Byron Center Posts Best Finals Finish for 2nd-Straight Season - This Time as Champion
March 14, 2026
YPSILANTI — A year after finishing second to a Detroit U-D Jesuit team that celebrated its first MHSAA Finals title, the roles were happily reversed for Byron Center on Saturday.
This time, it was Byron Center’s turn to bask in the glory of history, as it celebrated its first team championship at the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Boys Swimming & Diving Finals at Eastern Michigan University.
The Bulldogs finished with a meet-best 338 points, 22 better than U-D Jesuit. Dexter (173), Portage Central (164) and Birmingham Groves (144) rounded out the top five.
“Swimming fast and having fun. That’s what it’s all about,” Byron Center head coach Holly Morren said. “Just focusing on ourselves. We know what we’ve done all season, and we have a group that’s been together for a long time working hard for it. Just super proud of them. Always knew they were capable of it. It’s really fun to be here experiencing it now.”
Byron Center placed first in four events, getting individual wins from senior Carter Nelson in the 500 freestyle (4:31.06) and junior Ryder Nichols in the 100 breaststroke (55.56).
The Bulldogs also captured two of the three relays. In the 400 free relay, the team of Caleb Meginley (24.79), Nichols (24.82), Jackson Schumuker (22.81) and Graeden Standforf (21.16) won in a time of 1:33.58. The 200 free relay was taken by the team of Standorf (21.87), Schumuker (21.32), Brady Beauch (21.12) and Lucas Ritsema (20.43) in a time of 1:24.74.
“That was the best swim of my life,” Nelson said about his win in the 500. “(I wanted to) go out fast, hold on, see what I could do.”
The meet’s individual standout was Birmingham Seaholm senior Elliot Rijnovean, who won two more titles to bring his career total to six before he heads off to a college career at Indiana.
Rijnovean made it three straight in the 100 butterfly, claiming the event this time in 47.97 seconds. There was a different twist to Rijnovean’s success this year, though.
He also had won the 100 backstroke at the last two Finals, but decided not to swim that event his year in favor of competing in the 50 free.
“I was trying to go for the state record in the 50 free since I already had it in the 100 back,” Rijnovean said. “It was a fun challenge that I ultimately failed at, but still enjoyed taking on. I was glad to win but a bit disappointed after I came up short of the record.”
The overall Finals record in the 50 free is 19.86 set in 2019 by Cam Peel of Spring Lake. The Division 2 meet record of 20.09 was set in 2011 by Clay Youngquist of Battle Creek Lakeview. Seeded third, Rijnovean topped this year’s field in a time of 20.31.
U-D Jesuit junior Charlie McCuiston also had a strong meet, winning the 200 freestyle in 1:38.01 and contributing to the Cubs’ first-place 400 free relay. He swam a 44.37 during the relay and was joined for that race by Jack McCuiston (46.44), Miles Lobley (49.05) and Cooper Masters (47.64) with a winning time of 3:07.50.
“I love the atmosphere here. It was a great race, great time, I’m very happy with it,” McCuiston said of his 200 free. “I definitely wanted to compete. I think I’m a very competitive person, so that was a big thing, to compete with everybody and hit those paces. That was a big goal for me, to hit those paces and go that time.”
Other individual winners on the day were Birmingham Groves senior Nathan Stebbins in the 200 individual medley in a time of 1:49.46, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central senior Lucas Witham in the 100 free in a time of 44.84, and Dexter junior Anthony Kopinski in the 100 backstroke in a time of 51.05. Battle Creek Lakeview senior Peyton Elder won the diving competition with 495.85 points.
PHOTOS (Top) Byron Center's Caleb Meginley races during Saturday's Division 2 Finals. (Middle) U-D Jesuit's Jack McCuiston charges forward in the butterfly. (Below) Forest Hills Central's Lucas Witham launches at the start of the 100 freestyle. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Seaholm Shows Full Power of Team in Title Surge
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
March 27, 2021
JENISON – It seems a stretch to compare winning a state swimming & diving championship with an elephant, but it makes perfect sense to Tom Wyllie.
