BLOOMFIELD HILLS — After winning its first Catholic League championship a week earlier, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook’s swim team took that momentum into last weekend’s MHSAA Division 3 championship meet — and won a second straight state title.
“The (Catholic League meet) set themselves up for that,” coach Paul Ellis said. “It couldn’t have come at a better time — one week out of the state meet — and it prepped the guys. They just rolled it into the state meet.”
The Cranes blitzed the field at the Holland Aquatic Center, racking up 380 points to finish well ahead of East Grand Rapids (243), Holland Christian (211), Adrian (151) and DeWitt (143). Cranbrook led wire to wire, and Ellis said they were in the right mindset from the get-go.
“For them, a lot of what it comes down to is what they’re challenged with throughout the season, whether it's swimming in a tough league, the Oakland County meet or an invitational against teams with good swimmers,” Ellis said. “I really like to set the bar and keep moving it up, so when they get to the championship meet, they know what they’ve accomplished and look back at the preparation they’ve done, and know, ‘I’ve got this.’”
Cranbrook won two of the three relays decisively. Colin Zexter, Joseph Wiater, Will Farner and Andrew Delzer took the medley relay in 1:31.18, four seconds ahead of the runner-up team. Zexter, A.J. Farner, Delzer and Will Farner won the 400 free relay in 3:05.00, by nearly three seconds. Although Cranbrook competes in the smallest division, both times were the fastest in the state regardless.
Zexter also won the backstroke in 48.98 seconds — his first sub-49 time — and Delzer won the breaststroke title in 56.07. The Cranes had at least one championship-heat swimmer in each of the 11 races.
“It’s what we’ve done all season,” Ellis said. “We have a group of guys that have talent, they work hard, they did what they were asked, and it paid off for the whole team. Everything this team worked for, they earned.”
Division 2 at Eastern Michigan University
Although University of Detroit Jesuit led the field after the first two events, the Cubs eventually finished fourth in Division 2 competition, yet still good enough to earn a trophy (presented to the top four teams) for the fourth consecutive season.
Birmingham Groves (245 points) won the meet, edging Birmingham Seaholm (244) and Farmington (244). University of Detroit Jesuit scored 194.
The Cubs’ hot start came from a second-place finish in the medley relay, with Evan Tack, Patrick Mackillop, Dominic Marceroni and Brady Hendzell swimming 1:35.16. Tack, Charlie McCuiston and Matt Garza followed that up with a 2-3-13 finish in the next event, the 200 freestyle. Tack was later third in the backstroke, while Mackillop was third in the breaststroke.
Jack Fritz had the fastest times in the non-scored 50- and 100-yard freestyle Paralympic events.
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice was 15th in the field, scoring 65 points. The Warriors’ top finisher was Bode Kindt, who was sixth in the breaststroke.
Division 1 at Oakland University
With some strong individual and relay performances, Novi Detroit Catholic Central made a serious run at the Division 1 crown, but when it was all said and done, the Shamrocks finished third with 243.5 points, behind Saline (245) and three-time defending champion Ann Arbor Pioneer (275).
“That’s the thing with this meet. I said to my team, we could have won three, four, five events, but it doesn’t mean that you win the meet,” Catholic Central coach Jessica Stoddard said. “It’s about depth. Hat’s off to Pioneer — they know how to show up at this meet and get the most out of their kids.”
Pioneer claimed the team championship without the benefit of a first-place finish in any of the 12 events. Meanwhile, Catholic Central claimed three and had several other high finishes.
The Shamrocks won the first event, the medley relay, as Roshi Turner, Luke Mychalowych, Paddy Gerzema and Camren Turowski completed the 200 yards in 1:32.61, an automatic All-American qualifying time.
Mychalowych matched that feat by winning the next race, the 200 freestyle, in 1:37.98, also making the All-American cuts.
Catholic Central also claimed first in the 200 free relay, with Turowski, Adyn Stoddard, Mychalowych and Jack Szuba setting the pace in 1:25.03.
Mychalowych hit another All-American standard while finishing second in the breaststroke, and Turner tied for fifth in the same race.
Turner and Gerzema placed third and seventh in the individual medley, while Turowski and Szuba were second and fourth in the 50 free. Szuba added a fifth-place finish in the 100 free.
Turowski, Stoddard, Gerzema and Szuba added a runner-up placing in the final event, the 400 free relay.
“It was very exciting,” coach Stoddard said. “I think they all did everything I asked of them. They all rose to the occasion. Luke did a great job today; I know he was a little disappointed with his 100 breaststroke, but it was awesome — everybody moved up, and that’s what we needed them to do. Our freshman, Cam, gave up his individual events to do the relays, and we knew we had to go into the 400 free relay with a chance if it came down to it.”
Stoddard noted that the Shamrocks set several school records in several events, including the medley relay, the 200 freestyle, the 200 free relay and the breaststroke.
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