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.
Preview: Anticipating a Few New Orders
November 16, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A change in division by one state power could change things up significantly at two of this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming & Diving Finals.
Regular favorites are expected to contend again in Division 1 after Rockford emerged to claim its first title last year. But Division 2 will welcome East Grand Rapids after the Pioneers posted one of the all-time impressive wins in Division 3 last fall. And a number of contenders are looking to return to the podium in Division 3 after EGR won three of the last four titles.
Prelims are Friday, and championship competition is Saturday. Below is a look at team contenders and top individuals to watch at all three Finals. All three will be broadcast live on MHSAA.tv and covered with stories posted to Second Half later Saturday evening. Click for full meet information including times and event orders.
LP Division 1 at Oakland University
Reigning champion: Rockford
2016 runner-up: Farmington Hills Mercy
2017 top-ranked: 1. Saline, 2. Farmington Hills Mercy, 3. Rockford.
Saline and Mercy are expected to push each other for the top spot – Saline is going for its first title since 2014 and Mercy for its first since 2013, although the Marlins have finished among the top two five of the last six seasons. Saline has 14 swimmers/relays seeded among the top 16 plus two divers competing – and among those 14 on the swim side are six top seeds, including two in the relays. Mercy doesn’t have a top seed, but does have 14 swimmers seeded to score plus three competing divers. Rockford has only 16 athletes/relays total, but 12 are seeded to score swim points and its diver was third at her Regional.
Casey Chung, Ann Arbor Skyline sophomore – Chung is top-seeded in the backstroke (54.69) and also will swim the 50 and on the 400 freestyle and top-seeded 200 medley relays. She finished 11th in the individual medley and fourth in the backstroke last season.
Johanna Jorgenson, Saline sophomore – After taking fifth in both the 50 and 100 freestyles last season, Jorgenson is seeded first in both at 23.05 and 50.30 seconds, respectively. She also could swim on the top-seeded 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
Morgan Kraus, Rockford junior – Kraus was second in the butterfly and third in the backstroke in 2016, and enters this weekend with the third seed in the 50 (23.38) to go with her top seed in the butterfly (54.63).
Maddie Luther, Saline junior – The reigning champion in the 200 and runner-up in the 500 freestyles is top-seeded in the 200 (1:48.11) by three seconds and second-seeded in the 500 (5:04.11), while also possibly swimming on the two top-seeded freestyle relays.
Katie Minnich, Farmington Hills Mercy senior – Minnich is looking to cap her career with a fourth straight backstroke championship; she is seeded second to Chung in that race at 55:04 and also third in the IM at 2:05.02
Georgia Mosher, Ann Arbor Skyline senior – Mosher has won two straight 500 freestyle championships and enters seeded eighth (5:06.08) in that race but fourth in the breaststroke (1:04.62). She also could swim on the top-seeded medley relay.
Lola Mull, Grand Ledge sophomore – Mull has the top seed in the 500 at 4:48.66, more than five seconds faster than the field, and is seeded second in the 200 freestyle (1:51.10). She finished sixth in the 200 and third in the 500 last season.
Lizzy Spears, Saline senior – After finishing third in the IM and eighth in the breaststroke last fall, Spears has the top seed in the IM (2:01.37) and third in the butterfly (55.41). She also is an option to swim on both top-seeded freestyle relays.
Ashley Turak, Farmington/Harrison junior – After entering last season’s Final with top-two seeds in both freestyle sprints, Turak finished second in the 50 and fourth in the 100. She enters this weekend in a similar spot – second-seeded in the 50 (23.15) and the 100 (50.52).
Claire Tuttle, Hudsonville sophomore – Tuttle finished third in the breaststroke as a freshman and carries the top seed in that race this time at 1:02.49. She’ll also swim the 100 freestyle.
Saline 200 freestyle relay – The Hornets are seeded first with a time of 1:35.19, identical to the time they swam last season that ranks fourth in LPD1 Finals history and is eight tenths of a second off the meet record.
Zain Smith, Ann Arbor Skyline junior – Smith won her Diving Regional last week with a score of 436.95, the third-highest Regional score in Division 1, and is the top returning finisher from last year’s Final after coming in second to graduated champion Camryn McPherson of Saline.
LP Division 2 at Holland Aquatic Center
Reigning champion: Birmingham Seaholm
2016 runner-up: Dexter
2017 top-ranked: 1. East Grand Rapids, 2. Dexter, 3. Birmingham Seaholm.
Last season’s LP Division 3 champion East Grand Rapids is back in Division 2, where it finished runner-up to Dexter in 2015. The Pioneers’ return didn’t affect their ability to qualify – EGR has all three relays and 16 individuals seeded among the top 16 of their events, with two top seeds, plus four divers competing. Without EGR in the mix last year, Seaholm finished 37.5 points ahead of the Dreadnaughts. Dexter has 12 individuals and all three relays seeded to score, plus two divers, while Seaholm has 11 individuals and three relays seeded to score and two divers as well.
Royal Oak senior Julia Boswell – Boswell is seeded to finish her career with a second championship but in a different race, carrying the top seed in the 200 freestyle (2:05.24) by more than two seconds after winning the 500 a year ago. She is seeded second in the 500 (4:58.91), only 42 hundredths of a second from topping that list too. She also took a 10th in the IM last year.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central senior Felicity Buchmaier – The reigning champion in the backstroke and butterfly has won three individual titles total over the last two seasons. This weekend, she’s seeded second in the butterfly (56.79) and third in the backstroke (57.75).
