Oakland County teams shine at swim and dive state finals

OAKLAND COUNTY — The Michigan High School Athletic Association swim and dive state finals marked a successful end to the season for a slew of Oakland County teams Nov. 18.

Whether it was at Eastern Michigan University (D1), the Holland Aquatic Center (D2), or Oakland University (D3), Oakland County was well represented on the podium. Some teams showcased their young core, some teams had a proper send-off for their seniors, and some are eager to get next season started after their state finals performance.

 

Birmingham Seaholm
With the conclusion of the Division 2 state finals, the Maples’ runner-up finish was a proper send-off for one of the school’s all-time greats in swimming.

Senior Kelley Hassett, who’s been a staple for Seaholm swimming throughout her high school career, was the state champion in the 500-yard freestyle, which she won in 2022, and state runner-up in the 200-yard freestyle. Hassett will continue her swimming career at Oakland University.

“She goes down, in my opinion, as one of the all-time greats at Seaholm,” Seaholm coach Karl Hodgson said. “She re-broke her record in the 500. She broke it last year, and then re-broke it this year. She’s been everything. She’s mainly what you see her at the state meet as sort of a distance swimmer and freestyler, but she’s our best all-around swimmer by far.”

Hassett also teamed up with juniors Avery Anderson, Abby Stanley and Skyler Jansen for a state championship win in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Hassett, Stanley, Jansen and senior Lindsay Louwers also took third in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Along with Hassett, Jansen turned in two all-State finishes, which are the top-eight swimmers, earning fourth in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle. Stanley added an all-State tally with her sixth place in the 200-yard freestyle, while Anderson tallied two of her own with a seventh-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle and fifth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke.

Hodgson said the ladies swam one of the best prelims he can remember from his coaching career, but it was the rankings he felt motivated the team.

“I think what they saw was they had us ranked eight going in, and I think that irritated them a little bit,” Hodgson said. “I think they felt they were a better team than that.”

Seaholm will return a healthy senior core in 2024 as they look to return to championship form.

 

Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Posting a runner-up finish in the Division 3 state finals, Cranbrook Kingswood coach Greg Palmer couldn’t be happier for his group of seniors who helped the program return to the Cranbrook Kingswood team and won two state titles and earned two runner-up finishes from 2017-2020.

“They do it on multiple fronts,” Palmer said. “They do it in the pool, workouts, and their own personal swims, but also taking some of those other swimmers under their wing, especially Hazel (Strain). Hazel, who’s a fantastic swimmer in her own right, but just kind of bringing her under them and moving her along so she can be a leader next year as well.”

Seniors Julijana Jelic, Eryn McLaughlin and Elea Mast led the way at the state finals as Jelic secured state runner-up in the 200-yard IM and 100-yard backstroke while teaming up with Mast, McLaughlin and junior Hazel Strain for a state runner-up finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Jelic also earned state runner-up with Mast, Strain and freshman Elizabeth Kurz in the 200-yard medley relay.

McLaughlin earned all-State finishes in the 200-yard freestyle (8th) and 100-yard butterfly (5th), while Strain added an all-State finish in the 100-yard backstroke (3rd).

Cranbrook Kingswood will graduate a slew of talent this season, but will lean on Strain and junior Oriana Shi as the senior leader next year alongside talented swimmers such as Kurz, freshman Elle Brooks, freshman Emily Rosenberg, freshman Stella Rocchini, junior Jessica Hall, sophomore Alexandra Mast and sophomore Liliana Decapite.

 

Farmington
Farmington’s sixth-place finish at the Division 2 state finals not only exceeded expectations for the Falcons this season but also put the final stamp on an impressive high school swimming career for seniors Mackenzie Bushey and Emme D’Errico.

“Both of those two you just mentioned are fantastic kids and talented in the water, but what’s going to be missed in addition to what they bring in terms of times is just their leadership role, leading and showing what you have to do in training day-in and day-out and showing how to set goals and go after those goals,” Farmington coach Kyle Kinyon said. “All those intangibles they bring have been such a great demonstration to the other girls on the team.”

Bushey (Toledo commit) and D’Errico (Hope College commit) will both continue their swimming careers at the collegiate level, but not before making an impact one last time for the Falcons at the state finals.

Bushey earned the state championship in the 100-yard breaststroke and state runner-up in the 200-yard IM, while D’Errico finished fifth in the 200-yard freestyle and sixth in the 100-yard butterfly.

Bushey and D’Errico teamed up with juniors Annika Cho and Sydney Visser for the state championship in the 200-yard medley relay and sixth in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Cho posted all-State finishes in the 200-yard IM (7th) and 100-yard breaststroke (8th).

