Performance: Sault Ste Marie's Aliah Robertson
February 23, 2018
Aliah Robertson
Sault Ste. Marie freshman – Swimming
At her first Upper Peninsula Finals on Saturday, Robertson didn’t just break two records – she “obliterated” them, quoting Sault Ste. Marie coach Steve Habusta’s description of the performance. Robertson swam the 100-yard butterfly in 59.27 seconds and the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.31, knocking more than two seconds off both previous meet records to earn the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.”
The breaststroke record Robertson broke had stood since 1994, while the previous best in butterfly was posted in 2006. Robertson also contributed to her team’s 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays, with her 50 to start the latter faster than the championship time in that sprint earlier in the meet. Both of her individual event times were Sault Ste. Marie program records as well, and Robertson also has the school’s fastest 200 individual medley in 2:16.28 – which, if swam Saturday, would have won another U.P. Finals title. She also has broken pool records all over the Upper Peninsula during her first high school season.
Robertson plays volleyball during the fall and this spring will join the track & field team and compete in pole vault. She also carries a 4.0 grade-point average. She said she enjoys a good challenge – and should be fun to follow the next three seasons as her times continue to pace the Upper Peninsula and approach the fastest in the Lower Peninsula as well.
Coach Steve Habusta said: “What makes Ali so special as a swimmer isn't her accomplishments. What makes her special is her drive and her character. Ali works as hard as any swimmer I have ever coached. She never complains, misses a set or even an interval. She works through pain, disappointment and fatigue and presses on to accomplish her goals. Her character is second to none; she always has a smile on her face, supports and leads her teammates and is a wonderful all-around kid. What Ali accomplished in the water this year is absolutely remarkable, but pales in comparison to who she is outside of the pool. … Ali's performance at U.P. Finals may be the best individual swimming performance in the history of the U.P., cementing her place as not just one of the best swimmers in the U.P. but one of the best female high school swimmers in all of Michigan.”
Performance Point: “I was pretty confident in what I could do, but I wasn't expecting to do as well as I did,” Robertson said. “I knew I was seeded first in everything, but I wasn't expecting to get the times that I did. I was really shocked. I've never swam that fast.”
Reaching expectations … and then some: “I was kinda just expecting to come in and swim, and next year or the years after that do a little bit better. … It just feels good to be the first one to do something like (breaking those records) in a long time. I'm really excited for the next couple years because there are a lot more freshmen coming up, so I think our relays are going to be pretty good.”
Thank you seniors: “The seniors on our team, they're really fun to be around. They’re really encouraging, so they're my role models on the team.”
Bright future: “Most of the time, the people from downstate are faster than the U.P., so it's good to be that close to the other times. My 100 breast, I really want to improve on that one. I'll probably stay with those two (events), but I want to try to do the 500 free. (My first 500 try) was an interesting race. I'm not really a distance swimmer. I'd like to try it again and see how much better I can do with it.”
Fearless in the pool or pole vault pit: “It's nice to be able to think that you can do things that not many other people can do. It just gives you a rush when you can complete something like that.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2017-18 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2017-18 honorees:
February 16: Austin O'Hearon, Eaton Rapids wrestling - Read
February 9: Sophia Wiard, Muskegon Oakridge basketball - Read
February 2: Brenden Tulpa, Hartland hockey - Read
January 25: Brandon Whitman, Dundee wrestling - Read
January 18: Derek Maas, Holland West Ottawa swimming - Read
January 11: Lexi Niepoth, Bellaire basketball - Read
November 30: La'Darius Jefferson, Muskegon football - Read
November 23: Ashley Turak, Farmington Hills Harrison swimming - Read
November 16: Bryce Veasley, West Bloomfield football - Read
November 9: Jose Penaloza, Holland soccer - Read
November 2: Karenna Duffey, Macomb L'Anse Creuse North cross country - Read
October 26: Anika Dy, Traverse City Central golf - Read
October 19: Andrew Zhang, Bloomfield Hills tennis - Read
October 12: Nolan Fugate, Grand Rapids Catholic Central football - Read
October 5: Marissa Ackerman, Munising tennis - Read
September 28: Minh Le, Portage Central soccer - Read
September 21: Olivia Theis, Lansing Catholic cross country - Read
September 14: Maddy Chinn, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball - Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Sault Ste. Marie’s Aliah Robertson swims a record-setting butterfly during Saturday’s Upper Peninsula Finals. (Middle) Robertson also set a meet record in the breaststroke. (Photos by Shari Robertson.)
