Pioneers' Title 21 Comes with EGR 1st
November 18, 2017
By Butch Harmon
Special for Second Half
HOLLAND – During his career as head coach of the East Grand Rapids girls swimming & diving team, Butch Briggs has led the Pioneers to 21 MHSAA Finals championships.
Briggs and his Pioneers brought home number 21 from the Holland Aquatic Center on Saturday, and it happened to be unique as it was East’s first-ever in Lower Peninsula Division 2.
East Grand Rapids totaled 396 points, followed by Dexter with 241 and Rochester Adams in third with 205.
“This one is special because it’s the first one our program (boys and girls) has ever won in Division 2,” Briggs said. “I have a lot of respect for the Division 2 schools, and winning this is special.”
The title also meant plenty to East’s senior class. East Grand Rapids graduated a special class of seniors last spring, and this year’s class stepped up to fill the leadership roles.
“We graduated a lot of seniors last year, so we had to step up to the plate,” said East Grand Rapids senior captain Ashley Ward. “We are all super supportive of each other and have such great energy together. To win this title is awesome. It’s the first time our team has ever won Division 2, and it is real special.”
A total team effort played a big role in East Grand Rapids’ title. East won two of the three relays and placed second in the lone relay it did not win.
East’s 200 medley relay started the Finals with a win as the team, comprised of seniors Sophia Layton, Ileah Doctor, Marie Lehman and Ward turned in a time of 1:44.76. East Grand Rapids also captured the 200 freestyle relay as the team of Lehman, Eve Doctor, Laura Levine and Ileah Doctor touched the wall in 1:33.40, establishing a new Division 2 meet record.
Ileah Doctor, a senior, also claimed a pair of individual titles. She won the 50-yard freestyle in a meet record time of 22.19 and won the 100 freestyle in a record time of 49.59.
Plenty of work in the preseason put Doctor, who will be swimming at the Indiana University, in position to claim the two titles.
“I did a lot of sprints in the pool and lots of weight training, which was something I didn’t start until last year,” Doctor said. “I think I was at my best today. We also did our best as a team. This team just doesn’t like to lose.”
East Grand Rapids senior Marie Lehman, who was part of the two relays wins, claimed an individual title. Lehman won the 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:04.50, adding to the list of titles won by this year’s senior class.
“We lost a great senior class last year,” Briggs said, “but this year’s group of seniors have stepped up. It’s been another great senior class, and to win a Division 2 state title is very special for this group.”
Dexter, winner of the 2015 Division 2 title and runner-up last year, was led by a talented senior of its own. Annette Schultz won the 200-yard freestyle for a third straight season with a time of 1:49.30.
“It’s definitely exciting to win it a third time,” Schultz said, “and it’s so exciting to be here with our team. This is something I’ve trained for, and it means a lot.”
Schultz, who will be swimming at the University of Louisville, teamed up with fellow seniors Sarah Zofchak, Grace Kacmarek and Amelia Kinnard to win the 400 free relay in a time of 3:31.09.
Royal Oak senior Julia Boswell took first place in the 200 IM. Boswell, who will swim at (SUNY) University at Buffalo, had never placed in the 200 IM before but turned in a time of 2:04.86 to take first place this year.
“Winning it this year is a huge accomplishment for me,” Boswell said. “I won the 500 last year, but I’ve never placed in the 200. It’s very special. I had a lot of family here supporting me, and this feels real good.”
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, the fifth-place team, had a pair of individual champions.
In the diving competition, senior Colleen Kramer capped a successful high school diving career with her first Finals title. Kramer, who was a gymnast for 10 years, first began diving as a freshman. After placing eighth her freshman year, Kramer took second as a sophomore and third as a junior before winning this year with a score of 424.25.
“My final dive was the last competitive dive I will ever do because I’m not going to dive in college,” Kramer said. “I was glad to go out with a dive like that. I’m going through so many emotions right now. My last dive was one of my best all season, and I was very happy with it. It’s been an incredible four years. I needed to be golden on all 11 of my dives this weekend, and I did it.”
Forest Hills Central senior Felicity Buchmaier also captured a title, in the 100 butterfly with a time of 54.80, winning that race for the third time at the Finals.
“This one was definitely special,” Buchmaier said. “Any time you win a state title is a surprise and special. This was just as exciting as the first time I won it.”
Buchmaier, who will be continuing her swimming career at North Carolina State, also took first place in the 100 backstroke with a time of 55.90.
