East Grand Rapids Legacy Adds Title 22
November 17, 2018
By Butch Harmon
Special for Second Half
HOLLAND – The more things change for the East Grand Rapids girls swimming & diving team, the more they remain the same.
After graduating a large and talented senior class that led East to the 2017 Lower Peninsula Division 2 championship, the Pioneers moved back into Division 3 and won their 22nd MHSAA Finals title in the sport, and third consecutive title.
East Grand Rapids totaled 330 points this time to win by 46 over Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, while Hamilton placed third with 191 points.
For East Grand Rapids, the keys were a new crop of talented swimmers carrying on the tradition of hard work and winning, and a senior class determined to carry on the legacy as well.
“We lost two great senior classes the last two years that have been able to win state championships,” said East Grand Rapids coach Butch Briggs. “Losing 20 kids each year and being able to come back and keep it going is really extra-special for this group of kids. We had a lot of young kids that helped us immensely.”
Two who came through for the Pioneers were freshmen Greta Milnes and Sophie Williams. Milnes and Williams swam the first two legs of the 400-yard relay. Senior Sydney Higgins and sophomore Emma Israels swam the last two legs as the Pioneers won in a time of 3:29.66.
Higgins also won the 200 individual medley in a time of 2:07.82. Higgins used a strong finishing kick to come back and pick up extra team points.
“I’m really happy,” Higgins said. “It’s good points for the team, so I’m excited. I just swim my own race and don’t really look at anyone else.”
East Grand Rapids senior Laura Levine earned all-state honors in both the 50 freestyle and as part of the 200 free relay.
“It’s crazy,” Levine said. “Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better team, a better state team and better coaching. Coach has been with me since I started swimming. We had a lot of freshmen this year that really pulled their weight. They were all super positive. Our seniors were also amazing. We lost a lot of good people, and we filled those spots and came out victorious.”
Lauren Ors and Emily Bergstrom were part of this year’s senior class that carried on the Pioneers’ swimming legacy.
“This is one of the most special meets of my whole life,” Ors said. “It’s because of the people I’m with. This team is absolutely incredible, and we’re so lucky to be a part of it.”
Bergstrom also credited the chemistry of the entire program for the team’s success year after year.
“This is such a special experience, and we are so blessed to be with such a great coaching staff and such great teammates,” Bergstrom said. “This is absolutely incredible. This team has just worked so hard for such a long time.”
Along with East Grand Rapids winning three straight team championships, Milan senior diver Mackenzie Crawford closed out her career with a third straight title. She also set a Division 3 meet record, as she totaled 494.8 points.
“Today I was really trying to break the D3 record, and I did so I’m really freaking out right now,” Crawford said. “I was so close. It was by five points that I broke it.”
Crawford, who signed with Ohio State University earlier in the week, broke the record by coming up big on her final dive, a reverse one-and-a-half, one-and-a-half twist.
“It’s so hard for me to do,” Crawford said. “It’s more of a dive that huge guys do. It’s one and a half flips, one and a half twists and it’s reverse too, so it’s scary. I needed to get sevens on it, and I got a lot of big points.”
Cranbrook Kingswood, last year’s Division 3 champion, was led by sophomore Justine Murdock, who won the 100 backstroke in 56.34.
Hamilton was led by its 200 free relay team of Hannah Fathman, Ayvah Johnson, Jenna Kloosterman and Nella Pashak, who turned in a winning time of 1:36.30.
Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett placed sixth as a team led by a pair of swimmers who won a combined three individual titles. Junior Sophie Housey claimed a pair, in the 100 freestyle in a meet record time of 50.23, and then the 200 freestyle in 1:48.37.
Freshman Ginger McMahon won the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.94.
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep junior Rhianna Hensler won the butterfly for a third time in her career. Hensler took first in 55.67.
Bloomfield Hills Marian finished fourth as a team, led by its 200 medley relay team of Lauren Sielicki, Mary Snyder, Anika Fassett and Julie Waechter. They placed first in a time of 1:46.71.
A pair of West Michigan teams recorded firsts.
Plainwell freshman Riley Nugent, competing in her Finals, claimed her first championship as she won the 500 freestyle in a time of 5:02.02. The top seed coming into the race, Nugent shrugged off the pressure and set a new personal record by some four seconds.
“It’s amazing,” Nugent said. “I’m so beyond happy. I was very nervous because there were seniors and juniors all around me. I was very nervous, but I went out there and I tried my best, and that’s all I could ask for myself.”
South Haven sophomore Ellie Frost won the 50 freestyle in a time of 23.59. As a freshman, Frost was runner-up in both the 50 and 100 freestyles. Not only was it Frost’s first Finals title, but the first in South Haven school history.
