in the breaststroke (1:06.66). Holland Christian sophomore Sydney Asselin is seeded second in both the 500 and 200 freestyles, and junior teammate Ashlee Sall is seeded second in the 50 and 100.
PHOTO: A competitor pushes on during a race at last season's Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final.
Pioneer Seniors Leave Legacy with 2nd-Straight Finals Win
By
Scott DeCamp
Special for MHSAA.com
November 20, 2021
HOLLAND – Ann Arbor Pioneer boasts one of the deepest traditions in MHSAA girls swimming & diving history.
It goes back to the days of legendary coach Dennis Hill, who guided the Pioneers to their first state title in 1979 and retired with 16 championships in Lower Peninsula Class A or Division 1.
The latest wave of talent was determined to carry on that tradition and leave its mark. Led by a strong group of seven seniors, Pioneer overwhelmed the competition in capturing a second-straight Division 1 title Saturday at Holland Aquatic Center.
The Pioneers claimed first place in five of 12 events, including all three relays, and showed off their superior depth in a runaway victory. They totaled a whopping 405.5 points to leave the rest of the pack far behind. Saline was runner-up with 247 points, followed by Brighton in third place with 217.5.
“We just had to take care of ourselves all season,” Pioneer sixth-year coach Stefanie Kerska said. “As nice as it may seem to be out so far in front, we made it a point to not get complacent, to not cut corners and, like I said, to not take our foot off the gas.
“So, that was really the challenge of the year, to just stay motivated, still being as dominant as we were this year.”
Last season, Pioneer captured the 17th Finals championship in program history in similarly dominant fashion. Pioneer racked up 368 points, ahead of Farmington Hills Mercy (184), which edged the Pioneers by only half a point for the 2019 Division 1 title.
Last year, and especially this weekend, the Pioneers were essentially competing against themselves. In five events, they had two top-six finishers, and three in another event.
Among the 19 all-state finishes (top eight in each event) for Pioneer, 15 placed in the top four of their respective races.
“It means everything. Last year was our first time winning a state championship in our four years,” Pioneer senior Vivian VanRenterghem said. “Obviously, with COVID, the experience was a little bit different – we didn’t get to do it until January.
“So, getting to do it here – prelims, finals, the real deal – definitely meant more, and I think to come out the other end of last year was everything for us.”
Senior Lily Cramer led the way for Pioneer with a first-place finish in the 200-yard free (1:48.95), plus she swam legs on winning 200 free relay and 400 free relay teams and took second in the 100 breaststroke. Sophomore Stella Chapman won the 200 IM (2:01.98), swam legs on first-place 200 medley relay and 400 relay teams, and placed second in the 100 backstroke.
VanRenterghem and senior Holly Pringle both swam legs on the Pioneers’ winning 200 free relay and 400 free relay teams. Senior Edwina Jalet swam a leg on the Pioneers’ first-place 200 medley relay, while senior Amelia Weyhing and junior Sophia Guo swam as part of the victorious 200 free relay.
Cramer said that the intrasquad competition pushes everybody to be better.
“Everyone wants to do well, and I think that makes everybody a little nervous, but also we knew what we were able to do and we were able to execute that to the best of our ability,” Cramer said.
“We do everything together, so to be able to win together is a really good feeling.”
Plymouth senior Brady Kendall was the lone two-event individual winner for the two-day competition. She swam to first place in the 50 free in 22.63 seconds and captured first in the 100 butterfly in 53.35.
Rockford sophomore Megan Jolly finished at the top in 1-meter diving with 419.20 points. Grand Haven sophomore Rosalee Springer captured first in the 100 free (50.55). Brighton junior Victoria Schreiber was first in the 500 free (4:57.27). Middleville Thornapple Kellogg senior Abby Marcukaitis took the top honor in the 100 backstroke (55.07). Livonia Stevenson junior McKenzie Siroky was first in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.85).
In addition to the seven seniors, Pioneer’s team featured two juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen.
“I’ve got a lot of seniors, and luckily they’ve been able to really leave their mark on this team over the last few years, and so those underclassmen sort of know what the expectations and requirements are to continue this,” Kerska said. “It’s definitely going to be a challenge from here on out. Those seven seniors have really built this program back up.”
Kerska wanted the senior group to leave a legacy, and those seven swimmers did just that. They carried on the rich Pioneer tradition and started another Finals-title string with their back-to-back achievement.
The Pioneers won four Class A championships in a row under Hill from 1989-92, and nine straight for the Hall of Fame coach from 2000-08. They also collected titles in 1985 and 1987.
Pioneer’s seniors did not lose a single dual meet in their high school careers, and five of them are headed to swim at the Division I collegiate level.
VanRenterghem and Cramer have been swimming together since fourth grade.
“This sport is a lot of work, but it’s always been worth it,” VanRenterghem said. “I think a lot of us have a really exciting next four years, but I think we’re never going to forget where we came from and I’ll always be cheering for Pioneer.”
Said Cramer: “We started this together and we ended this together, and I think it’s a really good way to go out.”
PHOTOS by High School Sports Scene.