Marquette 'Electrifies' with 3rd Title in 5 Years

By Ryan Stieg
Special for Second Half

March 13, 2021

MARQUETTE – For the second year in a row, the Marquette boys swimming & diving team climbed atop the Upper Peninsula podium, and on Saturday, they did it in dominant fashion. 

The Redmen finished with 421 points, 194 more than second-place Houghton, while Sault Ste. Marie (170) edged Kingsford (107) for third.

This was also Marquette’s third team championship in five years. 

Marquette won eight of the 12 events, including all three relays (200-yard medley, 200 freestyle, 400 free). 

“I don’t think it was really going to be a surprise,” Marquette head coach Nathan McFarren said. “I don’t want to sound cocky, but coming in, we were pretty stacked. We’ve broken records, but I don’t know if we’ve ever had this much depth. A couple of events we went 1-2-3. We won every single relay outright. The whole day was electrifying.”

Liam McFarren and Colin Vanderschaaf both won two events for Marquette with McFarren winning the 200 free and 100 butterfly and Vanderschaaf taking the 500 free and 100 breaststroke. Maverick Baldwin added a win in the 100 free. 

Sault Ste. Marie swimmingAccording to Coach McFarren, both Liam McFarren and Vanderschaaf finished the season undefeated, including relays, and the coach said the whole team was locked in from the start. 

“The focus this year having a team of mostly sophomores is way up,” he said. “Shortened season and everything came together in the end. It was pretty sweet.”

Morgan Burd earned two titles for Sault Ste. Marie, in the 50 free and 100 backstroke, and Cameron Bauers won the 1-meter diving competition Friday night. Houghton’s Davin Evans was the other individual champion as he won the 200 individual medley. 

All in all, McFarren was extremely pleased with his team’s performance and knew from the opening event it was going to be a fun afternoon. 

“Oh my God, it was amazing,” he said. “I could tell from the moment I showed up that was going to be an electrifying day.”

Click for full results.

PHOTOS: (Top) Marquette's Liam McFarren charges through his win in the 200-yard freestyle Saturday. (Middle) Sault Ste. Marie's Morgan Burd makes his move toward the 100 backstroke championship. (Photos by Daryl Jarvinen.)

Performance of the Week: Holland Christian's Levi Rozema

January 17, 2025

Levi Rozema headshotLevi Rozema ♦ Holland Christian
Senior ♦ Swimming

A Finals placer in two individual races and a relay last season, Rozema is surging toward a big finish to his high school career and enjoyed a highlight-filled week contributing to Holland Christian's first win over rival Holland West Ottawa since 1999 and then a victory at the weekend's D3 Invitational against a field that included several of the top-ranked teams in Lower Peninsula Division 3 this winter. 

Against West Ottawa, Rozema won the 200-yard individual medley (2:03.24) and 100 butterfly (55.24) and swam on the winning 200 freestyle relay (1:32.85) and 200 medley relay (1:41.76). At the D3 Invite, Rozema paced the top-ranked Maroons with a first place in the 100 breaststroke (58.39), second place in the IM (2:01.72) and as part of a meet record-setting 200 relay (1:37.23) with teammates Karsten Huisman, Josiah DeVries and Basilio Ledesma. Rozema swam with Ledesma, Miles Stock and Jake Shoemaker on the winning 200 free relay (1:29.71) as well. Rozema also previously played football and baseball at Holland Christian and will continue swimming next season at Grand Valley State where he’ll study general business or business finance.

@mhsaasports 🏊‍♂️POW: Levi Rozema #swimming #D3Invitational #meetrecord #HollandChristian #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA

@mhsaasports 🏊‍♂️POW: Levi Rozema #mcdonalds #lost #aidenhutchinson #music #mushrooms #laughingemoji #part2 #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

Follow the MHSAA on TikTok.

MHSAA.com's "Performance of the Week" features are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.

Previous 2024-25 honorees

Jan. 10: McRecco McFadden, Burton Bentley basketball - Report
Dec. 18:
Nash Leonard, Bay City Western hockey - Report
Dec. 11:
Blake Cosby, Dundee wrestling - Report
Dec. 4:
Keaton Hendricks, Zeeland West football - Report
Nov. 29:
Kate Simon, East Grand Rapids swimming - Report
Nov. 22:
Ella Kokaly, Essexville Garber volleyball - Report
Nov. 15:
Caroline Bryan, Grosse Pointe South swimming - Report
Nov. 8:
Kaylie Livingston, Whitmore Lake cross country - Report
Oct. 25:
Oliver Caldwell, Grand Rapids West Catholic tennis - Report
Oct. 18:
Alex Graham, Detroit Cass Tech football - Report
Oct. 11:
Victoria Garces, Midland Dow cross country - Report
Oct. 4:
Asher Clark, Bay City John Glenn soccer - Report
Sept. 26:
Campbell Flynn, Farmington Hills Mercy volleyball - Report
Sept. 19:
TJ Hansen, Freeland cross country - Report
Sept. 12:
Jordan Peters, Grayling soccer - Report
Sept. 6:
Gabe Litzner, Sault Ste. Marie cross country - Report
Aug. 30:
Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report

(Photos courtesy of the Rozema family.)