Swimming state finals: Mercy three-peats in D1; Seaholm wins D2 title

Farmington Hills Mercy three-peated as Division 1 swim champions at the Holland Aquatic Center on Saturday with a narrow 298-297.5 victory over second-place Ann Arbor Pioneer.

Mercy finished third in the meet's final event, the 400 freestyle relay, to secure enough points to win the meet despite a first-place finish by Pioneer's Lucy Mehraban, Vivian VanRenterghem, Holly Pringle and Lily Cramer.

Mercy was led in individual points by junior Greta Gridley (37), who finished first in the 100 free and second in the 200 IM alongside third-place finishes in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. Seniors Sarah Puscas (29) and Kylie Goit (27) finished second and third in points for Mercy. 

Pioneer was led individually by freshman Mehraban (34), who finished second in the 50 and 100 freestyle and participated in first-place finishes by Pioneer's 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams, followed by Cramer (28.5) and VanRenterghem (25). Kiersten Russell (22) led third-place Saline, who finished with 197.5 team points.

Grand Haven senior Kathryn Ackerman and Hudsonville senior Clair Tuttle tied with a meet-leading 40 individual points. Ackerman finished first in the 200 IM, 100 backstroke, and anchored Grand Haven's second-place 400 freestyle relay. Tuttle finished first in the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke.

Division 2

Birmingham Seaholm cruised to an easy victory in the Division 2 swim championships at Oakland University, finishing with 304 team points to easily defeat Grosse Pointe South (222) and Birmingham Groves (194).

Seaholm took first in the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay and earned second in the 400 freestyle relay. Samantha Clifford (30), Katherine Stanley (30) and Megan Clifford (25) led Seaholm in individual points. Isabella Vaughan, Lauren Louwer, Stanley and Eliza Dixon raced for Seaholm in the 200 medley relay; Dixon, Samantha Clifford, Blake and Megan Clifford in the 200 freestyle relay.

Midland Dow senior Claire Newman, Farmington junior Madeline Greaves and Fenton sophomore Gracie Olsen tied with a meet-leading 40 individual points. Newman took first in the 50 freestyle, girls 100 freestyle, and anchored Dow's first-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay. Greaves finished first in the 200 IM and 500 freestyle. Olsen finished first in the 200 freestyle and 100 fly.

Division 3

East Grand Rapids staved off its closest competitor at the Division 3 swim championships at Oakland University, earning 34 points in the 400-yard freestyle relay to secure a 317-306 victory over Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood. 

East Grand Rapids was led by the sophomore trio of Greta Milnes (34 points), Barbara Hart (30) and Sophie Williams (30), plus junior Emma Israels (33). Milnes finished first in the 100 free and added second-place finishes in the 200 and 400 free relays. Israels took first in the 200 relay and second in the 200 IM. Israel, Williams and Allison Alguire joined Milnes in the 400 free Relay, while Virginia Counts, Hart and Alguire joined East Grand Rapids' top point-getter in the 200 free relay.

Juniors Justine Murdock (40) and Gwenyth Woodbury (37) led Cranbrook in individual points. Murdock finished first in the 200 IM, 100 backstroke and 400 freestyle relay and took second in the 200 medley relay. Woodbury finished first in the 200 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, anchored the first-place 400 freestyle relay — which was started by Jordan Murrell (18) and Charlotte Trunsky (24) — and earned second in the 100 fly.

Birmingham Marian finished a distant third with 245 team points, led by sophomores Mary Snyder (32), Paiton VanDyke (31) and Julia Waechter (29). Battle Creek Harper Creek's Alysa Wager tied Murdock with a meet-leading 40 points; she finished first in the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke. 

Nolan Bianchi is a freelance writer.