Cranbrook swim and dive vies for top spot in Division 3 as state finals nears

BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Everyone wants to be a part of a successful team.

The environment is electric, the team atmosphere is exciting, and everyone has their sights set on the same thing – winning.

It’s a special feeling that not everyone gets to experience in their high school athletic career. So when Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood swim and dive brought home a Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 3 State Championship last year for the first time since their four-peat from 2014-2017, the Cranes became a hot commodity.

“It was a huge part, because the biggest thing was guys that weren’t on the team wanted to be on the team, so they did a lot of offseason work to become a part of it,” senior Will Farner said. “That’s what’s really (contributed) to our success this year.”

While Cranbrook expected the swimming team’s success to gain some attraction, there probably wasn’t the thought of reeling in two big-time senior swimmers in the process.

Both previously swimming club for OLY Swimming in Rochester Hills, seniors Andrew Delzer and Colin Zexter were the equivalent of landing two high-market players in free agency.

Zexter last swam for Cranbrook his freshman year, while Delzer, a close friend of Will Farner, probably grew tired of hearing Farner’s recruiting pitches year in and year out.

As Cranbrook currently stands as the No. 1 ranked team in Division 3 and the Oakland County Champions this year, Delzer said it’s been an unforgettable season.

“This year, I just decided that it was my senior year, so why not have some fun with the team and go do some damage?” Delzer said. “I’m really happy with the decision, because I’ve had an absolute blast. It’s a really unique thing for me being on a team as tight as these guys are. We do everything together.”

Damage would be an understatement for what Delzer and Zexter have brought to Cranbrook’s opposition this year, helping the Cranes win their first-ever Oakland County Championship title Feb. 2 at Waterford Kettering High School.

Zexter tallied first in the 100 fly and third in the 200 freestyle, while Delzer finished first in the 50 freestyle and third in the 100 freestyle.

Also a newcomer for Cranbrook, freshman Ethan Xu, a boarding student from Hong Kong, has been sensational in his first year, earning two runner-up finishes at counties in the 200 IM and 500 freestyle.

“For us, that (winning counties) was a big deal for a lot of the boys, because that’s one of those where you’re thinking that if you can do that, you got a really good squad,” Cranbrook head coach Paul Ellis said. “There was a lot of really good talent. For a bunch of small school kids, it was a big deal for us to go in and win that meet.”

Cranbrook has their newcomers, and then they have their old reliables in Will Farner, sophomore AJ Farner — Will’s younger brother, junior Sean Lu, junior Joseph Wiater, senior Clarke Hay, senior Austin Henry, senior Michael Sawula, junior Calvin Meeker, junior Ethan VandenHaute, and many other consistent contributors.

Will Farner, a four-year varsity swimmer, has been the kind of veteran coaches dream of, providing for Cranbrook both as a swimmer and as a leader.

The leadership role isn’t just something Farner was excited to take on, but something he’s had his eye on for a while.

“It’s been a huge thing, because it’s something I always wanted since being a freshman,” Farner said. “I always wanted to be the captain and be a senior on the team. For me, the important thing was being the guy people can talk to, but I also want to hold them accountable and keep it fair across the board for everyone.”

Sidelined due to injury to start the season, AJ Farner took on a coaching role in his own right to start the season for Cranbrook.

AJ Farner was a standout freshman for Cranbrook’s state-winning team and was poised for a breakout year as a sophomore, but a broken L5 vertebrae halted his swimming activity — and gave him a new perspective of the sport.

“When you’re in the water, you’re kind of focused on yourself,” AJ Farner said. “It’s fun because when the season started in November, I got to coach lanes 1-3, which are kind of the newer guys on the team. It was really fun to teach some of the newer guys how to swim and how hard it is.”

It’s been a difficult six-month recovery, but AJ Farner has since returned to the pool and been slowly getting his feet wet the past month.

AJ Farner had a breakout performance at the Catholic League Championships March 2 at Waterford Kettering High School as AJ Farner took first in the 100 backstroke and fourth in the 200 freestyle, helping Cranbrook take first by a five-point margin over Detroit Catholic Central, the No. 3 ranked team in Division 1.

“It’s tough, because I was hoping to have a really good year,” AJ Farner said. “It’s really hard to get back in after six months and losing everything, but the team helped a lot getting back into it. It’s a slow process.”

The Cranes will look to defend their Division 3 state championship crown March 8-9 at the Holland Aquatic Center with Holland Christian, who were state champions in 2018 and 2019, and East Grand Rapids, who were back-to-back champions prior to Cranbrook’s win last year, hoping to reclaim the top spot.

Since day one of the season, the state title has been at the top of Cranbrook’s mind.

“When we started the year, coach Paul (Ellis) said the goal for this year was to defend the title,” AJ Farner said. “Everyone really rallied around that at the beginning of the year, and that was everyone’s mentality.”

Ellis said Cranbrook needed a perfect race from everyone last season to bring the title home, and the depth is looking even stronger.

From top to bottom, Cranbrook features a plethora of swimmers who can score at any given time, and Delzer said he expects that to be Cranbrook’s X-factor at the state finals.

“It’s without a doubt our depth,” Delzer said. “It’s not just our top dogs and top firepower that’s winning the meet, it’s those guys that are in the top-8 that aren’t winning events. Those guys, which we have plenty of them and most teams don’t, are pushing us forward and leading us to all of our success.”