On Last Race's Last Leg, Mercy Pulls Thru
November 17, 2018
By Jason Schmitt
Special for Second Half
YPSILANTI – The look on the faces of Farmington Hills Mercy’s 200-yard medley relay team pretty much said it all.
And what was not said with facial expressions was very clearly communicated by the Marlins’ coaches as the opening race ended.
The reigning Division 1 champions needed to pick it up.
Unlike years past, this version wasn’t top heavy with individual event favorites. But it was extremely deep.
And on Saturday, the Marlins used that depth to best the field, rallying past Brighton on the last leg of the 400 freestyle relay to break a tie with the Bulldogs and capture their second consecutive Lower Peninsula Division 1 championship at the Jones Natatorium on the campus of Eastern Michigan University.
“These are the kinds of moments you live for,” said Mercy coach Michael Venos, whose team shared first place with Brighton entering the final event of the meet. “Every little kid, in their backyard, is trying to make that last-second shot. And every swimmer grows up wanting to anchor that relay, or have the meet come down to the last relay. And these girls got to live that out today.”
Mercy was seeded fourth entering the race, with Brighton coming in as the seventh seed. But the Bulldogs got off to a good start thanks to a 51.26 opening leg by senior Chloe Reed. The Marlins kept their poise, and cut into that lead with strong second and third legs by senior Courtney Connolly and junior Julia Coffman. That set the stage for a little “backyard” magic by sophomore anchor Greta Gidley, who swam a 50.26 – the third-fastest leg of any competitor in the race – to help her team to a third-place finish and enough points to beat the Bulldogs, 211 to 209.
“I was trying to focus on my own race, stay in my own lane,” said Gidley, who rallied from more than two seconds back to help her team top Brighton. “I couldn’t see Brighton, so I had no idea where they were, but I could see the girl next to me from Saline, and I was catching up to her, so I just put my head down and finished as strong as I could.”
Everyone outside of the pool knew exactly what was happening, and the entire contingent from Mercy erupted in celebration when the times shot up on the big scoreboard.
The Marlins had struggled out of the gate, but slowly but surely crept closer and closer to the leaders. They scored 34 points in the 500 freestyle, as senior Annette Domkowski (13 points), junior Kylie Goit (12) and junior Lindsey Case (9) all finished top-nine to vault their team past Rockford with just four events left.
“We talk all the time that it’s never about winning,” said Venos, whose team did not finish top-3 in any individual event, let alone take an event victory. “It’s about being the best, and if they come here and they focus on what they need to do to go fast, they’re going to walk out successful.”
Brighton didn’t win an event either, with its highest finish a second in the 200 freestyle relay. Seniors Maddie Mince, Julianne Libler and Reed, along with freshman Drue Thielking, finished second to Harrison-Farmington. Bulldogs coach Jason Black said though it was a little disappointing to finish a close second at the Finals, he couldn’t be happier with his team’s performance.
“They fought, all day,” Black said. “All three relays earned all-state honors. Looks like we have a couple all-American consideration times. I’m happy, I really am.”
Another program making a little history – or at least matching it – was Harrison-Farmington. The Thunderbirds finished third overall with 199 points. They finished third a year ago, but a distant third. Coach Kyle Kinyon’s team won both the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays, and senior Ashley Turak capped off a stellar career winning both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events, both in record-setting fashion. She won the 50-yard race in a time of 22.20, breaking her own meet record, set in Friday’s preliminary round. Her time of 48.72 in the 100-yard final smashed her own meet record as well, also set Friday at 49.18.
She teamed up with junior Lia Munson, senior Emma Inch and sophomore Madeline Greaves to win the 200-yard freestyle relay in a time of 1:33.34 – also a Division 1 meet record. The same foursome set an all-class/division Finals record in the 400 freestyle relay. Needless to say, Turak was more than pleased with how the day unfolded.
“Last year we went into the state meet and didn’t have high expectations,” said Turak, who earned the meet’s “swimmer of the year” honor for the second straight from the state coaches association. “This year I was going into this meet with a different mindset. I was going for a 21 (in the 50 freestyle), so after that race I wasn’t all that happy. But after each swim I raced, I got happier and happier. That 48 in the 100 free, that was one of my goals.”
