Ogemaw Heights Record-Setter Showing Path to Success with 3rd Finals Trip

By Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com

November 18, 2022

When Kiera Danitz leaves the blocks during this weekend’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 Swimming & Diving Championships, it will feel pretty familiar to her.

The Ogemaw Heights junior has already experienced qualifying and competing at the Finals twice.

But she will experience some unfamiliarity this time too. She won’t have her training partner and teammate of the past two seasons, Clair Hines, with her. However, Danitz is going into this Finals as the fastest swimmer the school and conference has ever produced in her two events, the 50 and 100-yard freestyles.

She didn’t reach the LPD3 championship heats the last two seasons, but is expected to do so this weekend – and contend for titles in both races. She enters as the top seed in the 50 and the second seed in the 100.

Long before this season, Danitz already was listed on the Falcons’ pool wall record boards with Hines in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. With Hines moving on to swim for Aquinas College this year – she’s already set a Saints record – Danitz lost a training partner.  

That didn’t slow her down, thankfully, according to her coach Louise Hofer.

“The two of them were very good friends and really good swimming partners, pushing each other,” Hofer said. “This is the first year that Kiera is without her, and she has had to step up her game a little bit and be more of the swimming leader on the team.  

“She’s done a fantastic job in the water motivating the other girls to do the best they can.”

So far this fall, Danitz has broken records that stood for more than 20 years in both the 50 and 100. She also broke the Ogemaw Heights pool record in 50.

The school and conference 50 free records were set at the recent Independent Swim Conference championships – she won in 24.15 seconds. The conference 100 free record of 53:41 also was set during the two-day event held at Saginaw Valley State University. For her record-setting accomplishments, Danitz was named the ISC Swimmer of the Meet. Those are also her seed times for this weekend.

Danitz and coach Louise Hofer stand over the broken school record board listings Danitz’s times will replace. Swimming against the state’s best could bring out the best in Danitz, who started competing in the water in fourth grade when her mother suggested she give it a try.

“As a swimmer, she always does better when she’s in the hunt, when she’s a little bit behind,” Hofer pointed out. “If she’s got somebody that she can see their toes or she can see their shoulders or whatever, she is going to push herself much harder than if she is way out front.”

The lessons learned from the last two Finals should also bode well for the decorated junior.

“It was such a valuable learning experience for her,” Hofer said. “It has just bolstered her confidence.” 

Regardless of how things go this weekend, Danitz already has plans to re-write the record books next year. She’s ready to do the work to improve on her own records and go after a couple more her senior year.

“I want to break the 200 IM record and maybe the 200 free records,” she said. “I am hoping for my 50 free to get a 23 (seconds) and I hope to get a 52 by the end of my senior year.”

Danitz’s success has been well supported by her teammates, and in fact may lead to other records being broken on both the boys and the girls teams.

Having recognizable names makes the records more attainable and provides motivation, the 21-year veteran coach Hofer believes.   

“They’re very definitely paying attention to the new names going on the wall because these are kids that they know,” Hofer said. “You can see it in the kids’ eyes when they stand there and look at stuff.

“You can see the wheels spinning in their head,” she continued. “And they’re thinking, ‘OK … I know her… I know what (level) of work she put in … I can do it too.’”

Reese Engel and Alejandra Azcona are the other members of the school-record 200 relay team with Danitz and Hines. Jordan Nelson and Azcona join them on the wall for the 400 relay.

Hofer likes the idea of Danitz going after the 200 IM record. She had Danitz try that race a few times this year for a little variety.

“Kiera wants to improve upon those before she leaves,” Hofer said. “We dabbled with the 200. 

“It was good for her to swim some other events and not be so laser-focused at every competition swimming the 50 and 100.”

Hofer is confident her stellar swimmer will do whatever it takes to meet those goals.

“Kiera is motivated, and she’s super competitive,” Hofer said. “She’s willing to do the work, and she knows what kind of work she needs to do.”

Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.

PHOTOS (Top) Ogemaw Heights’ Kiera Danitz pops up from the water happy after touching the wall first during one of her races at the Independent Swim Conference championship meet. (Middle) Danitz and coach Louise Hofer stand over the broken 50 freestyle record board listings Danitz’s times will replace. (Top photo by Justin Kruskie Photography. Middle photo by Christine Rice.)

East Grand Rapids Dominates From Start to Finish in Earning Title 27

By Brad Emons
Special for MHSAA.com

November 23, 2024

YPSILANTI – Winning MHSAA Finals championships has become standard operating procedure for the East Grand Rapids girls swimming & diving program.