“It’s real exciting,” said Frost. “I’m so happy. I just tried to focus on the end goal this year, and it worked out. It was a really close race. I’m really happy with it, and it’s so exciting to have my teammates here with me to share it.”
PHOTOS: (Top) East Grand Rapids hoists a girls swimming & diving champion’s trophy for the 22nd time at Saturday’s Division 3 Finals. (Middle) South Haven’s Ellie Frost launches; she won her school’s first Finals title in this sport. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
EGR Adds to Team Title Tradition, Divine Child's Dziobak Finishes Career Finals Sweep
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
November 22, 2025
HOLLAND – East Grand Rapids won six events, including a sweep of the relays, on its way to earning a third consecutive Lower Peninsula Division 3 championship in girls swimming & diving Saturday at the Holland Aquatic Center.
Butch Briggs' Pioneers totaled 373 points to outdistance runner-up Bloomfield Hills Marian (228). St. Joseph (171) placed third, followed by Holland Christian (162) in fourth and Hudsonville Unity Christian (151) in fifth.
Led by University of Arkansas commit Ellery Chandler, East Grand Rapids was able to pull away from its closest competitors early during the final day of the two-day competition.
Chandler was extremely pleased with her performances Saturday after the star senior earned individual victories in the 100-yard butterfly (54.11) and the 100-yard breaststroke (1:01.78) along with completing a leg on the Pioneers' winning 200-yard medley relay (1:44.65) and 200-yard freestyle relay (1:36.74).
"I dropped all my times today from Friday's preliminaries. It was exciting to win my individual events, and it was great being a part of our two victorious relay teams,” Chandler said. “Coming into the state meet this weekend, I was looking to see if some records were attainable in my events. Getting a couple of those were among my goals.”
Chandler, along with juniors Meredith Sperling and Addie Hein and freshman Catherine Sowerby, combined to break the Division 3 Finals record in the 200 medley. Chandler also eclipsed meet records in both of her individual events, the breaststroke during Friday's prelims with a time of 1:01.60.
Joining Chandler and Ivy Chu on the Pioneers' winning 200-yard freestyle relay were senior Nora Camfferman and freshman Della Avendt. Hein also collected a first for the Pioneers in the 200-yard individual medley (2:06.74). Sperling and Sowerby teamed up with sophomore Nalah Mamatela and Chu, a junior, as the Pioneers took first in the meet's final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:32.82).
Briggs had plenty of praise to dish out regarding his team afterwards.
"Ellery gets her share of the first places, but our freshmen class really stepped up and were huge in our success this season," said Briggs, who on Saturday completed his 52nd season coaching at East Grand Rapids.
"We have a very deep team and a squad that got along with one another very well without any drama. There were a few events in which we had three state placers in. That piles up a ton of points for you. It was such a fun season, and I can't say enough good things about these kids. My assistant coach runs the little kids' program for me at East Grand Rapids. Coaching continuity has had a great deal to do with our success as well."
Holland Christian junior Camryn Siegers was named Most Outstanding Swimmer in the meet by the coaches association following her individual wins in the 50-yard freestyle (22.79) and 100-yard backstroke (53.37), the latter a meet record.
Hamilton junior Josi Popma scored 399.40 points to earn first in diving, edging Chelsea junior Anna McCallister (397.90).
Popma admitted she battled nerves coming into Saturday's final round.
"I came in today feeling really stressed and didn't think I could do this. I just had to remind myself to just go out there and approach it like I do every other day and be confident,” Popma said. “Just being with my friends and teammates and keeping a positive attitude are what carried me through.”
"It's been a long road for Josi,” Hamilton head coach Liz Vandewege said. “As a freshmen she qualified for state and was overwhelmed by the moment, and last year as a sophomore she proved she could move up the ranks. During the offseason she worked hard to get a bigger list of dives to compete with Anna (McCallister), who is a great diver. She really improved her technique this year, is really strong and has lot of God-given abilities to spin."
Dearborn Divine Child senior Ella Dziobak won her fourth consecutive Finals title in the 500-yard freestyle (4:56.20) while also claiming a first-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle (1:51.10).
"This was a real fun way to wrap up high school swimming by winning the 500 a fourth time,” said Dziobak, who will continue her swimming career at Purdue University next fall. “I could see all of my teammates cheering for me before the race started, and that got me fired up. I definitely excel in the distance events more than the sprints. I swam my fastest time of the year in the 200 as well, so that was nice too.”
Dearborn Divine Child head coach Kevin Hafner was pleased to see Dziobak come away with her fourth title.
"Ella puts in a great deal of time in this sport. … She is a tremendous young lady and has a real good head on her shoulders while coming up with her own game plan and executing it very well," Hafner said.
Wayland senior Laney Wolf captured first in the 100-yard freestyle (50.60).
(Photos by High School Sports Scene.)