#TBT: Groves Claims 1st Swim & Dive Title
September 12, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The 1987 and 1988 Lower Peninsula Class A Finals were two of the most closely-contested in MHSAA Girls Swimming & Diving history. And after falling just short in 1987, Birmingham Groves edged the rest to win its first championship in the sport in 1988.
Groves scored 150 points in 1987 at Michigan State University's McCaffree Pool, just seven fewer than champion Ann Arbor Pioneer. But although individual butterfly champion Janet Caraher graduated the following spring, Groves took that last step up the podium at MSU the next fall with 117 points – six more than runner-up Birmingham Seaholm, 12 more than Midland Dow and 32 more than distant fourth-place Pioneer.
Groves was paced by a pair of champions: senior sprinter Laura Fischer won both the 50 and 100-yard freestyles after finishing second and fifth in those races, respectively, in 1987. Senior Becky Callam also improved from second in 1987 to first in diving after also winning the event at the 1986 Final. The team's swimmers were coached by Darin Abbasse and its divers by Dave Eddy.
The Falcons went on to win four straight Division 2 titles from 2003-06 under coach Chris Tennyson, and remain a power, finishing fourth in Division 2 last fall.
Click to read all of the names that go with the photo above.
Performance of the Week: East Grand Rapids' Kate Simon
November 29, 2024
Kate Simon ♦ East Grand Rapids
Senior ♦ Swimming
The Pioneers’ standout capped her high school career with two more individual and two more relay championships – and a meet record – in helped East Grand Rapids to its record 27th Finals championship, this one in Lower Peninsula Division 3. She’ll graduate with four individual and eight relay Finals titles and having contributed to EGR team championships all four years of high school.
Simon swam an LPD3 Finals-record 50.06 in the 100-yard freestyle and just missed on another meet record in winning the 200 freestyle in 1:48.19 – just 12 hundredths of a second shy of another all-time best. She also led off the winning 200 freestyle relay (1:36.24) and anchored the winning 400 freestyle relay (3:37.01). She will continue her swimming and academic careers next year at Notre Dame, where she’s considering studying business. Simon also played No. 1 doubles for East Grand Rapids last spring, reaching the quarterfinals at the LPD3 Girls Tennis Finals.
@mhsaasports 🏊♀️POW: Kate Simon #swimming #EastGrandRapids #Finals #champion #record #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
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Previous 2024-25 honorees
Nov. 22: Ella Kokaly, Essexville Garber softball - Report
Nov. 15: Caroline Bryan, Grosse Pointe South swimming - Report
Nov. 8: Kaylie Livingston, Whitmore Lake cross country - Report
Oct. 25: Oliver Caldwell, Grand Rapids West Catholic tennis - Report
Oct. 18: Alex Graham, Detroit Cass Tech football - Report
Oct. 11: Victoria Garces, Midland Dow cross country - Report
Oct. 4: Asher Clark, Bay City John Glenn soccer - Report
Sept. 26: Campbell Flynn, Farmington Hills Mercy volleyball - Report
Sept. 19: TJ Hansen, Freeland cross country - Report
Sept. 12: Jordan Peters, Grayling soccer - Report
Sept. 6: Gabe Litzner, Sault Ste. Marie cross country - Report
Aug. 30: Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report
(Photos courtesy of the Simon family.)