The top-ranked Pioneers did it again Saturday, earning their fourth consecutive crown while giving coach Milton Briggs his 27th title in 50 years by scoring a whopping 407 points to outdistance Bloomfield Hills Marian (173) and St. Joseph (166) at Eastern Michigan University’s Jones Natatorium.

East Grand Rapids has now captured a total of 10 Division 3, 15 Class B and pair of D2 titles under Briggs, who has been at the helm for the Pioneers for a half-century.

“This group came in as a group; they stay together” Briggs said. “They allowed the freshmen to mature, and they accepted each other’s values. We just always made sure they were on track. There’s usually a lot of drama that goes on with a girls team. This one didn’t have any. They were absolutely wonderful to work with.”

The Pioneers swept all three relays, while senior Kate Simon and junior Ellery Chandler each figured in four firsts with two individual titles apiece.

Simon now has a combined four individual and eight relay titles over four years after sweeping the 100- and 200-yard freestyles in 50.6 seconds (meet record) and 1:48.19, respectively.

East Grand Rapids’ Ellery Chandler swims the breaststroke during Friday’s preliminaries at Oakland University.She was also the lead-off leg on the victorious 200 freestyle relay (1:36.24) followed by junior Nora Camfferman, senior Gracie Putnam and Chandler.

The quartet of Camfferman, sophomore Ivey Chu, senior Sarah Lincolnhol and Simon capped off the meet by holding off St. Joseph to win in the 400 freestyle relay (3:37.01).

“It was my goal going into the weekend. I’m happy with it,” Simon said. “It’s been so fun, I’ve had a lot of fun with my teammates and spent the weekend with my best friends, made lots of memories. I think our coach Coach Briggs really makes this team special. I’m honored to be coached by him. He’s really the best, and I look up to him so much.”

Meanwhile, Chandler took the 100 butterfly (56.07) and 100 breaststroke (1:02.86), while also teaming up with sophomore Meredith Sperling, sophomore Addie Hein and Putnam (1:46.40) in the 200 medley relay.

Chandler also had won the breaststroke last season.

“It was definitely so fun, especially being with the team,” Chandler said. “Everyone just has such a good time with everyone, and that’s what it makes it so much fun. There were a little bit of nerves, especially being close to different records and stuff. That’s probably challenging, going into those (to) try and see if we can get them.”

Hein also made her mark by winning the 200 individual medley in 2:06.71.

Another individual double winner was Holland Christian sophomore Camryn Siegers, who captured the 50 freestyle (23.19) while also repeating in the 100 backstroke (55.69).

She helped Holland Christian to a fifth-place team finish.

“Last year I got a gold and a silver, so I came back this year hoping to get two golds and I did that, so I’m very happy with it,” she said. “I still have some work to do, I have big meet in a couple of weeks, so I have another chance to get those.

Chelsea’s Anna McAllister dives during Friday evening’s first rounds. “I think we did really well. We lost a lot of good seniors last year, but we really stepped up this year.”

Another swimmer who made her mark once again was Dearborn Divine Child junior Ella Dziobak, who defended her title in the 500 freestyle (5:12.74) after going a fast 5:03.24 in the prelims. She was also part of two relays that scored for the Falcons.

“I was happy to be able to score some points for DC even though it wasn’t as fast as I went yesterday,” Dziobak said. “I had some goals; I didn’t necessarily reach them, but I’m happy I scored some points and our relays did really well, so ... it’s exciting. I think people at school are going to be pretty excited.”

The meet’s other individual winner was Chelsea sophomore Anna McAllister, who improved upon last year’s fourth-place finish with a victory in the 1-meter diving as she scored 407.40 points. McAllister, who began competitive diving with she was age 7, was the favorite going in.

But the day belonged to the Pioneers, who entered as the prohibitive favorite after winning three straight team titles – in Division 3 last year and 2021, along with D2 in 2022. Coming out of Friday’s prelims, they were seeded first in all three relays and four individual races.

Briggs credits the team’s success to his two assistant coaches – Gwen Barnes, a former EGR swimmer in her fourth year, along with Josh Dolecki, who is in his second season.

With them, EGR has put together a successful year-round program.

“They swim all year; that’s the biggest thing,” Briggs said. “Josh (Dolecki) does our age-group program that keeps going the rest of the year. This win can be dedicated to our age-group swim team because most of the kids who scored came out of there. And those two girls (Simon and Chandler) will do anything to make the team better.”

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) East Grand Rapids’ Ellery Chandler swims the breaststroke during Friday’s preliminaries at Oakland University. (Middle) Dearborn Divine Child’s Ella Dziobak swims the 500 prelim. (Below) Chelsea’s Anna McAllister dives during Friday evening’s first rounds. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)