Preview: Reigning Champs, Freshman Standouts Among Anticipated Pacesetters
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 21, 2024
Last season’s team champions are expected to continue building on their title streaks at this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming & Diving Finals.
Ann Arbor Pioneer is seeking a fifth-straight championship in Division 1, East Grand Rapids is seeking a second-straight in Division 3 but fourth consecutive overall, and Farmington Hills Mercy is favored to repeat in Division 2.
As always, several standouts also will contend for individual titles, with seniors and juniors dominating those conversations in all three divisions – but a pair of freshmen in Division 2 making major waves as well.
Competition begins at noon for Friday’s preliminaries and Saturday’s championships. Friday’s action will begin with swimming, with divers taking the pool approximately 3:30 p.m. at all three sites. Tickets cost $11 both days, and all three Finals will be streamed live on MHSAA.tv both days. Click for information on purchasing tickets, plus schedules and qualifiers for all three meets.
Lower Peninsula Division 1 at Holland Aquatic Center
Reigning champion: Ann Arbor Pioneer
2023 runner-up: Grand Haven
2024 top-ranked: 1. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 2. Jenison, 3. Northville.
Ann Arbor Pioneer has won four straight Division 1 championships, and another would give this recent group the second-longest title streak in program history behind the 2000-08 teams that won nine consecutive. Pioneer has all three relays and an incredible 26 individual entries seeded to score (among the top 16 in their respective races), plus three divers competing – so another title wouldn’t stun anyone. Jenison has been rising – finishing runner-up in Division 2 in 2022 and third in Division 1 a year ago – and should make a run at the top spots again. Jenison has all three relays and 13 individual entries seeded to score. Northville, the runner-up in 2022 and seventh last year, has all three relays and 10 individual entries seeded to score, plus a diver.
Makenzie Baldwin, Holland West Ottawa senior: She finished fourth in the 100-yard backstroke and fifth in the 200 freestyle last season, and she’s seeking her first championship seeded seventh in the 200 free but first in the backstroke (56.48).
Elizabeth Eichbrecht, West Bloomfield junior: She’s claimed the 200 and 500 freestyle championships both of her first two seasons, and she’s seeded first in both in 1:50.67 and 4:51.29, respectively – with the 500 time more than 14 seconds faster than the field.
Cambell Quijano, Rockford senior: After finishing 10th in the 100 butterfly and 13th in the 200 free as a junior, she’s replaced the 200 with the 100 backstroke and is seeded first in the butterfly (56.59).
Bailey Robinson, Bloomfield Hills sophomore: She debuted last season finishing sixth in the 50 freestyle and fourth in the 500, and she’s seeded first in both sprints this weekend with a 23.07 in the 50 and 50.25 in the 100 freestyle – the latter by nearly a second.
Sophia Umstead, Jenison senior: She’ll look to cap her high school career by adding to her two-year totals of four individual and four relay championships – including titles in Division 1 last season in the butterfly and 100 breaststroke and as part of the 200 free and medley relays. She enters this weekend with the top seeds in the 200 individual medley by more than six seconds (1:59.72) and by two seconds in the breaststroke (1:00.68), and she’s likely to swim on the top-seeded 200 medley relay (1:44.59) and second-seeded 200 free relay (1:36.56).
Ann Arbor Pioneer 200 freestyle relay: The Pioneers – potentially of seniors Ursula Ott and Reese Heidenreich, junior Katelyn Van Ryn and sophomore Cecilia Walusek – could make a run at the meet record of 1:32.85 swam by Jenison just last year. The Pioneers’ seed time is 1:33.54.
Tristan Krajcarski, Oxford senior: After finishing third last season – a little more than 25 points off the lead – Krajcarski posted the top qualifying score at her Regional (462.55) by more than 117 points, and her score was 71 points higher than any others in all of Division 1.
Lower Peninsula Division 2 at Oakland University
Reigning champion: Farmington Hills Mercy
2023 runner-up: Birmingham Seaholm
2024 top-ranked: 1. Farmington Hills Mercy, 2. Grosse Pointe South, 3. Birmingham Seaholm.
Mercy won last season’s championship by nearly 130 points and enters this weekend with all three relays and 19 individuals seeded to score, and three divers competing. Grosse Pointe South is seeking to move up from fifth a year ago and could with three relays and 14 individual entries seeded among the top 16 in their respective races. Seaholm is seeking to climb the podium again after most recently winning three straight Finals from 2019-21. The Maples have three relays and 14 individuals seeded to score, two more just outside the top 16 seeds in their events, and a diver competing.
