Grand Blanc Takes 'Total Team Effort' to Championship Level with SVL Title Clincher
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 12, 2025
Needing a “total team effort” was much more than generic coach speak this past week for the Grand Blanc girls swimming & diving team.
Twenty-one athletes scored at the Saginaw Valley League Championships, helping the Bobcats edge Midland Dow and claim the program’s first league title since 2020.
“I definitely think that’s what sets us apart from other teams – we have so many amazing swimmers,” Grand Blanc senior Riley McLeman said. “If we had two people in the championship heat, and so did Dow, we also had two people in the B and C finals, where they had none. Everyone played a role in this. Every single person on our team was important, and that was amazing to see.”
Quality depth has driven the Bobcats all season, and in the SVL meet, it was the difference as they overcame Dow placing the individual winner in eight of the meet’s 12 events. Grand Blanc did win two events and placed second in nine, but pulled away with its depth.
“We knew early on in the season that we were keeping a really great senior class and had a lot of great swimmers returning, and also that we were getting a great freshman class,” Grand Blanc coach Katherine Kuhn said. “We had our sights set on winning leagues, and we knew we had that depth and that speed. And they had to show out. It wasn’t just, ‘We have this depth, we’re good.’ They still had to really show out at the meet, and they did.”
The SVL meet scores all the way through 24 places, adding importance to the B and C finals.
So, for a swimmer like freshman Ava Christian, her personal-best times in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle races were for more than just pride as she contributed to the Grand Blanc cause with 33 points – all earned in B finals.
“There was kind of some pressure, but it was a good pressure,” Christian said. “Even people that weren’t scoring as highly still had a chance to make a difference. It put pressure on everyone, not just the top swimmers. I really feel like it shows how well we can work together and support each other.”
The top swimmers did their job, as well. Rory Grzymkowksi won the 100 backstroke, while Mallory Shaver, Norah Grosso, Peyton Folks and Sydney Folks won the 400 free relay. Shaver was second in the 200 and 500 freestyles, while McLeman was second in the 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley and Lila Brocker was second in the 100 backstroke. The 200 free and 200 medley relays also placed second.
Just as fun for that group of standouts was cheering on their teammates in those B and C finals, knowing how much they meant.
“It was great,” McLeman said. “Especially watching some of these freshmen that I didn’t know too well before the season, and even some of my best friends I’ve been swimming with for years getting to compete at a high level and having these amazing breakthrough races. It really got us hyped up and excited for our races.”
While building its depth, Grand Blanc has also been getting stronger at the top. Eight swimmers will be competing at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals on Nov. 21 and 22 at Oakland University. McLeman, Shaver, Sydney Folks, Grzymkowski and Brocker all have qualified in individual events, while Cameron Folks, Peyton Folks and Grosso will swim on relays. Diver Chloe Borton has a chance to make it nine qualifiers, as she will compete at her event Regional on Thursday.
It’s a number Kuhn said she hasn’t seen in her five years (three as an assistant, two as head coach) with the varsity program.
The goal for the Bobcats is to get as many athletes as possible to the final day of the season, something Shaver was able to do a year ago as a sophomore.
“There are some first-time people, and some people that know what to expect, but I definitely will share with the freshmen that they have to take it in and not let the stress take over, because they’ve trained for this,” Shaver said. “I think we have some talented girls that have been able to put in the work and want to represent Grand Blanc in a good way and just show off our talents.”
If the trend of this season holds, expect the Bobcats to reach that goal, as they’ve reached every one to this point.
McLeman said Kuhn broke the season into chunks for the team:
Win the Genesee County meet. Check.
Defeat Dow in a dual. Check.
Win the SVL. Check.
“It’s just been great; it’s been the most amazing season I’ve been part of,” McLeman said. “I could not ask for a better way to finish up my Grand Blanc swim career, to watch me and my best friends accomplish something we’ve worked for since our freshman year.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Grand Blanc’s Ava Christian swims a freestyle race this season. (Middle) The Bobcats stand for a trophy photo after clinching the Saginaw Valley League championship. (Below) Mallory Shaver, top, swims the butterfly and Riley McLeman swims the breaststroke. (Photos courtesy of the Grand Blanc girls swimming & diving program.)
East Grand Rapids Dominates From Start to Finish in Earning Title 27
By
Brad Emons
Special for MHSAA.com
November 23, 2024
YPSILANTI – Winning MHSAA Finals championships has become standard operating procedure for the East Grand Rapids girls swimming & diving program.
