Preview: Racers Seek to Double Up Again, Team Races Could See Another 1st-Time Champ
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 12, 2026
An impressive sixsome could dominate championship lists – and storylines – at this weekend’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Boys Swimming & Diving Finals.
Six swimmers will attempt to win multiple races for the second year in a row, and Otsego senior Liam Smith will pursue a third-straight two-title day as he looks to add to his career haul of five individual championships.
Last season’s Finals also saw a first-time team title winner, and could see one or more again this weekend. Annual contenders Ann Arbor Pioneer and Saline are expected to continue their season-long battle in Division 1, and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood is pursuing a fourth-straight championship in Division 3 but is ranked behind two potential first-time winners. The Division 2 team race includes two possible first-timers among the top three contenders as well.
Preliminaries at all three Finals sites begin at noon Friday, with Saturday championship events starting at noon as well. Both days of all three meets will be streamed live and viewable with subscription on the NFHS Network. For information on purchasing tickets, plus psych sheets, dive orders and more, visit the Boys Swimming & Diving page – and see below for a glance at several team and individual contenders to follow.
Division 1 at Oakland University
Reigning champion: Saline
2025 runner-up: Ann Arbor Pioneer
2026 top-ranked: 1. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 2. Saline, 3. Northville.
Saline broke Pioneer’s four-year hold on the championship last season with its first since 2013, and those two are expected to contend for the top spot again – with Pioneer the winner of both their regular-season dual and their Southeastern Conference Red championship meet this winter. Saline has all three relays and nine individual qualifiers seeded to score (among the top 16) this weekend, plus three strong divers competing, while Pioneer has all three relays and 11 individuals seeded to score and a diving contender as well. Northville finished runner-up most recently in 2022 and placed third last season, and will attempt to break into the top two with a solid group of all three relays and nine individuals seeded to score and a strong diver as well.
Issac Adanin, Saline junior: After winning the 100-yard breaststroke and 200 individual medley last season, he’s seeded second in both races in 56.13 and 1:50.72, respectively.
Benjamin Bricker, Troy senior: The top seed in the 200 freestyle (1:38.53) and third seed in the 100 backstroke (49.84) didn’t swim at the Finals last season but was a top-eight placer in both races as a sophomore in 2024.
Samuel Campbell, Milford senior: He’s seeded first in the backstroke (48.62) and fourth in the 200 freestyle (1:40.69) after finishing second in the backstroke and third in the 200 a year ago.
Charles Knoepp, Ann Arbor Pioneer junior: He’s looking to improve on last season’s third place in the 500 freestyle and seventh in the IM, seeded first in the 500 (4:28.21) and fifth in the 200 free (1:41.56) this time.
Trae Lewis, West Bloomfield senior: He’s the top seed in the IM (1:50.01) and second seed in the backstroke (49.60) as he heads to his first Finals, adding to a decorated club career.
Oliver Ottenwess, Grandville senior: The top seed in the butterfly (49.53) and second seed in the 200 free (1:39.62) after finishing third in the butterfly and fourth in the backstroke last year.
Baylor Perkins, Grand Blanc senior: He could make a big jump after finishing sixth in the breaststroke and 10th in the 50 freestyle last year, seeded seventh in the 50 this time and first in the breaststroke (55.59).
Brady Stenson, Northville senior: The reigning champion in the 200 freestyle and runner-up in the 500 is seeded second in the 500 (4:32.71) and third in the 200 (1:39.66) this time.
Camren Turowski, Detroit Catholic Central junior: He’ll be looking to add to individual championships in the 50 and 100 freestyles from last season and two relay titles from 2024, seeded first in the 50 (20.45) and 100 (44.58) this weekend.
Ann Arbor Pioneer 400 freestyle relay: An expected group of Knoepp, senior Edwards Zhang, junior Isak Woods and freshman Gavin Martens enters with a top-seeded time of 3:02.88 – with the all-Finals record 3:02.06 swam by Bloomfield Hills Broth Rice in 2014.
Joseph Rosales, Saline junior: He finished 16th in Division 1 diving a year ago but won his Regional last week with a Division 1-best 460.60.
Division 2 at Eastern Michigan University
Reigning champion: Detroit U-D Jesuit
2025 runner-up: Byron Center
2026 top-ranked: 1. Byron Center, 2. Detroit U-D Jesuit, 3. Portage Central.
Both Jesuit and Byron Center earned their highest places at a Finals last season, and the rankings say they’ll switch spots but maintain top-two finishes. Byron Center has all three relays and 16 individual seeded to score – including four top seeds – plus three divers competing. Reigning champion Jesuit has all three relays seeded among the top four in their events, 20 individuals seeded to score, and a diver competing. Portage Central is seeking its first top-two Finals finish and expected to rise significantly from 12th a year ago, with all three relays and 11 individuals seeded to score.
Anthony Kopinski, Dexter junior: He’s seeded first in the backstroke (51.46) and third in the butterfly (51.08) after finishing 10th in backstroke and seventh in the 200 freestyle in 2025.
Charlie McCuiston, Detroit U-D Jesuit junior: He won the 100 freestyle and swam on the championship 400 free relay last season, and could add to that haul seeded first in the 100 (45.25) and 200 freestyles (1:39.93) and swimming on the top-seeded 400 free relay (3:09.89).
Carter Nelson, Byron Center senior: The top seed in the 500 (4:36.46) finished sixth in that race and 12th in the 200 freestyle a year ago.
Ryder Nichols, Byron Center junior: He finished second in the breaststroke and also swam the IM last season and returns this weekend seeded first in the breaststroke (56.11), ninth in the IM and expected to swim on the top-seeded 200 medley relay (1:33.21).
