Preview: Powers Seek Return to Podium
November 21, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Farmington Hills Mercy and East Grand Rapids have spent their share of special moments atop the champions' podium at MHSAA Lower Peninsula Swimming & Diving Finals over the years.
They're favored to return this weekend after missing out on their familiar top spots a year ago. Holland, meanwhile, will attempt to keep pace and win its third straight championship in Division 2.
See below for team favorites and top individuals to watch at all three of this weekend's meets. Preliminaries are Friday, with championship races and diving Saturday. All three Finals also will be streamed live on MHSAA.TV and are available on a subscription basis.
Click for lineups and seed times for all three meets.
Division 1 at Oakland University
Team contenders: Top-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy finished second in Division 1 last season after winning five straight MHSAA titles from 2007-11, and has bounced back with 14 top-eight seeds heading into this weekend including all three highest-seeded relay teams. Saline, the champion in 2009 and 2010, is ranked No. 2 with only four top-eight seeds but a number of others in scoring position plus two contenders in diving. Ann Arbor Skyline, ranked No. 3, was the Division 2 runner-up last season and enters with six top-eight seeds including sophomore Katie Portz, seeded first in two events.
Ines Charles, Bloomfield Hills senior: She's seeded only fifth in the backstroke (58.53) but won the title in Division 3 last season while at Lahser before her school and Andover merged for this fall and the new school was big enough to move to Division 1.
Maddy Loniewski, Farmington Hills Mercy junior: Last season’s 200 individual medley champion is seeded fifth in that race (2:06.44) and fourth in the 100 freestyle (52.29), plus she swims on two of the top-seeded relays.
Katie Portz, Ann Arbor Skyline sophomore: She’s posted the fast seed times in the 100 freestyle (50.72) and 200 free (1:49.41) after finishing second in the 200 and fourth in the 100 at the Division 2 Final in 2012.
Elliott Schinella, Farmington Hills Mercy senior: The 2012 100 backstroke champion is poised to repeat entering with the top seed time of 56.02 plus the seventh-fastest (24.5) in the 50. Like Loniewski, she swims on two Mercy relays.
Miranda Tucker, Waterford United junior: This will be the first high school Finals for Tucker, and she’s set up to succeed quickly with top seeds in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.36) and 200 IM (2:01.98). Her breaststroke time would break the LP Division 1 Finals record and approach the overall Finals record of 1:02.10 set in 2010.
Maddie Wright, Waterford United junior: Wright has won a pair of MHSAA titles in each of her first two high school seasons and is the LP Division 1 Finals record holder in the 100 butterfly. She enters that race as the top seed (54.74) and is second to Portz in the 200 freestyle (1:49.55).
Amy Stevens, Saline freshman: In just her first season, Stevens won a tough diving Regional with a score of 451.15.
Dani VanderZwaag, Holland West Ottawa senior: VanderZwaag can cap her high school career with a second straight MHSAA title after winning last season’s championship with a score of 425.45.
Farmington Hills Mercy 200 freestyle relay: Schinella, Loniewski and juniors Kathleen McGee and Roxanne Griffore enter as the top seed in this race and with a strong opportunity to set an LP Division 1 Finals record – their seed time of 1:35.41 would just edge the record set by Hudsonville’s team in 2011.
Division 2 at Eastern Michigan University
Team contenders: Top-ranked Holland is looking to run its MHSAA title streak to three (and top-two finish streak to six) led by some of the most experienced standouts in any division and 14 top-eight seeds. Bloomfield Hills Marian is ranked No. 2 and looking for its first title since winning back-to-back in Division 3 in 2007 and 2008; the Mustangs could make things interesting with eight top-eight seeds. Portage Central finished fourth last season and is ranked No. 3 heading into the weekend, and has five top-eight seeds plus a number of others who should score from places 9-16.
Taylor Garcia, Holland junior: One of the best in Michigan regardless of division, Garcia already has won four individual and four relay titles and is the top seed in the 100 backstroke (54.14) and 100 butterfly (54.60). She set the butterfly LP Division 2 Finals record in 2011.
Cassie Misiewicz, Holland senior: The standout distance swimmer has won the 500 freestyle the last two seasons and was on two winning relays in 2012 as well. She’s the second seed both in the 500 (5:03.64) and the 200 freestyle (1:52.72).
Mollie Pulte, Bloomfield Hills Marian junior: Last season’s 200 freestyle champion should have her eyes on two more titles – and potentially two LP Division 2 Finals records. She’s the top seed in both the 200 free (1:49.56) and the 100 free (50.23), with her 200 time faster than the current Division 2 record and her 100 time only 27 hundredths of a second off that division best.
