Heroic comeback, school records sum up state finals performance for North

GROSSE POINTE WOODS — The beauty of the Michigan High School Athletic Association state finals for any sport is that there’s always a storyline people can gravitate toward.

There are your Cinderella teams that have never made it or have never won a state title, the perennial powerhouses looking to add to their title streaks, or players to watch throughout the state tournament who might be taking their talents to the college level.

For Grosse Pointe North boys swim and dive, its motivation was a little more personal than a surface level storyline, for one of its own was battling back from a brutal injury.

Just four weeks prior to the MHSAA Division 2 state meet, senior Connor McMahon suffered a torn ACL, sidelining him for what many thought would be the remainder of his high school swim career.

But for McMahon, four weeks was plenty of time to power through and make sure his season ended on his terms.

“The motivation behind it was knowing that it was my senior year and all my best friends are on the team, so this was my last chance at high school sports, and I knew I wanted to give it a try one last time,” McMahon said. “I didn’t really know I could swim till maybe the Wednesday or Thursday before states, because I didn’t know how it was going to be at practice.”

With only a practice under his belt, McMahon anchored North’s 200-yard freestyle relay at the MHSAA Division 2 State Championship on March 9 at Eastern Michigan University, leading North to a seventh-place finish in the event, earning all-state, and setting a school record with a 1:28.46 time.

Also on the relay were senior Thomas Moreland, senior Keegan Wettstein, and sophomore James Gusmano.

A close friend of McMahon, Moreland said McMahon’s ability to fight through the injury and join the team for states fired up the Norsemen.

“I don’t think I know anybody else that could’ve done that,” Moreland said. “It was really impressive. I didn’t think he was coming back at all. It was a surprise to me too, and me and Connor are really close friends. One day, he was just like, ‘Yeah, I’m coming back.’ He was supposed to be wearing a knee brace, and I think he had it off in a couple days and wasn’t even wearing it anymore.”

Moreland and Gusmano earned all-state finishes and school records on their own with Moreland placing sixth in the 100-yard butterfly with a 51.27 time while Gusmano continued his stellar sophomore season with an eighth-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle, posting a 21.89 time.

The Norsemen finished 16th in a field of 33 teams at the state finals with only five swimmers qualifying, but their conference play throughout the season was efficient preparation for states.

North, which competed in the MAC White last year, put up a fight in its first year in the MAC Red, finishing second with a 4-1 record behind neighborhood rival Grosse Pointe South.

North might not have the numbers or star power that other teams hold, but head coach Kyle Kinyon said the team’s energy makes up for it.

“We might be small, but my gosh we’re loud,” Kinyon said. “You come to practice and you’re like, ‘Holy cow, you got 30 kids in there.’ They’re energetic. I think they do a really nice job of trying to bring out the most in each other, racing at practice and doing silly, goofy things from time to time. Ultimately, they’re just trying to show what needs to get done and they’re always eager for competition.”

While the Norsemen are set to graduate a talented group of seniors, Gusmano, freshman Tyler Collins — a state finals qualifier — sophomore James Jewell, sophomore Paul Stephens, and freshman Brady Winbigler will all look to take the next step in their development next season.

Jewell was an impact swimmer for North as a freshman and only grew in his second season, while Stephens, who joined the swim team to help with triathlon training, shined toward the end of the season.

Losing three seniors is difficult for a team constantly battling the numbers game, but Kinyon said the foundation they’ve left to build on and the young talent already established will help soften the blow.

“We’re not the largest team in the world, but I think we’re set up to keep moving forward even after losing some of our seniors that have no doubt left their mark on this team,” Kinyon said.