Saline Captures Michigan Girls’ Lower Peninsula Division 1 Swimming and Diving Title With Win in Final Relay

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YPSILANTI – With a win in the final 400 free relay, the Saline High School girls’ swimming and diving team captured the Michigan Girls’ Lower Peninsula Division 1 Swimming and Diving state title on Nov. 22 at Eastern Michigan University’s Jones Pool. Saline trailed Farmington Hills Mercy by half a point heading into the final relay, and the teams’ 1-2 finish in the event gave Saline the team title, 267.5 points to 262. Rockford finished third with 202 points.

Farmington Hills Mercy claimed the opening 200 medley relay, as Katie Minnich, Maddy Loniewski, Alaina Skellett and Roxanne Griffore clocked a 1:45.00, just off the Division 1 record of 1:44.45 set by Ann Arbor Skyline last year. Holland West Ottawa’s Emily Lacy, Caroline Sisson, Mercedes Martinez and Megan White finished second in 1:46.35, followed by Saline’s Allison Eppinga, Sophie Brightman, Lizzy Spears and Lisa Gross in 1:47.33.

Waterford United’s Maddie Wright led the 200 free final from start to finish, turning in a time of 1:49.30 to overtake top qualifier Amelia Armstrong-Grant of Saline (1:51.43) for the state title. Northville’s Laura Westphal swam a 1:51.62 to take third in the final.

Waterford United kept the ball rolling in the next event, as senior Miranda Tucker set a new Division 1 and overall Michigan state record of 1:59.14 in the 200 IM. Zeeland’s Morgan Bullock turned first at the 100 but couldn’t match Tucker’s 32.25 breaststroke split as she faded to second in 2:02.05. Farmington Hills Mercy’s Maddie Loniewski wrapped up third in 2:05.04.

Grand Blanc’s Emma Curtis sprinted to victory in the 50 free final, touching out Rockford’s Erin Hudson by the slimmest of margins, 23.60 to 23.61. Meegan Snyman gave Rockford a 2-3 finish with her 23.98 for third.

Saline picked up the top two spots in the 1-meter diving final, led by Amy Stevens, who established a new Division 1 record with a score of 488.20. Stevens just missed the overall Michigan record of 489.55, set by Elyse Lee in 2003. Teammate Cameron McPherson took second with 478.10 points, followed by Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Christina Lu (438.85).

Maddie Wright of Waterford United earned her second individual state title of the day in the 100 fly, stopping the clock in 54.51 to finish just over half a second off her own Division 1 and overall state record of 53.88. Zeeland’s Morgan Bullock picked up another runner-up finish, touching in 54.65, while Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Karen Zhang rounded out the top three in 55.62.

Brighton’s Taylor Seaman got to the wall first in the 100 free final as she hit the wall in 51.16. Rockford’s Erin Hudson maintained her second place seed with a 51.38, while top seed Amelia Armstrong-Grant of Saline wound up third in 51.42.

Northville’s Laura Westphal and Saline’s Alex McPherson put on a great show in the 500 free final, flipping nearly even at every turn before Westphal turned up the speed on the final 50 to take the win, 4:54.46 to 4:55.25. Farmington Hills Mercy’s Ellyse Conn also broke 5:00 in the final, finishing in 4:57.89.

Rockford put together the fastest 200 free relay of the day, with Meegan Snyman, Dakota Noble, Peyton Rayburn and Erin Hudson just getting past Brighton’s Lilia Staszel, Dominique Meldrum, Danika Meldrum and Taylor Seaman, 1:35.88 to 1:36.00. Amelia Armstrong-Grant, Gillian Gatecliff, Alex McPherson and Lisa Gross gave Saline a third place finish with their 1:37.58.

Farmington Hills Mercy made up for a disqualification in the 200 free relay final by placing first and second in the next event and garnering 37 points for their team. Freshman Katie Minnich (55.06) and sophomore Alaina Skellett (56.25) posted the fastest two times of the day in the 100 back, ahead of Holland West Ottawa’s Emily Lacy (56.53).

Waterford United’s Miranda Tucker lowered her second Division 1 and state record of the meet in the 100 breast final, wrapping up her final individual high school race with a time of 1:00.56. Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Karen Zhang stayed in contact the whole way, finishing second in 1:02.85. Paige Hoeve of Zeeland came in third at 1:05.36.

Saline overtook Farmington Hills Mercy for the team title with a win in the final 400 free relay thanks to Amelia Armstrong-Grant, Alex McPherson, Allison Eppinga and Lizzy Spears, who stopped the clock at 3:28.13. Farmington Hills Mercy finished second, with Kathleen McGee, Ellyse Conn, Kendall Goit and Alaina Skellett touching in 3:31.26. Brighton rounded out the top three with Taylor Seaman, Dominique Meldrum, Danika Meldrum and McKenna Resconich posting a 3:31.55.

Results: Michigan Girls’ Lower Peninsula Division 1 Swimming and Diving Championships

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