Michigan High School has gotten their State Championships underway for the girls swimming and diving season. Yesterday Division I, II, III were completed, and here’s a quick recap and what to look out for at finals.
Finals just began at 12PM EST.
Division I
In 200 medley relay, Skyline HS had a great anchor leg by Katie Portz. She split 22.78 to overcome Saline to take the top seed for finals.
Portz followed that up with the top seed in the 200 freestyle. Her time yesterday was 1:49.29, just ahead of Waterford’s Maddie Wright at 1:49.84.
Waterford has a top seed from Miranda Tucker in the 200 IM. Her time yesterday was 2:01.17. The pool record in 2:00.01 from 2001, it may be in reach for the junior.
Maddie Wright from Waterford finished in 54.72 in the 100 butterfly yesterday. The record for Division I stands at 54.13 by Wright last year.
Portz returned back in her second individual event of the day in the 10 freestyle. She posted to top time and a new Division I record with a time of 50.23.
Chanel Bonin from South Lyon is the top seed in the 100 backstroke, 55.10.
Tucker in her second event of the day set a new Division I, MHSAA overall, and pool record in the 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:01.36.
Division II
Mollie Pulte of Marian put up a new Division II record with her prelims time in the 200 freestyle at 1:47.90. That’s already a big improvement from her winning time last year of 1:50.27.
Holly Morren of Holland, and Hanna Pfershy of Groves, put up sub :24 50 freestyles yesterday. Morren has the top time of 23.72 and Pfershy right behind at 23.74 for second.
Taylor Garcia, also a Holland HS swimmer, is right on her winning time from last year in the 100 butterfly. She posted a 54.76 in the prelims, and her winning time was 54.72 last season. She is very close to her record from 2011 of 54.39.
Pulte returned back to the pool and posted the best 100 freestyle of the day at 50.34. Morren, who was the champion last year, is in second at 51.48.
Garcia swam under her winning time last year in the 100 backstroke. She posted 53.32 to easily be the top seed heading into finals this afternoon.
Division III
Gabby Higgins, East Grand Rapids, is the top seed in the 50 freestyle. She finished in 23.88, the only swimmer under 24 yesterday.
The 100 freestyle should be a great race this afternoon, with the top 5 swimmers all within .5 of each other. Ashlee Sall, HOLCH, is the top seed at 52.23; Stephanie Johnston is fifth at 52.77.
East Grand Rapids set a new D3 mark in the 200 freestyle relay yesterday. Lexus VanHoven, Anna Stephens, Hanna Stanford and Emily Converse teamed together to finish in 1:36.94, better than the previous 1:37.87 record held by Birmingham Marian.
Natalie Piece of Detroit Country Day is top seed in the 100 breaststroke at 1:03.79.
The 400 freestyle relay D3 record went down yesterday at prelims with the quartet from EGR finishing in 3:32.77; breaking the record previously held at 3:33.63. Lexus VanHoven, Hanna Stanford, Emily Lundquist, and Emily Converse tamed up to set the new standard yesterday in prelims.
