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). 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.)
Preview: 3 Champs Look for 3rd Straight
March 10, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Birmingham Brother Rice, Birmingham Seaholm and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood all are seeking their third straight Lower Peninsula boys swimming and diving championships this weekend.
But only two are favored to add another title – and both favorites are facing arguably the toughest competition of their current reigns.
Michigan also will say good-bye to an accomplished group of seniors that have won a combined 16 individual championships – 13 in swimming and three in diving – as they make their final MHSAA Finals appearances.
See below for team favorites and top individuals to watch at all three meets. Preliminaries are Friday, with championship races and diving Saturday. All three Finals also will be streamed live and can be watched with subscription on MHSAA.TV.
Click for lineups and seed times for all three meets.
LP Division 1 at Holland Aquatics
Team contenders: Birmingham Brother Rice is competing for its third straight LP Division 1 championship and fourth straight top-two finish after winning last year’s Final by 111 points. The Warriors have 18 swimmers seeded to score, with all three relays enter seeded second. But Ann Arbor Skyline should provide a formidable challenge after finishing runner-up in Division 2 a year ago. The Eagles have 12 swimmers seeded to score including three tops seeds, plus a diver that finished third at his Regional.
Spencer Carl, Holland West Ottawa junior – Posted top-five finishes last season in the butterfly and 200-yard freestyle and is seeded first this time in the butterfly (50.53) and second in the free (1:39.95).
Cameron Craig, Monroe senior – Held the LP Division 1 Finals backstroke record for a season after setting it as a sophomore while also winning the butterfly that winter; Craig is seeded first both in the individual medley (1:47.17) and backstroke (47.84), with that backstroke time 55 hundredths of a second faster than the current all-Finals record set in 2002 and the IM time 11 hundredths of a second faster than the all-Finals record set a year ago.
Micah DeJonge, Zeeland senior – Holds the top seed in the 500 freestyle (4:30.90) and third seed in the 200 (1:40.68) after taking fourth in both races a year ago.
Drew Grady, Birmingham Brother Rice senior – Finished second in the breaststroke and 10th in the 50 last season and might have the best chance of all his teammates to add an individual title with the seventh seed in the 100 (46.86) but the second, only hundredth of a second behind, in the breaststroke (57.98).
Jonathan Lee, Detroit Catholic Central sophomore – Should make a big jump after taking 13th in the breaststroke and qualifying in the IM as a freshman last season. Lee is seeded second in the IM (1:53.83) and first in the breaststroke (57.97) this weekend.
Trayton Saladin, Bridgman senior – The reigning champion in the 500 also finished ninth in the 200 free last season; he is seeded ninth in the 200 (1:44.16) and third in the 500 (4:40.70).
Gabriel Trevino, Zeeland junior – Finished sixth in the 100 freestyle and seventh in the IM in 2015, but enters this meet seeded first in the 50 (20.97) and fifth in the 100 (46.59).
Ryan Vander Meulen, Ann Arbor Skyline senior – Last season’s 200 freestyle champion in LP Division 2 will swim his final high school meet as the top seeds in LP Division 1 in the 200 (1:38.83) and 100 (45.92). He was second in the 100 in LP Division 2 last year.
Jake Herremans, Rockford senior – Posted the highest LP Division 1 Regional score by nearly 15 points after winning LP Division 1 Finals championships as both a sophomore and junior. His 528.45 score in 2015 is the meet record.
LP Division 2 at Saginaw Valley State University
Team contenders: Birmingham Seaholm has won the last two LP Division 2 titles but is ranked only fourth; top-ranked Dexter is the favorite to take the championship back after last winning in 2012 and finishing second in 2014. The Dreadnaughts have 14 top-16 seeds, including three top seeds, plus two divers after finishing third a year ago. Warren DeLaSalle, ranked second, has 19 top-16 seeds including two top seeds, and a diver. And don’t forget about fourth-ranked Seaholm, which has 12 seeded to score including two top seeds, plus the reigning diving champion and another who finished fourth at their Regional.
Scott Carstens, Battle Creek Lakeview senior – Finished fifth in the 50 and ninth in the backstroke last season and will look to finish his career with his first individual title; Carstens is seeded first in the 50 (20.97) and fifth in the backstroke (53.20).
