Cranbrook Completes 4-Peat; Farner, Smith & Higgins Double Up Again
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
March 14, 2026
HOLLAND – Liam Smith never takes winning for granted.
Not even after the Otsego senior added two final championships to an impressive swim resume at Saturday's Lower Peninsula Division 3 Swimming & Diving Finals at the Holland Aquatics Center.
Smith won the 200-yard individual medley (1:47.38) and the 100 butterfly (47.80) to run his four-year run of individual Finals titles to seven.
It wouldn't be a stretch to wonder if all the championships would seem to blend together in Smith's mind, but nothing could be farther from the truth, he said. Being an annual target for other swimmers combined with not wanting to let teammates down have left Smith, headed to the University of Florida next season, savoring all of his four butterfly and three individual medley championships.
"That's part of it," Smith said of shrugging off being the competitor others are chasing. "When you're at the top everyone wants to beat you, and that's okay. But all those early-morning practices, the late ones and working in the summer and offseason, that all comes with sacrifice. If you want to be good, you face that sacrifice. It all pays off."
While Smith finished off his individual career with a bang, so did Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, which collected its fourth-straight team title by amassing 261 points. Holland Christian was second with 214 points, East Grand Rapids third with 196, Spring Lake fourth with 165 and DeWitt fifth with 141 points.
Much like Smith who believes each Finals win is a different story, Cranbrook Kingswood coach Paul Ellis said each of his last four teams has been different. The current team has only two swimmers – A.J. Farner and Blake Schwab – who've been on all four teams. This Cranes team graduated seven seniors from a year ago, is a bit on the younger side, and also will lose seven seniors from the roster.
"I was a little worried (Friday), but we set ourselves up for today," he said. "Our seniors four years ago were an example to our younger swimmers, and now our seniors this year were, too. They set an example for others. All the teams have been very different in personality, talent, preparation and how they conduct themselves.
"All teams have their ups and downs, but keeping your focus and honing in are everything and they did that right."
Farner had a big meet for the Cranes, winning the 200 free (1:39.12) and 100 breaststroke (55.83), defending his Finals titles in both. Headed to Georgetown next season, he has been swimming since he was 8. He said each of his first places has presented different challenges, ranging from being a challenger to having to defend titles.
"Maybe a little because of experience and performing for the team and coach," he said. "At the end of the day you're excited. The main goal is to win so you help the team. That's always the main focus."
Cranbrook Kingswood's 200 medley relay team also took a first (1:33.13).
One of the most interesting stories from the Finals came from Adrian senior Kade Opsal, who broke his wrist in a soccer accident last fall, underwent surgery, and wound up missing the first third of this season. He finally returned and proceeded to go unbeaten in the 100 backstroke, including capturing that event (49.20) on Saturday. He had finished second and ninth in that event as a junior and sophomore, respectively.
"I didn't know how it was going to work out, only that I was hungry after last year," said Opsal, who is headed to Ball State next season. "I just laid down the hammer, and now here I am. I was heartbroken. I took 16 weeks off and didn't even know if I'd swim again."
Detroit Country Day's Jack Higgins was a double winner in the 50 free (28.79) and 100 free (45.72). The two firsts meant Higgins finished his career with eight top-four finishes in those events, including four firsts, over his four years. Higgins, who will not continue swimming at the college level but focus on pursuing a business career, said he won't necessarily remember his career entirely for its successes.
"I met so many people who became my friends, but now I have a new purpose," he said. "As my career comes to an end, I think of the people I've met through swimming. It's been a journey, for both the team and myself. I suppose I'll look back in 20 years and say I was a state champ and helped my team."
Holland Christian diver Charlie DeHaan won that event with a score of 537.60. The junior has previously finished seventh as a freshman and third a year ago.
"I like to say just go out there and lace 'em up regardless of how I feel," he said. "Even when you don't feel like it, you put the time in. It's got to be a clear focus. Whether you try once, twice or three times – even if you don't want to be there – you tell yourself you can do it."
The other Finals champs Saturday were Plainwell's Sam Harper in the 500 free (4:32.14), Holland Christian's 400 free relay team (3:08.77) and Spring Lake's 200 free relay (1:26.03).
PHOTOS (Top) Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood stands on the podium Saturday with its latest team championship trophy. (Middle) Swimmers launch during the start of a race. (Below) Hamilton’s Jayden Bierschbach competes in diving. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Skyline Star Power Leads Championship Run with 6 Event Wins
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 12, 2022
ROCHESTER – Sometimes swim & dive teams ride depth and lots of top-5 finishes to state titles, while other times they rely on star power and plenty of first-place finishes.
The Ann Arbor Skyline boys team abided by the latter at Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals at Oakland University.
Of the 12 events held, Skyline finished first in six of them, riding all those first-place points to its first Finals title since it won the Division 1 crown in 2018.
Skyline finished with 291 points, ahead of runner-up Detroit U-D Jesuit’s total of 266.
Grosse Pointe South was third with 238 points.
Leading the way for Skyline was senior Even McKelvey, who had a hand in four of those first-place finishes.
“Winning with the boys is so much more fun than individually,” McKelvey said. “As Bo Schembechler said, ‘The team, the team, the team.’ That’s how we ran all season.”
McKelvey finished first in the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 1:39.21, and then won the 100 freestyle ahead of senior teammate Matthew Lee in a time of 44.89.
The team of McKelvey, junior Jack Stanton, senior Ben Kurniawan and Lee then set an LPD2 Finals record in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:23.72.
To finish the meet off, in the 400 freestyle relay, the team of McKelvey, sophomore Lucas Caswell, Kurniawan and Lee won in a time of 3:05.63.
The individual wins were quite a jump from last year for McKelvey, who was seventh in the 100 freestyle and fifth in the 200 freestyle as a junior.
“Just sprinting it all out and doing the best I could do,” McKelvey said. “I race (good swimmers) every day in practice, so that’s the vision I had in my mind. Just race them like I do in practice.”
Kurniawan and Lee also got in the act individually, with Lee winning the 50 freestyle in a time of 20.63 and Kurniawan capturing the 100 butterfly in a time of 49.31.
“Our star power brought along the rest of the team,” Skyline coach Maureen Murett said. “The reason we were so good this year is because we had tremendous leadership from those guys. It wasn’t good enough for them that they were really good or that they were succeeding. All season long, they were the ones who brought the young guys along. That made the difference. Everybody had a role.”
While Skyline was jubilant over winning another championship trophy, there was a sense of pride for U-D Jesuit claiming the runner-up trophy because it was the best finish in program history.
Senior Drew Collins won the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:50.21, while senior Christian Bouchillon won the 100 backstroke in a time of 49.50 to lead the Cubs.
“Obviously it’s hard for the kids not to focus on the big No. 1. But they did phenomenal and swam their hearts out,” U-D Jesuit coach Drew Edson said. “It’s the best our school has ever done, and they’re happy. We’re going to stay up top for a long time, I’ll tell you that.”
Grosse Pointe South’s 200 medley relay team of junior Keiran Rahmaan, senior Drew Vandeputte, senior Jake Vallan and senior Tucker Briggs set meet record with a winning time of 1:31.85.
Other individual winners were Grosse Pointe South junior Logan Hepner in diving with 509.70 points, Walled Lake Northern junior Sean Diffenderfer in the 500 freestyle in a time of 4:35.67 and Byron Center senior Michael Grovers in the 100 breaststroke in a time of 54.54.
PHOTOS (Top) An Ann Arbor Skyline swimmer begins his leg of the 200 freestyle relay. (Middle) Detroit U-D Jesuit's Drew Collins swims the winning 200 IM. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)