Turak wasn’t the only swimmer setting records Saturday. Grand Haven junior Kathryn Ackerman crushed the field in the 200 individual medley, setting an all-class/division record of 1:57.25. The verbally-committed University of Michigan prospect also won the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 54.42, edging Rockford’s Morgan Kraus (54.52).
“I put in a lot of work this year, so I came in wanting to defend my (200 IM) title and be somewhere around my state record time,” Ackerman said. “That’s what I did today, so I’m real happy about it.”
Grand Ledge junior Lola Mull repeated in the 500-yard freestyle, falling just short of her own meet record time in the process. She swam 4:44.93, less than a half-second slower than she did at last year’s Finals. She was less than two tenths of a second off the pool record.
“My goal was to swim under 4:40,” Mull said. “I had my splits on my wall, looking at them every night. I was ready to break it. But I didn’t have a full taper heading into this meet. So I thought I would save it for junior nationals, but if I could do it today, I was going to go for it.”
Mull finished second in the 200 freestyle to Saline’s Maddie Luther, who won in a time of 1:49.14. The Hornets finished fifth as a team, with 186 points.
Rockford, which won the 200 medley relay behind the efforts of sophomore Sara Kraus, junior Masy Folcik, Morgan Kraus and freshman Ashley Lund, was fourth with 191 points.
Ann Arbor Skyline was sixth overall with 184, followed by Ann Arbor Pioneer (172), Northville (123), Hudsonville (105) and Grand Haven (96) in the top 10.
Individually, Skyline senior Zain Smith repeated in the 1-meter diving competition, beating out Ann Arbor Huron sophomore Annie Costello. Smith’s teammate, junior Casey Chung, also won a second straight championship, that coming in the 100 backstroke.
Hudsonville junior Claire Tuttle was also a repeat champion, winning the 100 breaststroke.
PHOTOS: (Top) Farmington Hills Mercy's Courtney Connolly played a key role in her team's meet-winning relay performance Saturday. (Middle) Grand Haven's Kathryn Ackerman swims to one of her multiple individual championships. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Preview: Finals Forecast Includes Potential Career Sweeps, 1st-Time Team Opportunities
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 19, 2025
A pair of seniors seeking to complete MHSAA Finals championship sweeps and a favorite pursuing a first team title are among storylines heading into this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming & Diving Finals.
West Bloomfield star Elizabeth Eichbrecht in Division 1 will attempt to finish her career with four championships in both the 200 and 500-yard freestyle races. In Division 3, Dearborn Divine Child standout Ella Dziobak is swimming for a fourth title in the 500 as well.
The team competitions also have familiar favorites, as Ann Arbor Pioneer, Farmington Hills Mercy and East Grand Rapids all are seeking to add to multi-year title streaks – but in Division 2, Grosse Pointe South may have the lineup to outpace Mercy and earn a first championship.
Due to facility repairs beginning Friday evening, the Division 1 Finals at Oakland University will begin Thursday and conclude Friday afternoon, with Division 2 and 3 following the traditional Friday-Saturday schedule.
Competition begins at noon for first-day preliminaries and the following day’s championships at all three sites. Tickets cost $11 both days, and all three Finals will be streamed live on MHSAA.tv. Click for information on purchasing tickets, plus schedules and qualifiers for all three meets.
Lower Peninsula Division 1 at Oakland University
Reigning champion: Ann Arbor Pioneer
2024 runner-up: Jenison
2025 top-ranked: 1. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 2. Northville, 3. Jenison.
Pioneer will be looking to claim a sixth-straight Division 1 title – which would tie it with East Grand Rapids (1981-86) and East Lansing (1973-78) for the third-longest championship streak in MHSAA girls swimming & diving history. The Pioneers’ mix of stars and depth will be tough to catch, with three relays and 22 individual entries seeded to score plus a diver competing. Northville finished third last season and is seeking its first championship to go with a runner-up finish in 2022. All three Mustangs relays and eight individuals are seeded to score, with three divers making that a strength as well. Jenison has finished a Finals runner-up two of the last four years – second in Division 2 in 2022 and then right behind Pioneer last fall. The Wildcats have all three relays and 11 individuals seeded to score, with two divers competing.