P.J. Desmet, Warren DeLaSalle senior – Finished second in the backstroke and sixth in the butterfly last season and also is looking to go out with a first championship; he’s seeded first in the butterfly (51.58) and second in the backstroke (52.22) and also swims on the top-seeded 200 medley relay (1:35.38).
Graham Miotke, Rochester Adams sophomore – Should make a big jump after finishing 10th in the 500 and 14th in the 200 freestyle as a freshman. Miotke is seeded first in the 500 (4:36.96) by nearly nine seconds and fourth in the 200 (1:43.53).
Jacob Montague, Grosse Pointe South senior – The Blue Devils’ standout won Division 2 championships in the breaststroke and IM last season, setting meet records in both. He’s top-seeded in the breaststroke (56.96) and IM (1:49.40), by more than five seconds in the latter.
Nehemiah Mork, Midland Dow senior – The Dow speedster also won two races last season, the 50 and 100 freestyles. He’s seeded only third in the 50 (21.09) but only 12 hundredths of a second off the top, and first in the 100 (45.90) by more than a second.
Robbie Zofchak, Dexter senior – Part of the Dreadnaughts’ title hopes rest on Zofchak, last season’s champion in the backstroke (setting the meet record) who also finished second to Montague in the IM. He’s seeded first in the backstroke (50.44) and 200 freestyle (1:42.07) and swims on the top-seeded 400 freestyle relay (3:10.29).
Sebastian Fay, Birmingham Seaholm senior – He won last season’s championship by 9.9 points and is the favorite to repeat after posting the top Regional score in Division 2 by 39 points.
LP Division 3 at Eastern Michigan University
Team contenders: The last two LP Division 3 Finals have ended the same way – Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood first and Chelsea second, by 130.5 points last season but by only 25 and a few tenths in 2014. The top-ranked Cranes have 18 top-16 seeds including three top seeds this time. East Grand Rapids, the champion in 2013 and third-place finisher last season, is ranked No. 2 and also has 18 seeded to score with three top seeds, plus brings a Regional diving champion in junior Grant Williams. Chelsea is expected to remain in the hunt, ranked No. 3 and with 14 seeded to score including two top seeds, plus two divers.
Rudy Aguilar, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep junior – Posted four top-eight places in Division 1 over his freshman and sophomore seasons at Brother Rice, including runner-up finishes in the 200 and 500 freestyles last year. He’s seeded second in the backstroke (52.52) and seventh in the 100 freestyle (48.33) this weekend.
Christian Bart, East Grand Rapids sophomore – Finished second in the breaststroke and IM as a freshman and is seeded second in the breaststroke (58.07) and first in the IM (1:53.44) this time.
Skyler Cook-Weeks, Holland Christian sophomore – After finishing second in the 500 and sixth in the 200 freestyles as a freshman, Cook-Weeks is seeded first in both with a time of 1:43.17 in the 200 and 4:37.77 in the 500.
Giorgio DelGrosso, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood senior – The reigning champion in the breaststroke also finished third in the IM last season; he’s seeded first in the breaststroke (57.94) and second to Bart in the IM (1:57.46).
Andy MacGregor, East Grand Rapids senior – He won the 100 and 200 freestyles last season and also has been part of two championship relays over the last two Finals. He’s seeded second to Skyler-Weeks in the 200 (1:44.06) and also second in the 100 (46.95) by two hundredths of a second.
Joey Mangner, Chelsea junior – He’s seeded just ahead of MacGregor in the 100 (46.93) after finishing second to him in 2015, and also seeded first in the 50 (21.02) after winning that race last season.
Alec Nyboer, Hamilton senior – Set the LP Division 3 meet record in winning the butterfly last season and also took third in the backstroke; he’s seeded first in the butterfly (50.40) and third in the backstroke (53.15).
Joey Puglessi, Grand Rapids Catholic Central senior – The reigning champion in the backstroke set the meet record last season and is seeded first this weekend (52.37). He’s also seeded sixth in the 200 (1:46.99) after placing 13th a year ago.
Andrew Trunsky, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood senior – Trunsky was first in the 500 and third in the 200 freestyles as a junior and is part of a strong field in both again, seeded second in the 500 (4:42.65) and fourth in the 200 (1:45.25).
East Grand Rapids 200 freestyle relay – Half the names are new after last season’s meet record-setting victory in 1:26.06. But Bart and MacGregor will join junior Cade Vruggink and senior Mitchell McMahon in an attempt at going faster. They enter with a top seed time of 1:26.91.