Holly Morren, Holland senior: She won the 100 freestyle last season and has been part of four title-winning relays, and she could claim two more individual titles in her final high school meet. Morren is the top seed in the 50 freestyle (23.51) and the second seed to Pulte in the 100 (51.20).
Nicole Pape, Rochester Adams freshman: She could finish Saturday as the most celebrated freshman of the Finals entering with top seed times in both the 200 individual medley (2:05.23) and the 100 breaststroke (1:04.21). She also will swim on two strong relays.
Bloomfield Hills Marian 200 freestyle relay: Pulte is joined by sophomore Maren Taylor, junior Hannah Richard and freshman Sophia Schott on a team that has swam 1:35.73, 41 hundredths of a second off the LP Division 2 record set in 2010.
Division 3 at Holland Aquatic Center
Team contenders: Arguably the most accomplished program in MHSAA history, East Grand Rapids is ranked No. 1 and favored to win its first championship since 2010. The Pioneers have 12 top-eight seeds and enter with the fastest teams in all three relays. Second-ranked Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood has won Division 3 the last two seasons and won’t fall quietly starting out with eight top-eight seeds. If No. 3 Holland Christian can move past both into the top spot, it would earn its first title since winning Class B in 1996.
Emily Converse, East Grand Rapids junior: She’s got the Pioneers’ lone individual top seed with a time of 1:54.20 in the 200 freestyle. She also has the second-fastest seed time in the 500 freestyle (5:09.68).
Hannah Kopydlowski, Flint Powers Catholic senior: The reigning 50 freestyle champion is the favorite again with the top seed time of 24.10. She also has the second-fastest seed time in the 100 backstroke (59.04).
Lara Kokubo, Cranbrook-Kingswood junior: She’s seeded lower among the top group in her races – tied for fifth in the 50 (24.86) and seventh in the 100 free (54.26) – but she’s the reigning champion in the latter.
Jennifer Wagley, Adrian senior: The reigning 100 butterfly champion returns with the fastest seed times both in that race (57.46) and the 200 individual medley (2:09.54).
Kim Jones, Plainwell junior: The reigning Division 3 champion defended her Regional title with a score of 463.1 points to earn her return to the Finals.
East Grand Rapids 200 freestyle relay: Converse is joined by senior Anna Stephens and freshmen Lexus VanHoven and Hanna Sanford on a team that has gone as fast as 1:38.24 – 37 hundredths of a second off the LP Division 3 record.
East Grand Rapids 400 freestyle relay: VanHoven, Sanford and Converse team with senior Emily Lundquist on a relay that’s finished in 3:37:31. The Division 3 record, set last season, is 3:33.63.
Preview: Anticipating a Few New Orders
November 16, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A change in division by one state power could change things up significantly at two of this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming & Diving Finals.
Regular favorites are expected to contend again in Division 1 after Rockford emerged to claim its first title last year. But Division 2 will welcome East Grand Rapids after the Pioneers posted one of the all-time impressive wins in Division 3 last fall. And a number of contenders are looking to return to the podium in Division 3 after EGR won three of the last four titles.
Prelims are Friday, and championship competition is Saturday. Below is a look at team contenders and top individuals to watch at all three Finals. All three will be broadcast live on MHSAA.tv and covered with stories posted to Second Half later Saturday evening. Click for full meet information including times and event orders.
LP Division 1 at Oakland University
Reigning champion: Rockford
2016 runner-up: Farmington Hills Mercy
2017 top-ranked: 1. Saline, 2. Farmington Hills Mercy, 3. Rockford.
Saline and Mercy are expected to push each other for the top spot – Saline is going for its first title since 2014 and Mercy for its first since 2013, although the Marlins have finished among the top two five of the last six seasons. Saline has 14 swimmers/relays seeded among the top 16 plus two divers competing – and among those 14 on the swim side are six top seeds, including two in the relays. Mercy doesn’t have a top seed, but does have 14 swimmers seeded to score plus three competing divers. Rockford has only 16 athletes/relays total, but 12 are seeded to score swim points and its diver was third at her Regional.
Casey Chung, Ann Arbor Skyline sophomore – Chung is top-seeded in the backstroke (54.69) and also will swim the 50 and on the 400 freestyle and top-seeded 200 medley relays. She finished 11th in the individual medley and fourth in the backstroke last season.