For third-place Rochester Adams, junior Lisa Lohner led the way as she won the 500 freestyle in a time of 4:59.78. Lohner trailed for most of the race before coming on strong in the final 50 yards to edge Boswell by less than one second.
“I usually start out that way,” Lohner said. “I usually start my kick in the final 50 yards and catch people. I knew I could catch her.”
PHOTOS: (Top) East Grand Rapids’ Marie Lehman pushes through on the way to winning the 100 breaststroke. (Middle) Royal Oak’s Julia Boswell won the 200 individual medley this season after winning the 500 freestyle title in 2016. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
For Emerging Cranbrook, Time is Now
November 18, 2017
By Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half
YPSILANTI – A young team with a promising future became an MHSAA champion Saturday at the Michael H. Jones Natatorium at Eastern Michigan University.
The Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood girls swimming & diving team, led by four freshmen, a sophomore and three juniors, stormed to the Lower Peninsula Division 3 championship with 292 points while Bloomfield Hills Marian was second with 207 and Grand Rapids Catholic Central was third with 199.
Although Cranbrook Kingswood was ranked No. 2 coming into the meet, winning the title might have seemed a little out of reach.
“That’s what makes this even more special, because I don’t think they were expecting it,” said Cranes coach Chris Bagley, who was named the Coach of the Year by the state coaches association. “They didn’t know it was possible until we got here.”
Bagley conceded he wasn’t planning on winning the title this year, either.
“I knew these girls were coming, but I didn’t know this was coming,” he said. “We knew we had a fast group, and we knew we were going to be competitive, but to swim the way we did was just a genuine shock.
“We sort of had it played out in our head that we could get close to some team records and maybe win a relay if we were lucky, but to swim the way we did was a blessing.”
A turning point came early. After finishing second in the meet-opening 200-yard medley relay, freshman Gwen Woodbury edged senior Lauren Biglin of Bloomfield Hills Marian in the 200 freestyle in 1 minute, 51.77 seconds. Biglin was the defending champion in the event, and Marian came into the meet ranked No. 1 in Division 3.
“It was a big one and set the tone and said we can swim with anybody,” Bagley said. “It was her best time by over a second, too. We were really excited.”
Woodbury had a hand in all four of the Cranes’ race championships. In addition to two individual events, Woodbury swam the anchor leg on two relays and twice came from behind to win the event.
But it all started in the 200 freestyle.
“I didn’t think I was going to pull it out in the 200 free,” Woodbury said. “I was behind in the first 50, and we were head to head in the second 50. She began to come on in the third 50, and that last turn I had this energy inside of me. It wasn’t even like it was happening, it was like a dream, and I just put my head down and raced and I beat her.
“It boosted my confidence so much, and the team hugged me after, and I just started crying. It made me so happy and so confident.”
Her win gave the Cranes a shot of confidence as well.
“It was the momentum of the meet and the attitude,” said freshman Justine Murdock, who took second in the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke and also swam on the 200 medley relay that placed second. “When Jordan (Murrell) won the consolation final in the 200 free, then Gwen out-touched the Marian girl in the final, it gave the vibe for all of us to put in the work and get the outcome that we wanted.”
Woodbury added a first in the 100 freestyle (51.53 seconds). In the 200 freestyle relay, Woodbury was third when she hit the water, and she swam the last 50 in 23.46 seconds – the best leg of any swimmer in that relay and better than the time that won the individual 50 championship.
Woodbury then finished the meet in style. This time, in the 400 freestyle relay, she hit the water in second place, and her time of 51.36 seconds edged her winning time in the 100.
Clearly, she was on a mission in those relays.
“When we talk about swimming for the team, she’s the best at that,” Bagley said. “It is very easy to tell how much she loves this team. When she was on the middle school team, she did great on the end of the relays and she translated it to here and she’s doing great on the relays.
“She just loves swimming for Cranbrook and these girls.”
Although just a freshman, Woodbury has earned the respect of the more experienced swimmers on the team.
“I am amazingly proud of this girl,” said junior Camille Misra, who swam the third leg on the winning 400 freestyle relay team and the first leg on the second-place 200 medley relay, She also was fifth in the 100 backstroke and seventh in the 200 IM.
“I’ve been swimming with her for years and to see the results that she gets is because she is one of the most hard-working people I’ve ever seen,” Misra said. “To see what she accomplished as a freshman is unbelievable. She has the greatest future.”
Woodbury’s performance was impressive, but a team can’t win an MHSAA Finals title with just one swimmer. Murrell, a junior, won the consolation races in both the 100 and 200 freestyle to take ninth in each event, and she swam the first leg on both winning relay teams.
