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.)
Wayland's Wolf Eager to Build on Historic Freshman Finals Performance
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
November 16, 2023
WAYLAND – Laney Wolf made a giant splash last year in her debut at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Swimming & Diving Finals.
As a freshman, the Wayland standout won individual titles in the 50 and 100-yard freestyles – becoming the first swimmer in school history to earn a Finals championship while putting the rest of the state on notice that she will be around to contend for more over the next three years.
“Last year was a great experience, especially being able to win in the 50 and 100 free,” Wolf said. “It was really exciting, especially with my teammates and coaches cheering me on.
“I've done a lot of club swimming, but it was just a different atmosphere for high school because it was a big state meet. It was important.”
Wolf entered her first Finals with zero expectations.
“I didn’t expect to win,” she said. “I swam well in the preliminaries, and I was first. Then in the finals, I just gave it all I had and ended up with the wins.”
Wayland swimming & diving coach Seth Beat also had no idea what to expect from his talented young swimmer.
“When she came in, I knew she was going to score well in our conference and be a top competitor,” Beat said. “And then tracking her progress, it was exciting to see her growing and climbing the ranks at the state level.”
The opportunity to qualify for her Finals was satisfying enough.
“I was just happy for her to go to state with her being ranked in the top eight in her individual races, and for her to finish first in those was just mind-blowing,” Beat said. “We were all proud of her, and it was just go and swim as hard as you can and be happy with the outcome.
“And I think we will have the same mindset this year. Let's just go, be focused and do what you can. Be mentally and physically ready and just give it her all.”
Wolf will try to duplicate last year’s awe-inspiring effort when she competes in this weekend’s Finals at Oakland University. She has the fourth-fastest LPD3 qualifying times in both of her signature events (24.54 in the 50 and 53.55 in the 100).
“I'm really excited about the 50 free this year, and I think I have a really good shot at that event,” Wolf said. “I know there is a lot more competition than there was last year, but I'm still going to try my best and give it everything I have.”
Wolf has reason for optimism after recording a personal best in the 50 during practice.
“I’ve been very happy with how I’ve swam this season,” she said. “I had 24 (seconds) during the hard week of practice, which was huge for me to be able to do that.”
Beat has witnessed firsthand Wolf’s climb to early success at the high school level. He first met her when she was 6 years old while taking part in the Wayland AquatiCATS Swim Program.
“She has a killer instinct and is very competitive,” Beat said. “She comes from a family of athletes.”
That family of athletes includes two brothers and an older sister, who’s also on the team, and who constantly push each other and strive for excellence. Laney also played basketball and ran track as a freshman.
“I’ve coached them all in swimming and taught them in the classroom, and they just set high goals and are extremely determined to meet those goals,” Beat said. “They will work out in the weight room, eat right, swim right and will train seven days a week.
“They will do what they need to do in order to make sure they achieve their goals. It’s in their genes and makeup. They put their best foot forward to be the best they can be.”
Wolf’s work ethic, perseverance and positive attitude provide her with the necessary motivation to excel.
“I never give up, and I always try my best at practice,” Wolf said. “I do club swimming over the summer, and I'm always putting in the work to do the best I can.
“When I’m getting ready for my races, I don't think about my competition. I just picture the event before I swim it, and I'm trying to perfect everything in my head before I go into that event and get into a good head space.”
Wolf isn’t feeling any pressure to repeat this weekend.
“I think no matter how I do, I will be happy with how it turns out,” Wolf said. “No matter what, it will be a good end to the season.”
Dean Holzwarth has covered primarily high school sports for Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV for five years after serving at the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years along with shorter stints at the Ionia Sentinel and WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Wayland’s Laney Wolf swims one of her races; she’s among the state’s elite sprinters. (Middle) Wolf is awarded with her 100 freestyle championship at last season’s LPD3 Finals. (Photos courtesy of the Wayland athletic department.)