 

Farmington Hills Mercy
It doesn’t get much better than a state championship performance, and that’s exactly what Mercy was able to do at the Division 2 state finals.

Senior Amylia Higgins earned the state championship in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle while teaming up with senior Olivia Engquist and juniors Kathleen Schwab and Mackenzie Conway for state runner-up in the 200-yard medley relay.

Mercy also earned state runner-up in the 400-yard freestyle relay courtesy of Higgins and the freshmen trio of Avery Tack, Leah Greaves and Campbell Shore. Conway, Tack, Greaves and Shore earned the state championship in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Tack earned all-State finishes in the 100-yard (3rd) and 200-yard freestyle (3rd), while Schwab posted all-State finishes in the 200-yard IM (6th) and 100-yard butterfly (3rd). Senior Elena Garza also earned an all-State finish in the 100-yard butterfly with an eighth-place finish, while Shore earned all-State in the 100-yard freestyle, finishing fifth.

Junior Jenna Matigian earned sixth in the one-meter diving.

 

Detroit Country Day
Placing seventh at the Division 3 state finals, it was the Norlander sisters who paced Country Day to a top-10 finish.

“I think we did a great job,” Country Day coach Marc Fazio said. “I was so proud of what we accomplished this year, and it really was amazing. When we went into that season, and they did team rankings and when they came out on Oct. 1, we weren’t even in the honorable mention, so finishing seventh was pretty sweet, I thought.”

Senior Marin Norlander earned all-State finishes in the 100-yard backstroke (8th) and 100-yard butterfly (7th), while freshman Quinn Norlander took all-State in the 500-yard freestyle (5th) and 200-yard IM (6th).

The Norlander sisters teamed up with senior Michelle Chang and junior Anna Ryan for sixth in the 200-yard medley relay.

 

Bloomfield Hills Marian
Returning as the defending Division 3 state champions, Marian placed third at the state finals behind eight all-State performances.

“We went into the state meet with one of the smaller teams and seeded with 162 points and came out third with 214,” Marian coach David Eichenhorn said. “That’s quite a feat, and these girls had to overcome quite a lot this season. To pull off such a performance, they’re remarkable.”

Senior Lily Low took third in the 100-yard butterfly, while freshman Meghan Bluethmann earned fourth in the 100-yard freestyle and fifth in the 100-yard backstroke. Freshman Stella Glorio earned sixth in the 500-yard freestyle, while junior Marianna Becharas finished eight in the 200-yard IM.

Marian’s relay teams shined as Bluethmann, Low, Becharas and senior Axelle Ballarin earned fourth in the 200-yard medley relay, and Low, Becharas, Ballarin and senior Lena McKenney earned state runner-up in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Bluethmann, Ballarin, McKenney and senior Alyssa Kaitner earned fourth in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Marian will graduate a strong senior core behind Kaitner, Ballarin, McKenney, and Low, and Eichenhorn said he hopes their leadership makes an impact for the squad in 2024.

“I relied on this class of seniors more than any group I ever have,” Eichenhorn said. “They guided this team through tough times with illness and injuries. They’ll be missed by their teammates and myself.”

 

West Bloomfield
Behind their back-to-back state champion in sophomore Elizabeth Eichbrecht, West Bloomfield has a lot to be excited about in 2024 after their 13th-place finish at the Division 1 state finals.

“Actually, their goal already for next year is to take fourth in the state,” West Bloomfield coach Ronson Webster said. “They’re super pumped up and excited for the next season.”

Eichbrecht successfully defended her state championships in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle while sophomore Bryn Cusack placed just outside the top-eight in the 100-yard backstroke, finishing ninth.

West Bloomfield will lean on Eichbrecht and Cusack in 2024.

 

Bloomfield Hills
Paced by senior Demetra Bicos (American University commit), Bloomfield Hills finished 12th at the Division 1 state finals. Bicos tallied all-State finishes in the 200-yard IM (4th) and 500-yard freestyle (5th).

“She was determined,” Bloomfield Hills coach Richard Dylewski said. “Demetra (Bicos) is probably one of the hardest working athletes I’ve ever coached.”

While Bicos continued to shine this season as she’s done all throughout her time at Bloomfield Hills, freshman Bailey Robinson was the surprise Bloomfield Hills needed this year.

Only swimming competitively for the past three years, Robinson finished all-State in the 50-yard freestyle (6th) and the 500-yard freestyle (4th).

Robinson will look to be a key contributor next season alongside freshmen Kailey Bachmann, Carissa Hurnevich, Violet Keiper, junior Livia Baker and sophomore Sophia Hawkins.