Practice Makes Champion for Saline
November 22, 2014
By Chip Mundy
Special to Second Half
YPSILANTI – Saline swimming coach Todd Brunty often ends practice the same way, setting up a relay with the atmosphere of a race that would decide the outcome of a meet.
Practice became reality Saturday afternoon at the Michael H. Jones Natatorium on the campus of Eastern Michigan University.
But this time, the final race – the 400-yard freestyle relay - didn’t decide a normal meet; it decided the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 swimming and diving championship.
“Every single time we finish practice, Todd always says, ‘Swim like it’s coming down to the last relay,’ and that’s exactly what we did,” said Saline senior Alex McPherson, who swam the second leg on the relay as Saline won it in 3 minutes, 28.13 seconds.
Farmington Hills Mercy, which led the meet by a half-point coming into the final event, was second in the relay in 3:31.26. Saline won the championship by a margin of 267.5-262.
Junior Amelia Armstrong-Grant swam the first leg for Saline, followed by McPherson, junior Allison Eppinga and freshman Lizzy Spears.
Brunty said he had no reservations about having a freshman swim the last leg in such an important race.
“She had a tough meet. It was her first year here, but we stuck with her,” he said of Spears. “She got a baptism by fire right there.
“She did a job, and that’s part of this team. We have expectations here, and no matter who you are, at any given time you have to be willing to swim.”
The girls made a point to say they were swimming more for each other than for themselves.
“When I was on the blocks, I just thought, ‘This is it. Swim for them, not for yourself,’” McPherson said. “I love these girls more than anything, and I just wanted to win for them. I consider all of those girls my sisters, and I’m not going to let down my family.”
McPherson was the only senior on the relay, and Spears – the freshman who swam the last leg – said winning for McPherson was important.
“I had to do it for Alex because it’s her senior year, and I had to do it for the rest of the team,” she said. “It’s such an honor to swim the last leg. All I was thinking was that I had to be the first one to the wall, and the team was counting on that.”
Saline had roughly a 3-second lead when Spears entered the water for her final leg, and the winning margin was roughly 3 seconds.
“I told them all I needed was a lead,” she said.
It was the third MHSAA team championship for Saline, and like the two previous ones, it came without an individual champion on the swimming side.
However, Saline did have a champion in diving, and it dominated the event with four divers finishing among the top 15. Sophomore Amy Stevens defended her title and won with 488.20 points – an LP Division 1 Final record – while Camryn McPherson was second, Miranda Eberle seventh and Emmi Ruela 15th.
Stevens had roughly a 10-point lead over McPherson after the semifinal and maintained that edge throughout the final. McPherson had won the Regional title by 19 points.
“You always want your teammates to do good, but you don’t want them to do better than you,” Stevens said. “It’s great competing with them because it’s a fun environment, and when you are having fun you always dive well.”
Brunty made a point to single out the divers for their contribution to the overall championship.
“The divers were paramount to our win,” he said, pointing to the trophy. “It does say swimming and diving, and a lot of people think it’s something else, but we’re going to make sure people understand that we are a program that believes in everything.
“We support diving. A lot of coaches sometimes forget how important it can be, but I think we proved today that diving is an integral part of the sport. It is a swimming and diving state championship, and we are the state champs.”
Armstrong-Grant finished second in the 200 freestyle and third in the 100 freestyle, while McPherson was runner-up in the 500 freestyle and fifth in the 200 freestyle. Eppinga also tied for fifth in the 100 freestyle and took sixth in the 100 backstroke.
Saline also was third in both the 200 medley relay and the 200 freestyle relay, and the meet took a dramatic turn in the latter. Farmington Hills Mercy was disqualified when its leadoff swimmer moved in the blocks before the race began. The Marlins finished third but had to forfeit their 32 points from that event.
“Everybody drops the ball every now and then,” Mercy coach Shannon Dunworth said. “Our girl flinched on the blocks. You have to remain motionless, and she twitched.
“The kids did marvelous. I think they’ve got their heads up, and my hat’s off to Saline for sure.”
Mercy won the meet-opening 200 medley relay in 1:45 with Katie Minnich, Maddie Loniewski, Alaina Skellett and Roxanne Griffore making up the team. Minnich, a freshman, later won the 100 backstroke in 55.06 for Mercy’s only individual championship.
The meet also was highlighted by record-breaking efforts by two Waterford swimmers who successfully defended their 2013 championships.
Senior Miranda Tucker, who plans to swim at Indiana University next year, broke her all-division record set last year in the 200 IM (1:59.14). She also broke her all-division record in the 100 breaststroke in the prelims on Friday (1:00.58) and again in the final (1:00.56).
Tucker admitted she was a little disappointed that she was not able to take her breaststroke time under 1 minute.
“I was pretty mad that I didn’t break that minute barrier that I’ve been hoping for all this time,” she said. “But I got to thinking it over. I’m just enjoying myself. I’m going all out to see what I can do. There’s always another chance.
“I felt like I could have done better, but I’ll take what I can get. I gave it my all.”
Waterford senior Maddie Wright closed out her high school career with her seventh and eighth Finals championships. She repeated in the 200 freestyle in 1:49.30 and had to come from behind to edge Morgan Bullock of Zeeland in the 100 butterfly with a time of 54.51.
“Morgan has incredible underwaters, and she was just beating me on all of those,” Wright said. “For a while, I was thinking maybe it’s someone else’s turn to be the champion, and then on the last turn I just saw her and said, ‘I know I can make that up. I know I can do it.’ It was very close.
“I loved every second of it.”
Another successful defense was turned in by Northville sophomore Laura Westphal in the 500 freestyle. She won in 4:54.46, less than a second ahead of Saline’s Alex McPherson.
“It was really fun,” Westphal said. “I enjoyed it. I was a little concerned as they were gaining on me the last bit. I think we all went faster because we had better competition. I’m glad how it turned out.”
Grand Blanc sophomore Emma Curtis took the 50 freestyle in exciting fashion as she out-touched Erin Hudson of Rockford to win by one hundredth of a second in 23.60.
“Honestly, I didn’t know if I had won,” Curtis said. “I had no idea. As it was getting close to the end, I took a breath and saw her. She was right next to me, so I knew it could have went either way.”
Hudson was part of Rockford’s winning 200 freestyle relay team that finished in 1:35.88. Other members of that relay were Meegan Snyman, Dakota Noble and Peyton Rayburn.
Brighton sophomore Taylor Seaman won the 100 freestyle in 51.16, while Rockford won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:35.88.
But the day belonged to Saline.
“I’m just proud of the girls and the resolve they showed throughout the day,” Brunty said. “We didn’t swim our best, but we swam good enough to be state champs, so we’ll take it.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Saline's Amy Stevens performs a dive en route to repeating as champion of the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final on Saturday. (Middle) A Saline swimmer competes for the eventual team champion at Eastern Michigan University. (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.)