The top-ranked Pioneers did it again Saturday, earning their fourth consecutive crown while giving coach Milton Briggs his 27th title in 50 years by scoring a whopping 407 points to outdistance Bloomfield Hills Marian (173) and St. Joseph (166) at Eastern Michigan University’s Jones Natatorium.
East Grand Rapids has now captured a total of 10 Division 3, 15 Class B and pair of D2 titles under Briggs, who has been at the helm for the Pioneers for a half-century.
“This group came in as a group; they stay together” Briggs said. “They allowed the freshmen to mature, and they accepted each other’s values. We just always made sure they were on track. There’s usually a lot of drama that goes on with a girls team. This one didn’t have any. They were absolutely wonderful to work with.”
The Pioneers swept all three relays, while senior Kate Simon and junior Ellery Chandler each figured in four firsts with two individual titles apiece.
Simon now has a combined four individual and eight relay titles over four years after sweeping the 100- and 200-yard freestyles in 50.6 seconds (meet record) and 1:48.19, respectively.
She was also the lead-off leg on the victorious 200 freestyle relay (1:36.24) followed by junior Nora Camfferman, senior Gracie Putnam and Chandler.
The quartet of Camfferman, sophomore Ivey Chu, senior Sarah Lincolnhol and Simon capped off the meet by holding off St. Joseph to win in the 400 freestyle relay (3:37.01).
“It was my goal going into the weekend. I’m happy with it,” Simon said. “It’s been so fun, I’ve had a lot of fun with my teammates and spent the weekend with my best friends, made lots of memories. I think our coach Coach Briggs really makes this team special. I’m honored to be coached by him. He’s really the best, and I look up to him so much.”
Meanwhile, Chandler took the 100 butterfly (56.07) and 100 breaststroke (1:02.86), while also teaming up with sophomore Meredith Sperling, sophomore Addie Hein and Putnam (1:46.40) in the 200 medley relay.
Chandler also had won the breaststroke last season.
“It was definitely so fun, especially being with the team,” Chandler said. “Everyone just has such a good time with everyone, and that’s what it makes it so much fun. There were a little bit of nerves, especially being close to different records and stuff. That’s probably challenging, going into those (to) try and see if we can get them.”
Hein also made her mark by winning the 200 individual medley in 2:06.71.
Another individual double winner was Holland Christian sophomore Camryn Siegers, who captured the 50 freestyle (23.19) while also repeating in the 100 backstroke (55.69).
She helped Holland Christian to a fifth-place team finish.
“Last year I got a gold and a silver, so I came back this year hoping to get two golds and I did that, so I’m very happy with it,” she said. “I still have some work to do, I have big meet in a couple of weeks, so I have another chance to get those.
“I think we did really well. We lost a lot of good seniors last year, but we really stepped up this year.”
Another swimmer who made her mark once again was Dearborn Divine Child junior Ella Dziobak, who defended her title in the 500 freestyle (5:12.74) after going a fast 5:03.24 in the prelims. She was also part of two relays that scored for the Falcons.
“I was happy to be able to score some points for DC even though it wasn’t as fast as I went yesterday,” Dziobak said. “I had some goals; I didn’t necessarily reach them, but I’m happy I scored some points and our relays did really well, so ... it’s exciting. I think people at school are going to be pretty excited.”
The meet’s other individual winner was Chelsea sophomore Anna McAllister, who improved upon last year’s fourth-place finish with a victory in the 1-meter diving as she scored 407.40 points. McAllister, who began competitive diving with she was age 7, was the favorite going in.
But the day belonged to the Pioneers, who entered as the prohibitive favorite after winning three straight team titles – in Division 3 last year and 2021, along with D2 in 2022. Coming out of Friday’s prelims, they were seeded first in all three relays and four individual races.
Briggs credits the team’s success to his two assistant coaches – Gwen Barnes, a former EGR swimmer in her fourth year, along with Josh Dolecki, who is in his second season.
With them, EGR has put together a successful year-round program.
“They swim all year; that’s the biggest thing,” Briggs said. “Josh (Dolecki) does our age-group program that keeps going the rest of the year. This win can be dedicated to our age-group swim team because most of the kids who scored came out of there. And those two girls (Simon and Chandler) will do anything to make the team better.”
PHOTOS (Top) East Grand Rapids’ Ellery Chandler swims the breaststroke during Friday’s preliminaries at Oakland University. (Middle) Dearborn Divine Child’s Ella Dziobak swims the 500 prelim. (Below) Chelsea’s Anna McAllister dives during Friday evening’s first rounds. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)