Eichbrecht Stacking Championships at Midpoint of West Bloomfield Career

By Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com

November 28, 2023

WEST BLOOMFIELD — When she started high school swimming last fall, West Bloomfield sophomore Elizabeth Eichbrecht didn’t know what expectations to have, given she knew full well the high level of competition there was throughout the state. 

Greater DetroitWell, after two seasons, it’s safe to say Eichbrecht has blown any expectations she had out of the water, pun intended. 

At the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals on Nov. 17-18 at Eastern Michigan University, Eichbrecht won her third and fourth individual championships.

She won the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 1:48.08, more than three seconds ahead of the next finisher. The winning time qualified for All-America recognition and bested her first-place time from the 2022 Finals by 0.34 seconds. 

Later on, Eichbrecht won the 500 freestyle in a time of 4:47.66, more than 11 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Her All-American time in that event was more than five seconds better than her winning time in 2022. 

Two years, four Finals titles. Not too shabby.

“Yes it’s surprising, because there are so many fast girls and we are all very competitive,” Eichbrecht said. 

Eichbrecht already holds six school records – in all four freestyle events, the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly. 

Eichbrecht talks with runner-up Yan Yee Adler from Ann Arbor Pioneer after also winning the 500 freestyle. She also owns Oakland Activities Association records in the 200 and 500 freestyles and the 100 butterfly. 

“I like the distance events more, mainly because I don’t have to all-out sprint,” Eichbrecht said. 

West Bloomfield head coach Ronson Webster said the big reason why Eichbrecht was even better this year as a sophomore after making such an impact as a freshman wasn’t necessarily because she was bigger and stronger, although those were contributing factors. 

Mainly, her success this year was the validation that she belonged after such a great freshman season.

“She gained more confidence this year going into her races,” he said. “She focused on racing her race and not who was next to her. Meeting the time we worked for was the goal. Winning is a bonus.”

While Eichbrecht excels at so many events, her specialty has been the 200 and 500 freestyles, which is stating the obvious given the Finals titles she has won in those events. 

“Her training is very specific as it is for every swimmer on our team,” Webster said. “Everyone is trained differently. Her technique is very important and specific to her event and body size. Since she is shorter, she can’t swim the same as a tall person. Having the right technique designed for the swimmer and the correct race plan goes a long way.”

Eichbrecht next will focus on her club season for Supernova Swim Team based out of Farmington Hills, and she already is looking forward to competing at the Winter Junior Nationals in Columbus from Dec. 6-9. 

By the time her career is over, it’s safe to say Eichbrecht might be the best all-time from a West Bloomfield school that’s not known as much for swimming as other Oakland County powers such as Farmington Hills Mercy or the Birmingham schools. But Eichbrecht is relishing putting her school on the swimming map with all her success so far. 

“I love swimming at WB,” she said. “My teammates are amazing, and they work super hard. I’m super proud of all the work they put in this season, and I can’t wait for next season.”

Keith DunlapKeith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties

PHOTOS (Top) West Bloomfield’s Elizabeth Eichbrecht swims the winning 200-yard freestyle Nov. 18 at Eastern Michigan University. (Middle) Eichbrecht talks with runner-up Yan Yee Adler from Ann Arbor Pioneer after also winning the 500 freestyle. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)

Performance of the Week: East Grand Rapids' Kate Simon

November 29, 2024

Kate Simon headshotKate Simon ♦ East Grand Rapids
Senior ♦ Swimming

The Pioneers’ standout capped her high school career with two more individual and two more relay championships – and a meet record – in helped East Grand Rapids to its record 27th Finals championship, this one in Lower Peninsula Division 3. She’ll graduate with four individual and eight relay Finals titles and having contributed to EGR team championships all four years of high school.

Simon swam an LPD3 Finals-record 50.06 in the 100-yard freestyle and just missed on another meet record in winning the 200 freestyle in 1:48.19 – just 12 hundredths of a second shy of another all-time best. She also led off the winning 200 freestyle relay (1:36.24) and anchored the winning 400 freestyle relay (3:37.01). She will continue her swimming and academic careers next year at Notre Dame, where she’s considering studying business. Simon also played No. 1 doubles for East Grand Rapids last spring, reaching the quarterfinals at the LPD3 Girls Tennis Finals.

@mhsaasports 🏊‍♀️POW: Kate Simon #swimming #EastGrandRapids #Finals #champion #record #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA

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Previous 2024-25 honorees

Nov. 22: Ella Kokaly, Essexville Garber softball - 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 Simon family.)