“I am very amazed at the outcome of everyone’s hard work and the ability to swim so fast and come together like this,” she said. “I honestly did not think it would happen, and to have it happen like this and be just such a power grab, I love it.”
Charlotte Trunsky, another freshman, swam the second leg on both winning relays and was 12th in the 200 freestyle and 15th in the 100 freestyle. Junior Sydney Allison swam the third leg on the winning 200 freestyle relay and was the anchor on the second-place 200 medley relay team. She also was 12th in the 50 freestyle and 13th in the 100 butterfly.
Another freshman who scored for the Cranes was Hale Oal, who swam the second leg on the second-place 200 medley relay and was sixth in both the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke. Junior Cate Hofley won a pair of consolation races as she was ninth in the 200 IM and ninth in the 500 freestyle.
While Cranbrook Kingswood dominated, there were other great efforts. Grand Rapids Catholic senior Susan LaGrand was named Swimmer of the Year in the division by the coaches association after she swam the first leg of the winning 200 medley relay and won the 100 backstroke. The victory in the 100 backstroke was her third career individual Finals title over three different events. She also won two years ago in the 200 IM and 100 butterfly.
“I’ve gone through so many events trying to find what’s my thing, so I think it’s just kind of coming around and figuring out what I should have been doing all along,” said LaGrand, who is headed to Oakland University to swim. “Now, my favorite is the backstroke. I used to hate backstroke, but once I learned how to swim it this summer in my club season I came to love it.”
Freshman Lauren Ryle and seniors Hannah DeBoer and Nicole Rotelle joined LaGrand on the winning relay team.
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep sophomore Rhianna Hensler was a two-time champion and defended her title in the 100 butterfly and set a Division 3 meet record in 55.67 seconds, narrowly edging Milan senior Madelyn Cislo, who also broke the existing Division 3 record in 55.90. Hensler also won the 50 freestyle in 23.78.
“It feels so good because of all the training that’s gone into these two races and have it pay off like that,” Hensler said. “In the butterfly, it was pretty close. I just looked at the scoreboard at the end.”
While Cislo did not get the title in the butterfly, she did repeat as champion in the 200 IM as her time of 2:05.01 was more than four seconds faster than that of the runner-up Murdock.
“It is hard not having someone pushing you right next to you, but you just have to dig inside to find that power to keep you going,” said Cislo, who also finished second in the 100 butterfly and will go to Oakland and become teammates with LaGrand.
Biglin, whose bid to repeat in the 200 freestyle was foiled by Woodbury, did repeat as champion in the 500 freestyle as she won in 5:04.69.
“I felt like I let down my team in the 200, so I wanted to come back and show my team that we’re still in this to win,” Biglin said. “It’s great to know that all the hard work has paid off. I was just swimming out there for my team.”
St. Clair senior Molly Likins was the other individual winner in swimming, taking the 100 breaststroke in 1:02.88.
Milan junior Mackenzie Crawford repeated in diving with 463.75 points to outdistance runner-up Allyson Schafer of Wayland (418.79). With the title practically secured going into the final dive, Crawford nailed a forward 2½ somersault that had a 2.6 degree of difficulty. She scored 58.50 on the dive as one judge gave her an 8.0, another a 7.0 and the other five all were at 7.5.
“I always put that dive last because it needs a lot of adrenalin for me to hit, so when it’s last it really pumps me up,” said Crawford, whose coach Chelsea Laginess was named Diving Coach of the Year while Crawford was named Diver of the Year in the division. “I went in the water and had a huge relief. It’s so peaceful and quiet in the water, and it’s so loud in here. It’s stressful until I hit the water, and then it’s all quiet.
“Winning is way better this year. Last year, I was kind of young, but it feels like such a long time ago, and this year I’ve learned a lot of new dives, and I got to show them all off. This year it really felt like it paid off.”
Just like it all paid off for the young Cranbrook Kingswood team – a team that did not want to wait for its future promise to be fulfilled.
“There’s no time like the present,” said Cranes sophomore Murrell.
And no better place than Eastern Michigan University. Five years ago, Cranbrook Kingswood won the MHSAA title at the Michael J. Jones Natatorium, a place where the Cranes are making some fantastic memories.
“I don’t know if I ever thought I’d have a better team than that team, but this one outdid them,” Bagley said. “They broke all the records that were broke at that meet. Now we just have to stay the course.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Cranbrook Kingswood swimmer Gwen Woodbury high-fives an opponent after a race Saturday. (Middle) A Grand Rapids Catholic Central athlete swims the breaststroke. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)