In fact, that's how Wyllie explains how his deep Birmingham Seaholm team won Saturday's Lower Peninsula Division 2 meet despite gaining only one first place in an event. Seaholm finished with 267.5 points to 222 for runner-up Grosse Pointe South.
"We have a lot of depth, and it's a team sport," said Wyllie, whose Maples won their fourth team title in 10 years. "I've said this a lot to the kids over the years, that when it looks like there is an obstacle, I ask them 'How do you eat an elephant?' The answer is you take one bite at a time. Everyone took a big bite of the elephant today. It was truly about a team effort and camaraderie."
Detroit U-D Jesuit was third with 180 points, Ann Arbor Skyline fourth with 179 and Dexter fifth with 153.
Seaholm's only first place actually came on Friday when Kam Liberman won the diving with a score of 523.15. One of 12 seniors on the team, Liberman agreed with Wyllie that depth is directly tied to the team's success.
"It's a team sport, it's not about individuals. We have lots of depth, and I think we swam our best of the season. Everyone made a lot of drops in time," said Liberman, who was seeded No. 1. "My goal was to hold out. The No. 2 guy was never far away, and I just wanted to stay consistent."
The next highest Seaholm individual placer was Tom Girdler with a second in the 100 breaststroke while Cami Wilson was third in the 100 butterfly. The 200 and 400 free relays both took thirds.
Wyllie said his present team differed from last year's club which would have been in the hunt for a title if not for the interruption of the COVID outbreak.
"Last year we would have been happy being in the top three," he said. "Farmington was a beast last year, and we expected them to take the title."
Jesuit's Drew Collins won the 100 backstroke (49.18) while teammate Charlie Bruce won the 50 free (20.72). The 200 medley relay team also won (1:32.93).
Bruce, who was seeded eighth, said he couldn't have done any better.
"I was a little nervous, but I had a great taper and dropped a lot of time," he said. "It was pretty much the best I could do."
Senior Clayton Kinnard of Dexter won the 200 free (1:39.72) after taking last season off. He was a top-16 Finals placer as a freshman and sophomore in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke before he opted not to compete last winter.
"I used to put pressure on myself to do good; people expected me to do well," he said. "I stopped swimming because I felt like I was swimming for other people. But my friends wanted me to do it this year for fun, and I did have a lot of fun. It's the most fun I've ever had. I just let loose, and it was the best I've ever swam. I'm proud of this."
Forest Hills Central senior Avery LeTourneau won the 100 butterfly (49.85). He previously had finished eighth in the butterfly as a sophomore. He was seeded fourth this time, but thought a title was possible.
"I was looking to win, I thought I definitely had a shot. I thought I would be right there," said LeTourneau, who said not being able to compete for a title a year ago was disappointing but a motivator. "I was walking out of school when I found out things were cancelled. We had worked hard for months. Now it feels like we've come full circle. It was 100 percent worth the wait because this is awesome. It was great to see it through."
Saturday’s other first places included Farmington winning the 400 relay (3:07.59) and Grosse Pointe South winning the 200 free relay (1:25.24).
Jack Hamilton of Berkley won the 200 individual medley (1:50.90), Gianni Carlino of Grosse Pointe North took first in the 500 free (4:32.94), Trevor Jones of Farmington topped the 100 free and Michael Grover of Byron Center won the 100 breaststroke (55.39).
PHOTOS: (Top) Birmingham Seaholm’s Tom Girdler swims to a runner-up finish in the breaststroke Saturday. (Middle) Byron Center’s Michael Grover, below, works to hold off Dexter’s Clayton Kinnard in the breaststroke. (Below) Saginaw Heritage’s Andrew Gladki also swims the breaststroke at Jenison High School. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)