Caroline Bryan, Grosse Pointe South freshman: She’ll make her Finals debut seeded first in the butterfly (55.47), second in the backstroke (57.29) and likely to swim on the second-seeded 400 freestyle (3:35.5) and 200 medley (1:47.98) relays.
Tess Heavner, Fenton senior: After winning the backstroke and IM last season, she’ll attempt to cap her high school career with two more titles seeded first in those races in 55.90 and 2:05.32, respectively.
Amelia Malarz, Midland Dow freshman: Another standout freshman, she’s seeded first in the breaststroke (1:04.24) by more than a second, third in the IM (2:08.13) and is likely to swim on two top-six relays.
Vera Roberson, Midland Dow sophomore: She debuted last year by finishing sixth in the 50 and eighth in the 100 freestyle and is expected to take a sizable jump, seeded first in both the 50 (23.70) and 100 (51.78) and also likely to swim on two top-six relays.
Adrienne Schadler, Ann Arbor Skyline sophomore: She seeded first in the 200 freestyle (1:48.61) by more than six seconds after winning the race last season as a freshman, and also seeded first in the 500 (4:53.63) by more than 14 seconds after finishing runner-up in that race a year ago.
Avery Tack, Farmington Hills Mercy sophomore: Her first Finals in 2023 saw her finish third in the 100 and 200 freestyles and swim on the winning 200 free relay and runner-up 400 free. She’s seeded second this time in the IM to Heavner (2:07.98) and in the butterfly to Bryan (56.26) and likely to swim on top-seeded 200 free (1:36.31) and 400 free (3:32.01) relays.
Bronwyn Minnick, East Lansing senior: She placed 10th last season but posted a 395.75 to win her Regional qualifier by 24.3 points with the highest score in all of Division 2.
Lower Peninsula Division 3 at Eastern Michigan University
Reigning champion: East Grand Rapids
2023 runner-up: Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
2024 top-ranked: 1. East Grand Rapids, 2. Holland Christian, 3. Bloomfield Hills Marian.
East Grand Rapids has won three straight Finals championships – in Division 3 last year and 2021, and in Division 2 in 2022 – and enters this weekend with three relays and 19 individuals seeded to score, and two divers competing. All three relays are seeded first, as are four of those individual race entries. Holland Christian finished fifth last season after placing second two years ago, and will hope to move back up with three relays and six individual entries seeded to score and three divers. Marian won Division 3 in 2022 and finished third a year ago, and will attempt to make its move with three relays and eight individuals seeded to score, plus a pair of divers.
Ellery Chandler, East Grand Rapids junior: She added the breaststroke championship and two relay wins last season to her Division 2 relay title from 2022, and is seeded first this time in the breaststroke (1:04.91) and butterfly (57.33) and slated to swim on the top-seeded 200 medley (1:48.29) and 200 freestyle (1:37.73) relays.
Ella Dziobak, Dearborn Divine Child junior: She’s the two-time reigning champion in the 500 and seeded first in that race in 5:08.30, and also seeded third in the 200 free (1:56.76) after finishing third in that race a year ago.
Scarlet Maison, Standish-Sterling senior: She placed third in the IM and fifth in the breaststroke last season and will enter this weekend seeded first in the IM (2:08.53) and fifth in the breaststroke as she attempts to add to her championship in the IM won in 2021.
Camryn Siegers, Holland Christian sophomore: The reigning champion in the backstroke and runner-up in the 100 freestyle is seeded this time first in both the 50 (23.58) and backstroke (56.40).
Kate Simon, East Grand Rapids senior: She’s won a combined two individual and five relay championships over her first three seasons and is the reigning title winner in the 100 and 200 freestyles. She’s seeded first in both by significant margins, at 50.92 in the 100 and 1:49.24 in the 200, and she’s also expected to swim on the 200 and 400 free relays.
Laney Woof, Wayland junior: She’s seeded second in the 50 (24.03) and third in the 100 freestyle (54.01) after winning the 50 last season and finishing third in the 100.
Anna McAllister, Chelsea sophomore: Last season’s fourth-place finisher scored a 379.80 to win her Regional qualifier by 41.3 points and outpace the field in all of Division 3 by 12.25 points.
PHOTO Fenton’s Tess Heavner swims to the championship in the 200 individual medley during last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)