Johanna Jorgenson, Saline sophomore – After taking fifth in both the 50 and 100 freestyles last season, Jorgenson is seeded first in both at 23.05 and 50.30 seconds, respectively. She also could swim on the top-seeded 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
Morgan Kraus, Rockford junior – Kraus was second in the butterfly and third in the backstroke in 2016, and enters this weekend with the third seed in the 50 (23.38) to go with her top seed in the butterfly (54.63).
Maddie Luther, Saline junior – The reigning champion in the 200 and runner-up in the 500 freestyles is top-seeded in the 200 (1:48.11) by three seconds and second-seeded in the 500 (5:04.11), while also possibly swimming on the two top-seeded freestyle relays.
Katie Minnich, Farmington Hills Mercy senior – Minnich is looking to cap her career with a fourth straight backstroke championship; she is seeded second to Chung in that race at 55:04 and also third in the IM at 2:05.02
Georgia Mosher, Ann Arbor Skyline senior – Mosher has won two straight 500 freestyle championships and enters seeded eighth (5:06.08) in that race but fourth in the breaststroke (1:04.62). She also could swim on the top-seeded medley relay.
Lola Mull, Grand Ledge sophomore – Mull has the top seed in the 500 at 4:48.66, more than five seconds faster than the field, and is seeded second in the 200 freestyle (1:51.10). She finished sixth in the 200 and third in the 500 last season.
Lizzy Spears, Saline senior – After finishing third in the IM and eighth in the breaststroke last fall, Spears has the top seed in the IM (2:01.37) and third in the butterfly (55.41). She also is an option to swim on both top-seeded freestyle relays.
Ashley Turak, Farmington/Harrison junior – After entering last season’s Final with top-two seeds in both freestyle sprints, Turak finished second in the 50 and fourth in the 100. She enters this weekend in a similar spot – second-seeded in the 50 (23.15) and the 100 (50.52).
Claire Tuttle, Hudsonville sophomore – Tuttle finished third in the breaststroke as a freshman and carries the top seed in that race this time at 1:02.49. She’ll also swim the 100 freestyle.
Saline 200 freestyle relay – The Hornets are seeded first with a time of 1:35.19, identical to the time they swam last season that ranks fourth in LPD1 Finals history and is eight tenths of a second off the meet record.
Zain Smith, Ann Arbor Skyline junior – Smith won her Diving Regional last week with a score of 436.95, the third-highest Regional score in Division 1, and is the top returning finisher from last year’s Final after coming in second to graduated champion Camryn McPherson of Saline.
LP Division 2 at Holland Aquatic Center
Reigning champion: Birmingham Seaholm
2016 runner-up: Dexter
2017 top-ranked: 1. East Grand Rapids, 2. Dexter, 3. Birmingham Seaholm.
Last season’s LP Division 3 champion East Grand Rapids is back in Division 2, where it finished runner-up to Dexter in 2015. The Pioneers’ return didn’t affect their ability to qualify – EGR has all three relays and 16 individuals seeded among the top 16 of their events, with two top seeds, plus four divers competing. Without EGR in the mix last year, Seaholm finished 37.5 points ahead of the Dreadnaughts. Dexter has 12 individuals and all three relays seeded to score, plus two divers, while Seaholm has 11 individuals and three relays seeded to score and two divers as well.
Royal Oak senior Julia Boswell – Boswell is seeded to finish her career with a second championship but in a different race, carrying the top seed in the 200 freestyle (2:05.24) by more than two seconds after winning the 500 a year ago. She is seeded second in the 500 (4:58.91), only 42 hundredths of a second from topping that list too. She also took a 10th in the IM last year.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central senior Felicity Buchmaier – The reigning champion in the backstroke and butterfly has won three individual titles total over the last two seasons. This weekend, she’s seeded second in the butterfly (56.79) and third in the backstroke (57.75).
East Grand Rapids senior Ileah Doctor – The reigning Division 3 champion in the 50 and breaststroke also is seeded first at this meet in the 50 (23.12) and second in the 100 freestyle (51.87). She also could swim on the top-seeded 200 freestyle relay and second-seeded medley relay.
Birmingham Seaholm senior Haley Dolan – Dolan won the 50 in 2016 and also swam on two championship relays. She’s seeded fourth in the 50 (24.05), 15th in the 100 and is an option on all three relays including the top-seeded medley.
Grosse Pointe South junior Clarice Fisher – She enters with the top seed in the butterfly (56.13) ahead of reigning champion Buchmaier, plus has the sixth seed in the breaststroke (1:07.13). Fisher was second in the butterfly and eighth in the IM last year.
