'Powerhouse' Gladstone Girls Take Back Title
February 17, 2018
By Ryan Stieg
Special for Second Half
MARQUETTE – It takes a team effort to win an Upper Peninsula swimming & diving title, and that was definitely true for the Gladstone girls team Saturday.
The Braves were facing some stiff competition from Marquette and reigning champion Houghton. But Gladstone got a record-breaking time from its 200-yard medley relay and a win in the 200 freestyle relay to push it over the top.
The Braves finished with 303 points, well ahead of the Redettes (273) and Gremlins (237).
“I’m really proud of the girls,” Gladstone coach Tom Desy said. “The girls swam very well today. The 200 medley relay set a U.P. (Finals) record by over two seconds, so that was a great start for us. That was pretty awesome, then the 200 free relay, we missed (a U.P. Finals record) by a tenth of a second. So it was just a great day.”
Desy also led the Braves to a championship in 2016, but said this one meant more because he didn’t anticipate it happening.
“This one is better because this one was kind of unexpected,” he said. “They swam great, so this was a good surprise.”
The Redettes did everything they could to win. Marquette took first in six of the 12 events including the 400-yard freestyle relay.
“I think they did amazing,” Marquette coach Nathan McFarren said. “It was heartbreaking to have one of our top swimmers out with the flu. We can’t be upset with it either because wherever I needed them, they performed.
“They also had a great taper and some amazing swims. Gladstone is a powerhouse this year, and Tom did a great job with that crew. Their first relay breaking the record was incredible. I’m proud of U.P. swimming in that sense because without that competition, without those things happening, my swimmers don’t get better either.”
Mollie Kilpela won both the 50 and 100 freestyles for Marquette, while Erin Vanderschaaf took home titles in the 500 free and 200 individual medley. Lexi LaCombe was the last Redettes champion, as she finished first in the 100 backstroke.
Houghton won only one event with Samantha Olson finishing first in the 200 free, but Gremlins coach Erik Johnson liked what he saw from his team.
“I thought the girls did really well,” he said. “They had a lot of great swims and everybody, for the most part, dropped their times. That’s all you can really ask for. Gladstone was loaded this year, and Tom does a great job with his team. Marquette also had a good team. I’m really happy that they were able to finish third this year.”
Kingsford finished fourth overall with 121 points, and Sault Ste. Marie took fifth at 100. The Blue Devils’ Aliah Robertson won the 100 butterfly (59.27) and 100 breaststroke (1:06.31) and set U.P. Finals records in both events.
“Our freshman, Ali, really stepped up today with two U.P. records,” Sault Ste. Marie coach Steve Habusta said. “That doesn’t happen often. For her to beat two of the oldest records on the board by almost two seconds is just unheard of.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Marquette and Gladstone swimmers launch during a race at Saturday’s Upper Peninsula Finals. (Middle) Sault Ste. Marie’s Aliah Robertson completes her record swim in the 100 breaststroke. (Photos by Daryl Jarvinen/Jarvinen Photos.)
Pioneer Seniors Cap Careers By Leading Team to 3rd-Straight Finals Title
By
Tim Robinson
Special for MHSAA.com
November 19, 2022
ROCHESTER — Ann Arbor Pioneer girls swimming coach Stefanie Kerska got her way in Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 championship meet.
The Pioneers won eight events in getting out to a big lead early, and on the way to winning their third-consecutive Finals championship.
Pioneer finished with 322 points, 104 more than second-place Northville.
"I like that a lot,” she said with a grin. "People think close ones are great, but not for the coaches. We worked really hard to establish a lead, and these girls earned it.”
It was the 19th overall title for Pioneer, one of Division 1’s premier programs, but it wasn’t a given going into the season, not after the Pioneers graduated an outstanding senior class after last season.
"I’m just so proud of this team in general,” Pioneer senior captain Sophia Guo said. "We had some big shoes to fill coming into this meet, and I think we really stepped up to the plate. I know me along with the other seniors were so happy this was the way we got to end our high school careers. I’m just so proud of us.
“We had to swim with our hearts today,” Guo continued. "We swam for each other, and I really think that made the difference.”
Among the difference-makers was Stella Chapman, who set a meet record in the backstroke and won the individual medley; Lucy Mehraban, who was on two winning relays, won the 50 freestyle and finished second to Guo in the 100 freestyle, and Kate Van Ryn, a freshman who was on three winning relays.
“To put a ninth-grader in with that kind of pressure was ... I would like to say a gamble. But it wasn’t,” Kerska said. "I knew her preparation was thorough, she was up to the challenge and she really came through for her team.”
Another freshman who made a big splash was West Bloomfield’s Elizabeth Eichbrecht, who won both the 200 and 500 freestyles.
Northville finished second for the second consecutive year. Among the team leaders was Emily Roden, who ended her career the same way she started it, winning the 100 butterfly.
"I really dialed in on my training, and I knew what I had to do,” Roden said. "I focused a lot more, focused out of the water, and enjoyed it more. We have a great team and I had a lot of fun, and it helped me this year.”
Saline senior Alice English won the diving competition after finishing second last year.
"My goal was constant improvement since my freshman year, so to get first was really nice,” she said, noting a slow start in Friday’s preliminaries. "Yesterday wasn’t my day, but I pulled it out today and I’m really happy with it.”
After accepting the championship trophy, the Pioneers joined hands and leaped into the diving pool together, followed closely by their coaches.
For Kerska, winning a third title in a row was anything but old hat.
"The pressure mounts a little bit each year to try and outdo the year before, but no, it never gets old,” she said. "These girls, from day 1, stepped up, took the reins and really took responsibility of the tradition that we have going here and never looked back.”
And, as a result, Guo and her fellow seniors finished their careers with three team state titles.
“It’s a great feeling,” she said. ‘We all worked so hard, and it really showed today."
PHOTOS (Top) Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Sophia Guo, right, embraces teammate Lucy Mehraban after their 100-yard freestyle race Saturday. (Middle) Saline’s Alice English dives on the way to winning that event after finishing second a year ago. (Below) Livonia Stevenson’s McKenzie Siroky swims to a repeat in the breaststroke. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)