Kia Alert, Ann Arbor Pioneer freshman: She’ll make her Finals debut top-seeded in the 50-yard freestyle (23 seconds) and 100 breaststroke (1:04.16) and likely to swim on the top-seeded 200 freestyle and second-seeded 200 medley relays.
Dalila Brown, Jenison sophomore: She debuted by swimming on the winning 200 medley relay and finishing sixth in the backstroke last year while also competing in two more events, and this week she’s seeded first in the backstroke (55.37), seventh in the butterfly and likely to swim on the top-seeded medley and second-seeded 400 freestyle relays.
Elizabeth Eichbrecht, West Bloomfield senior: One of the most accomplished swimmers in MHSAA history will look to finish career Finals sweeps in the 200 and 500 freestyles, seeded first in both in 1:45.48 and 4:41.54, respectively – times that would break all-Finals records.
Madison Ensing, Zeeland senior: The reigning champion in the 50 and 100 freestyles is this time seeded first in the 100 (50.75) second in the 50 (23.22) and slated to swim on two top-three seeded relays.
Natalie Mazur, Brighton sophomore: She’s seeded first in the 100 butterfly (56.69), 10th in the 200 individual medley and slated to swim on two top-five seeded relays, after swimming the backstroke and as part of two relays last season.
Cecilia Walusek, Ann Arbor Pioneer junior: She finished sixth in the 500 and seventh in the 200 freestyle last season and also swam on the runner-up 200 medley relay. She returns as the top seed in the IM (2:05.24), third seed in the backstroke (56.86) and slated to swim on the top-seeded 200 free and second-seeded medley relays.
Ann Arbor Pioneer 200 freestyle relay: A potential group of Alert, Walusek, sophomore Yahanna Silva Castro and senior Katelyn Van Ryn could make a run at the LPD1 (1:32.85) and all-Finals (1:32.77) records in this race, entering with a seed time of 1:32.97. Van Ryn was part of last year’s champion.
Kiya Bowman, Kalamazoo Central senior: She finished eighth in diving last season but third among non-seniors and enters this meet having posted the highest Division 1 Regional qualifier score of 408.95 points.
Lower Peninsula Division 2 at Eastern Michigan University
Reigning champion: Farmington Hills Mercy
2024 runner-up: Grosse Pointe South
2025 top-ranked: 1. Grosse Pointe South, 2. Farmington Hills Mercy, 3. Birmingham Seaholm.
South has finished Division 2 runner-up three of the last six seasons and is seeking its first championship, but against familiar rivals. The Blue Devils are seeded first this weekend in all three relays and with 15 individual entries seeded to score – with five top seeds – plus a top diving contender. Mercy has won the last two championships, including last season 120.5 points ahead of South. The Marlins have three relays and 16 individuals seeded to score, and eight divers competing. Seaholm was the Division 2 runner-up in 2023 and third last year, just 11 points behind GPS. The Maples have three relays and eight individuals seeded to score, plus a diver.
Caroline Bryan, Grosse Pointe South sophomore: The reigning champion in the butterfly and as part of the medley relay is seeded first in both the butterfly (54.15) and IM (2:05.19) and could swim on any of the team’s three top-seeded relays. Her butterfly seed time is only 19 hundredths of a second off the Division 2 meet record.
Mischa Eng, Grosse Pointe South sophomore: She placed fifth in the butterfly and third in the backstroke and swam on the winning medley relay as well last year. She’s seeded first in the backstroke (56.89) and second in the butterfly (57.11) this weekend.
Whitney Handwork, Grosse Pointe South senior: She’s seeded first in the 50 (23.48) and 100 (51.19) freestyles and also is a candidate for all three relay favorites after winning the 50, finishing fifth in the 100 and swimming on the runner-up 200 free relay in 2024.