Elliot Rijnovean, Birmingham Seaholm senior: He’s won the backstroke, butterfly and swam on the champion 200 medley relay the last two seasons, and enters his last Finals seeded first in the butterfly (50.60) and third in the 50 (21.44).
Joshua Webert, Livonia Churchill senior: He finished 12th in both the IM and butterfly last season, but is expected to move up substantially seeded first in the IM (1:54.76) and fourth in the butterfly (51.43) this weekend.
Lucas Witham, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central senior: The top seed in the 50 (21.11) and fourth seed in the 100 freestyle (46.68) finished second in the 50 and fourth in the 100 last season.
William Blind, Portage Northern senior: The reigning Division 2 diving champion posted the highest score for all Division 2 Regionals last week at 492.20.
Division 3 at Holland Aquatic Center
Reigning champion: Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
2025 runner-up: Holland Christian
2026 top-ranked: 1. Holland Christian, 2. Spring Lake, 3. DeWitt.
Cranbrook has won the last three Division 3 championships but enters this weekend ranked No. 4, although the Cranes will pursue a four-peat with three relays top-seeded and nine individual qualifiers also seeded to score. Holland Christian is seeking to claim its first team title since winning Division 3 back-to-back in 2018 and 2019, and has finished runner-up three of the last five seasons. The Maroons have all three relays and 10 individuals seeded to score, plus two divers competing. Spring Lake and DeWitt both are seeking their first top-two Finals finish, Spring Lake entering with all three relays and 10 individuals seeded to score and DeWitt with all three relays and seven individuals seeded among the top 16, plus two divers competing.
AJ Farner, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood senior: The reigning champion in the backstroke and 200 free also has been part of four relay titles and enters this weekend seeded first in the breaststroke (57.17), sixth in the 200 and slated to swim on two top-seeded relays.
Sam Harper, Plainwell senior: He won the 500 and finished second in the 200 free last year and returns as the top seed in both at 4:40.01 and 1:41.99, respectively.
Jack Higgins, Detroit Country Day senior: He’s seeking repeats in the 50 and 100 freestyles seeded second in both at 21.53 and 47.51, respectively.
Kade Opsal, Adrian senior: After finishing second in the backstroke and tying for second in the 50 last year, he is seeded first in both in 50.10 and 20.98, respectively.
Jake Shoemaker, Holland Christian junior: He’s seeded first in the 100 freestyle (46.37) and second in the 200 (1:42.92) after finishing third in the 100 and third as well in the backstroke last season.
Liam Smith, Otsego senior: He’s won three straight championships in the butterfly and the last two in the IM, and enters his last Finals seeded first in both in 48.57 and 1:50.52, respectively.
Charlie DeHaan, Holland Christian junior: He finished third in diving last season but could give his team a repeat winner (Parker Schut) following graduated teammate after posting the top score at any Division 3 Regional last week by more than 60 points at 480.40.
PHOTO Swimmers launch during a race at the 2025 Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Team Effort Vaults Marquette Back to #1
By
Ryan Stieg
Special for Second Half
February 15, 2020
MARQUETTE – Going into Saturday’s Upper Peninsula Swimming & Diving Finals, it had been three years since the Marquette boys finished on top.
To end that streak, the Redmen would need their underclassmen to start fast on the blocks – and Marquette’s youth definitely did their part.
The Redmen rolled to the team win, racking up 344 points, well ahead of second place Sault Ste. Marie (227). The Blue Devils edged Houghton by eight points to get the runner-up spot, while Kingsford was fourth with 176.
Marquette’s depth also played a role in the victory as it had only two event winners with Liam McFarren taking the 100-yard freestyle and the Redmen winning the 200 free relay.
“With a crew that’s mostly freshmen and sophomores, this win means even more honestly,” Marquette head coach Nathan McFarren said. “It was a pretty impressive performance for this group of guys, and we had so much depth too. It was pretty incredible to watch these guys progress throughout the year, and I can’t wait to see it in four years.”
In regard to the Redmen’s depth, McFarren said his team is no longer strictly swimmers, but now includes a wide variety of athletes.
“We’ve lost a lot over the past few years, which has cost us, but this freshman class is huge,” he said. “It’s the biggest freshman class I’ve ever had, and it’s not all guys that have been swimming their whole lives. It’s football players and multi-sport players, so it’s pretty cool.”
The Sault had a big day in the pool as it finished first in the other two relays (200 medley and 400 free), while Andrew Innerebner and Morgan Burd both won two events. Innerebner won the 50 free and 100 butterfly, and Burd finished on top in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke.
“Sometimes the kids just shock you,” Blue Devils head coach Steve Habusta said. “We expected great things, but I don’t think we expected this great of things. The boys were swimming lights out. Everybody is stepping up and doing it all through tragedy. … One of our swimmers lost his mom, so for our kids to step up and rally behind him, I think it’s a special day for everyone.”
Houghton notched three wins at the meet with Archer Olson earning victories in the 200 free and 500 free, while Davin Evans won the 100 breaststroke.
Even though the Gremlins were unseated as U.P. champs, head coach Erik Johnson was pleased with how the day went overall.
“When you come here with five boys qualified and eight or nine girls, it’s tough to get points,” he said. “But they all did really well. They all swam well, and I couldn’t be more proud of them. Our boys, we only graduate one senior and we’ll miss our girls seniors, but kids are ready to step up so we’re excited.”
On Friday night, Ishpeming Westwood’s Brock Sundberg repeated as the 1-meter diving champion with a score of 205.15. This was the third straight year a Patriots diver won the title.
PHOTOS: (Top) Liam McFarren was one of two individual event winners for team champion Marquette, and here he swims the winning 100 freestyle. (Middle) Sault Ste. Marie's Morgan Burd swims to the championship in the 100 backstroke. (Photos by Jarvinen Photos.)