
Mustangs Pull Ahead During Final Events with Championship-Clinching Speed
By
Dan D'Addona
Special for Second Half
November 19, 2022
HOLLAND – Bloomfield Hills Marian and Holland Christian were in a fight to the finish at the Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 Swimming & Diving Finals.
Marian used a late surge to hold off the home-pool Maroons and win the championship with 245 points.
Holland Christian was second with 230.5, followed by Milan (208), while Adrian (154.5), Grand Rapids Christian (148.5), Wayland (130), Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (128.5), Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (90), Detroit Country Day (87) and Dundee (82) rounded out the top 10.
"When it came down to it, I knew we needed a lead going into the 400 free relay. Milan and Holland Christian perform so well every year," Marian coach Dave Eichenhorn said. "We knew it would be a major task. The girls bought in. There was nothing but faith and trust. I am not surprised by the performance, but I am surprised at how great it was."
The meet started with Bloomfield Hills Marian winning the 200 medley relay. Lily Low, Rachel Bello, Marianna Becharas and Axelle Ballarin won the event in 1:48.67. Holland Christian was second (1:49.63) and Wayland was third (1:49.94).
Bello won the 100 breaststroke as well to help clinch the title, overcoming the points deficit on paper heading into the Finals. Marian entered the meet ranked No. 3 behind Holland Christian and Milan.
"It is the overall energy of the team. It is so positive and encouraging," Bello said. "The energy never stopped. It means so much to us. We haven't won since 2014, and it was such a close meet. I couldn't ask for a better state meet."
The Maroons were close and led a couple of times late before Marian's stellar final three events. The runner-up finish was Holland Christian's highest since 1997.
"We talked about being content with whatever we walked away with. Today, this is what we had and they just happened to have some really talented girls who swam really well this weekend," Holland Christian coach Lisa Myrick said. "They had more than we had today.”
Here is a look at how the events unfolded:
The 200 freestyle was won by Milan's Annabelle Williams (1:54.09), finishing ahead of Detroit Country Day's Ella Dziobak (1:54.45) and Trenton's Sophia Shaul (1:54.51).
Bello claimed the 200 IM in 2:06.08, ahead of Flat Rock's Lauren McNamara (2:07.21) and Standish's Scarlet Maison (2:08.30).
Wayland's Laney Wolf won the 50 freestyle in 23.89, ahead of Adrian's Ella Salenbien (24.39) and Ogemaw Heights' Kiera Danitz.
Grosse Ile's Kaitlyn Molnar won diving (360.05), ahead of Haslett's Ali Viaches (340.00) and Hamilton's Anevay Hager (336.5).
In the 100 butterfly, Flat Rock's McNamara won in 55.26, ahead of Notre Dame Prep's Emma Ciesla (58.29) and South Haven's Abby Wettlaufer (59.46).
Wolf doubled up after winning the 50 free and claimed the 100 free in 51.93. St. John's Ella Schafer was second (52.24), followed by Milan's Annabelle Williams (52.46).
Dziobak won the 500 freestyle in 5:04.23, followed by Shaul (5:04.30) and Milan's Phoebe Rhoney (5:18.18).
Marian's Low, Ballarin, Lena McKenney and Bello won the 200 freestyle relay (1:38.72) ahead of Holland Christian (1:39.55) and Milan (1:39.77).
Cranbrook Kingswood's Julijana Jelic won the 100 backstroke in 57.35, ahead of Ionia's Madeline McGee (59.19) and Dundee's Joslyn Ball (59.49).
Bello won the 100 breaststroke in 1:05.44, ahead of Mason (1:06.91) and Schaefer (1:07.24).
Adrian's Francesca Scarabottolo, Eleanora Andre, Emily Hess and Ella Salenbien won the 400 free relay (3:37.18). Milan was second (3:37.83), and Marian was third (3:41.85).
PHOTOS by High School Sports Scene.

Sentinels Girls Follow Super Sophomore to 4th-Straight Championship
By
Jason Juno
Special for MHSAA.com
February 15, 2025
MARQUETTE — Olive Krueger is just a sophomore. But she’s the one who leads by example for Marquette’s girls swimming & diving team.