Amelia Malarz, Midland Dow sophomore: The reigning champion in the breaststroke and fourth-place finisher in the IM is seeded first in the breaststroke (1:02.64), third in the IM (2:06.67) and likely to swim two relays.
Adrienne Schadler, Ann Arbor Skyline junior: She’s won the 200 freestyle the last two seasons and added the 500 freestyle title a year ago, and is seeded first in both races in 1:47.10 and 4:51.08, respectively, while also likely to swim on two relays.
Campbell Shore, Farmington Hills Mercy junior: She’s been part of freestyle relay championships her first two seasons and won the 100 and finished sixth in the 50 last year as well. She’ll swim both individual races and potentially two relays this weekend.
Morgan Rea, Rochester Adams junior: She outpaced the entire Division 2 field with a Regional score of 433.20 and will be making her second Finals appearance after also competing as a freshman.
Aubrey Yarger, Hastings sophomore: She clinched last season’s diving championship as a freshman by 1.9 points and will return after winning her Regional by more than 27 with a score of 398.85.
Lower Peninsula Division 3 at Holland Aquatic Center
Reigning champion: East Grand Rapids
2024 runner-up: Bloomfield Hills Marian
2025 top-ranked: 1. East Grand Rapids, 2. Bloomfield Hills Marian, 3. Hudsonville Unity Christian
East Grand Rapids has won four straight Finals championships – including the last two in Division 3 – and can reach five consecutive for the fifth time in program history. That’s likely the expectation as the Pioneers have all three relays and 21 individual entries seeded to score, plus three divers in contention. Marian finished second a year ago and in 2021 and won the championship in 2022 when EGR competed in Division 2. The Mustangs have all three relays and 14 individuals seeded to score, and four divers. Unity Christian is a new addition to the contenders after finishing sixth a year ago. The Crusaders are seeking their first top-two Finals finish and bringing three relays and 10 individuals seeded to score.
Ellery Chandler, East Grand Rapids senior: She heads into her last Finals with three individual titles and four relay championships, with wins in the breaststroke, butterfly and as part of two relays a year ago. She’s seeded first in the butterfly (56.40) and breaststroke (1:04.54) and likely will swim on the top-seeded 200 free and second-seeded medley relays.
Ella Dziobak, Dearborn Divine Child senior: She’s pursuing a career Finals sweep in the 500 and is seeded fourth (5:22.70) in that race and fourth as well in the 200 free (1:59.50) – in which she placed third in 2024.
Addie Hein, East Grand Rapids junior: The reigning champion in the IM also finished third in the breaststroke and swam on the winning medley relay a year ago. She’s seeded third in the IM (2:10.87), fourth in the breaststroke (1:08.89) and could swim on two top-two seeded relays.
Quinn Norlander, Detroit Country Day junior: She’s looking to add to third-place finishes in both the IM and backstroke from last season, seeded first in the 100 freestyle (52.34), second in the backstroke (55.11) and also swimming on two relays.
Sophia Pierangeli, St. Joseph junior: The top seed in the IM (2:06.64) and third seed in the backstroke (57.33) finished fifth in the IM, sixth in the backstroke and swam on two runner-up relays last season. Two of her potential relays this weekend are top-seeded.
Camryn Siegers, Holland Christian junior: She’s won three Finals titles so far – two in the backstroke and also the 50 last year – and she’s seeded first this weekend in the 50 (23.01) and backstroke (54.46) with the latter only three hundredths of a second off the meet record. She’ll also likely swim on two third-seeded relays.
Alyssa Volkers, Hamilton junior: She could make significant jumps from sixth in the 200 freestyle and fourth in the 500 last year, seeded first in both races in 1:54.60 and 5:11.29, respectively.
Anna McAllister, Chelsea junior: She won last season’s diving championship by nearly 43 points and her Regional last week by 40 with a score of 384.25.
Josi Popma, Hamilton junior: She posted the highest Division 3 Regional score of 397.25, winning her site by 42 points after placing third at last year’s Final.
PHOTO West Bloomfield's Elizabeth Eichbrecht swims the 500 freestyle at last season's Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)