East Grand Rapids junior Sydney Higgins – Last season’s backstroke champion in Division 3 brings more EGR star power back to Division 2; she’s seeded seventh in the backstroke (59.71) and will swim the IM and possibly two relays including the medley.
Rochester Adams junior Lisa Lohner – She finished ninth in the 500 and qualified in the 200 free in Division 1 last season, but is lined up for a big meet with the top seed in the 500 (4:58.49) and second seed in the 200 (1:52.80). She also could swim on the top-seeded 400 freestyle and second-seeded 200 freestyle relays.
Midland Dow sophomore Claire Newman – After finishing second in both the 50 and 100 freestyles as a freshman, Newman is expected to break through with at least one title. She’s seeded second in the 50 (23.69) behind Doctor and first in the 100 (51.44) ahead of her, plus could swim on the second-seeded 400 freestyle relay.
Dexter senior Annette Schultz – With a combined four individual and two relay championships over the last two seasons, Schultz enters as one of the anticipated stars again this weekend. She’s fourth-seeded in the 100 (52.49) and top-seeded in the 200 (1:52.73) freestyles as she attempts to win both for the third straight season.
Allison Steffin, Temperance Bedford senior – Steffin took sixth in the breaststroke and was part of a runner-up relay a year ago. She’s top-seeded in the breaststroke (1:05.09) and also will swim the IM.
Grosse Pointe North senior Sam Villani – After finishing third in the backstroke and sixth in the 100 freestyle in 2016, Villani has the sixth seed in the 100 (53.10) but the top seed in the backstroke (56.52).
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central junior Anna Hansen – The reigning Finals diving champion’s Regional score last week of 454.45 was more than 28 points higher than anyone else’s in Division 2. She won last year’s title by just more than six points over Fenton’s Taylor Shegos, a senior who also was a Regional champ last week.
LP Division 3 at Eastern Michigan University
Reigning champion: East Grand Rapids
2016 runner-up: Bloomfield Hills Marian
2017 top-ranked: 1. Bloomfield Hills Marian, 2. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 3. Holland Christian.
East Grand Rapids put up an incredible 512 points to win Division 3 a year ago, but is in Division 2 this weekend. But Marian put up a similarly impressive 364 points to finish second last year, 189 points ahead of the rest of the field. The Mustangs enter this weekend with four top seeds among their three relays and 13 individuals seeded to score. Cranbrook Kingswood, seventh last season, has three relays and nine individual swimmers seeded to score, and Holland Christian will attempt to move up from third last year with three relays and 11 swimmers seeded to score plus two divers competing.
Bloomfield Hills Marian senior Lauren Biglin – The reigning champion in both races is seeded first in the 200 (1:51.67) and 500 (5:04.80), the latter by nearly nine seconds. She also could swim on top-seeded 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
Milan senior Madelyn Cislo – She’s seeded to repeat as the champion in the IM, entering with a time of 2:05.95 that’s more than five seconds better than anyone else’s in Division 3. Cislo also is seeded second in the butterfly after finishing third last season.
South Haven freshman Ellie Frost – Arguably the fastest of a standout group of freshmen as this meet, Frost is seeded first in the 100 freestyle (53.21) and second in the 50 (24.21).
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep sophomore Rhianna Hensler – She had quite a debut last season, setting a meet record in the butterfly (56.21) and finishing 11th in the IM. Hensler is top-seeded in the butterfly (55.13) with a time that would break her record, and she’s also top-seeded in the 50 (23.76).
Grand Rapids Catholic Central senior Susan LaGrand – LaGrand finished second in both the butterfly and IM last season after winning both as a sophomore. LaGrand and Hensler both broke LaGrand’s meet record in the butterfly last year; LaGrand will try to finish back on top in that race and enters with the third seed (58.18) and the top seed in the backstroke (57.55).
St. Clair senior Molly Likins – After finishing second in the breaststroke and qualifying in the 50 last year, Likins will swim both races again and is seeded first in the breaststroke (1:05.26) by nearly three seconds. She also could swim on the second-seeded medley relay.
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood freshman Gwen Woodbury – Another standout freshman, Woodbury is seeded third in the 200 freestyle (1:54.85) and second in the 100 (53.31) only a tenth of a second behind Frost. She also could swim on any of relays including two seeded second.
Milan junior Mackenzie Crawford – The reigning diving champion won last year’s Final by more than 62 points, and her 431.25 at last week’s Regional was 64.5 points ahead of her field and the second highest in the division.
Wayland senior Allyson Schafer – She finished second in diving last season to Crawford, but posted the highest Regional score in the division last week at 449.15.
PHOTO: Swimmers launch during a race at last season's Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)