Be in the pool on time. Finish the set. Do the little things to be a winning team.
It translates into success for her and her team. Marquette won its fourth-straight Upper Peninsula Finals championship Saturday, and Krueger was a part of four U.P. titles – two individually and two relays – to make it six for her young career.
Krueger finished first in a sprint race, the 100-yard freestyle (57.42), and the grueling 500 freestyle (5:40.30). She was also a part of the 200 medley relay that edged Kingsford by 15 hundredths of a second for the win in 1:59.32 and the 200 freestyle relay (1:46.51) that won more comfortably.
“Olive is a year-round swimmer, but she also never skips a set,” Marquette coach Nathan McFarren said. “She’s at practice — she wants more, give me more. The thing that’s special about Olive, too, is the fact she can win a 100 freestyle and a 500 freestyle not long after that. Just tough.
“But also a gentler approach. You know what, I’m going to get in the water and I want you guys to do the same thing. … That’s the one thing that we’ve always had in a leader with Olive as a sophomore, which is a huge thing.”
Krueger said she actually doesn’t really like the sprints, but she was happy how that race turned out as she finished ahead of Kingsford’s Sierra Scott for the win.
“I had really good competition – the girl next to me, she’s really fast, that was nice,” Krueger said.
The medley relay was a hard-fought victory for Marquette.
“We weren’t sure what it was going to look like against Kingsford because those Kingsford girls are very competitive and they brought their A game today,” McFarren said.
Marquette won the team championship, its 29th overall, with 347 points, well ahead of runner-up Kingsford with 252. Houghton was third and Gladstone fourth.
This was the smallest girls, and boys, teams that McFarren has had during his uber-successful tenure at Marquette that now includes a combined total of 19 Finals championships. The Sentinels actually weren’t able to slot swimmers in all the spots they could have in the girls meet. But they were able to win anyway with their still superior depth.
“To have three individuals in each event really gives us a leg up on the rest of the competition,” he said.
They had first-place power Saturday, too, in addition to Krueger’s successes. Nathan’s daughter Logan McFarren won the 200 freestyle (2:13.57), and Sophie Hausmann took first in diving (221.80 final score). Both were also part of the winning 200 freestyle relay team with McFarren also a member of the 200 medley team that finished first.
Coach McFarren was also a proud dad.
“That 200 was a great performance,” he said, pointing out Logan had only recently come out of concussion protocol. “To retrain, get back up and then bring her back down was a little bit of a battle.”
It certainly wasn’t easy.
“Especially in the 100 back because of the concussion, it took a lot in the mind. I feel like it was very hard to go back into it and I hadn’t (swam) it since I had gotten the concussion,” said Logan McFarren, who took second in that race. “It turned out well. I dropped a lot of time.”
The junior was seeded first in the 200 free. She was still nervous going into it, but she was able to get the victory.
“It was nerve-wracking because the girl next to me was only a few seconds behind me,” McFarren said. “It was a good win. I was happy to start my first two races off with a win.”
Gladstone junior Irene Neumeier had a big day as well, finishing first in the 100 butterfly (1:02.78) and 100 backstroke (1:05.96).
“The 100 fly was pretty good,” she said. “I was pretty nervous because I was ranked third, and I also have a sinus infection. So I was a little nervous for that, but I knew after the first 50, I would be able to push through.”
Scott won a race of her own, the 200 IM (2:29.64). Kingsford’s Ella McLean finished fastest in the 100 backstroke (1:13.66). Their freshman teammate, Allison Deuter, took first in the 50 freestyle (25.43) despite being seeded second.
“I was just trying to go fast, and get No. 1 as a freshman. It’s great,” she said. “I was expecting to win, and I’m glad I did. It feels awesome knowing I still have three more years of this.”
Scott and Deuter were also members of Kingsford’s winning 400 freestyle relay (4:01.43).
PHOTOS (Top) Marquette's Olive Krueger swims to a victory in the 100-yard freestyle Saturday. (Middle) Finalists including Marquette's Logan McFerren launch into the backstroke. (Below) Marquette's Sophie Hausmann begins a dive during Friday's competition. (Photos by Daryl T. Jarvinen. Click for more as they are uploaded: Swimming | Diving.)