East Grand Rapids senior Ileah Doctor – The reigning Division 3 champion in the 50 and breaststroke also is seeded first at this meet in the 50 (23.12) and second in the 100 freestyle (51.87). She also could swim on the top-seeded 200 freestyle relay and second-seeded medley relay.
Birmingham Seaholm senior Haley Dolan – Dolan won the 50 in 2016 and also swam on two championship relays. She’s seeded fourth in the 50 (24.05), 15th in the 100 and is an option on all three relays including the top-seeded medley.
Grosse Pointe South junior Clarice Fisher – She enters with the top seed in the butterfly (56.13) ahead of reigning champion Buchmaier, plus has the sixth seed in the breaststroke (1:07.13). Fisher was second in the butterfly and eighth in the IM last year.
East Grand Rapids junior Sydney Higgins – Last season’s backstroke champion in Division 3 brings more EGR star power back to Division 2; she’s seeded seventh in the backstroke (59.71) and will swim the IM and possibly two relays including the medley.
Rochester Adams junior Lisa Lohner – She finished ninth in the 500 and qualified in the 200 free in Division 1 last season, but is lined up for a big meet with the top seed in the 500 (4:58.49) and second seed in the 200 (1:52.80). She also could swim on the top-seeded 400 freestyle and second-seeded 200 freestyle relays.
Midland Dow sophomore Claire Newman – After finishing second in both the 50 and 100 freestyles as a freshman, Newman is expected to break through with at least one title. She’s seeded second in the 50 (23.69) behind Doctor and first in the 100 (51.44) ahead of her, plus could swim on the second-seeded 400 freestyle relay.
Dexter senior Annette Schultz – With a combined four individual and two relay championships over the last two seasons, Schultz enters as one of the anticipated stars again this weekend. She’s fourth-seeded in the 100 (52.49) and top-seeded in the 200 (1:52.73) freestyles as she attempts to win both for the third straight season.
Allison Steffin, Temperance Bedford senior – Steffin took sixth in the breaststroke and was part of a runner-up relay a year ago. She’s top-seeded in the breaststroke (1:05.09) and also will swim the IM.
Grosse Pointe North senior Sam Villani – After finishing third in the backstroke and sixth in the 100 freestyle in 2016, Villani has the sixth seed in the 100 (53.10) but the top seed in the backstroke (56.52).
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central junior Anna Hansen – The reigning Finals diving champion’s Regional score last week of 454.45 was more than 28 points higher than anyone else’s in Division 2. She won last year’s title by just more than six points over Fenton’s Taylor Shegos, a senior who also was a Regional champ last week.
LP Division 3 at Eastern Michigan University
Reigning champion: East Grand Rapids
2016 runner-up: Bloomfield Hills Marian
2017 top-ranked: 1. Bloomfield Hills Marian, 2. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 3. Holland Christian.
East Grand Rapids put up an incredible 512 points to win Division 3 a year ago, but is in Division 2 this weekend. But Marian put up a similarly impressive 364 points to finish second last year, 189 points ahead of the rest of the field. The Mustangs enter this weekend with four top seeds among their three relays and 13 individuals seeded to score. Cranbrook Kingswood, seventh last season, has three relays and nine individual swimmers seeded to score, and Holland Christian will attempt to move up from third last year with three relays and 11 swimmers seeded to score plus two divers competing.
Bloomfield Hills Marian senior Lauren Biglin – The reigning champion in both races is seeded first in the 200 (1:51.67) and 500 (5:04.80), the latter by nearly nine seconds. She also could swim on top-seeded 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
Milan senior Madelyn Cislo – She’s seeded to repeat as the champion in the IM, entering with a time of 2:05.95 that’s more than five seconds better than anyone else’s in Division 3. Cislo also is seeded second in the butterfly after finishing third last season.
South Haven freshman Ellie Frost – Arguably the fastest of a standout group of freshmen as this meet, Frost is seeded first in the 100 freestyle (53.21) and second in the 50 (24.21).
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep sophomore Rhianna Hensler – She had quite a debut last season, setting a meet record in the butterfly (56.21) and finishing 11th in the IM. Hensler is top-seeded in the butterfly (55.13) with a time that would break her record, and she’s also top-seeded in the 50 (23.76).
Grand Rapids Catholic Central senior Susan LaGrand – LaGrand finished second in both the butterfly and IM last season after winning both as a sophomore. LaGrand and Hensler both broke LaGrand’s meet record in the butterfly last year; LaGrand will try to finish back on top in that race and enters with the third seed (58.18) and the top seed in the backstroke (57.55).
St. Clair senior Molly Likins – After finishing second in the breaststroke and qualifying in the 50 last year, Likins will swim both races again and is seeded first in the breaststroke (1:05.26) by nearly three seconds. She also could swim on the second-seeded medley relay.
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood freshman Gwen Woodbury – Another standout freshman, Woodbury is seeded third in the 200 freestyle (1:54.85) and second in the 100 (53.31) only a tenth of a second behind Frost. She also could swim on any of relays including two seeded second.
Milan junior Mackenzie Crawford – The reigning diving champion won last year’s Final by more than 62 points, and her 431.25 at last week’s Regional was 64.5 points ahead of her field and the second highest in the division.
Wayland senior Allyson Schafer – She finished second in diving last season to Crawford, but posted the highest Regional score in the division last week at 449.15.
PHOTO: Swimmers launch during a race at last season's Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)