Brighton finishes second in KLAA women swim and dive meet

Competing with Northville’s depth is all the time an issue within the Kensington Lakes Activities Association women swimming and diving meet, however Brighton’s top-end expertise was higher than one of the best the Mustangs needed to provide.

Brighton loaded up the 200-yard medley and 200 freestyle relays with its prime 4 swimmers and gained each occasions over Northville.

Senior Josie Libler, sophomore Katie Gray, sophomore Natalie Mazur and senior Ava Sventickas gained the 200 medley relay by 3.74 seconds in 1 minute, 48.23 seconds.

Libler, Gray, Mazur and Sventickas gained the 200 freestyle in a a lot nearer race in 1:38.17, edging the Mustangs by 0.04 seconds.

“They’re pretty experienced swimmers, for the most part,” Brighton coach Danielle Gray stated. “They know what they’re capable of. They know what to do and when to put it together. That’s exactly what they did this weekend. Katie is probably the least experienced of all of them, but being around them and the vibe they gave off, she knew the job that had to be done and did it.”

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The relay victories helped host Brighton edge Novi for second place within the eight-team meet. Northville gained with 919.5, Brighton was second with 745.5 and Novi was third with 742. Hartland was seventh with 349.

“This was one of those meets where every single swim that went in that water really did matter, because I knew it would be really close between us and Novi,” coach Gray stated. “I was not sure how diving was going to play out scoring wise. Coming into Saturday, every girl who made it back truly did matter. They really rose to the occasion.”

Libler and Mazur every had a first- and second-place end of their particular person occasions, whereas Gray made the highest three in each of her races.

Libler gained the 200 particular person medley in 2:07.56, beating second-place Hartland freshman Claire Gostlin, who completed in 2:09.17 after swimming a school-record 2:08.37 in prelims. Liber took second within the 500 freestyle in 5:14.43.

Mazur had two showdowns with Canton senior Hannah Gurgel, a state runner-up in two occasions final season. Mazur gained the 100 butterfly in 56.69, beating Gurgel by 0.36 seconds and took second to her within the 200 freestyle in 1:56.53.

Gostlin was third in butterfly in 59.18.

Gray positioned second within the 50 freestyle in 24.67 and third within the 100 freestyle in 53.85.

Hartland senior Reegan Kruzel was second within the 100 backstroke in 1:01.27.

Brighton had three of the highest 5 swimmers within the 200 freestyle. In addition to Mazur, junior Maisie Potts was third in 1:58.02 and sophomore Elizabeth Walters-Ricketts was fifth in 1:59.72.

Scoring went right down to 24 locations in every particular person occasion, which performed into Northville’s power.

“We’ve got 25 kids on the roster and you get 40 splashes,” Gray stated. “That means pretty much every kid mattered. They’ve got 70 on their roster. You’ve got a lot to choose from. Even the Plymouth schools have got 40. We’ve been talking to our girls since day one not to just think you’re joining the swim team, you’ve got to be part of it. They take it to heart and it really did show this weekend.”

In the KLAA’s B meet, which was for groups that completed within the backside 4 in every of the league’s two divisions, Howell gained with 1,023 factors. Livonia Churchill was second with 738.

Howell junior Anabelle Respondek set a college file within the 100 freestyle, profitable in 54.33 seconds. Respondek additionally gained the 50 freestyle in 25.26. Her instances would have been fifth within the KLAA’s championship meet, which earned her all-KLAA honors. The prime 5 performers mixed in each meets made all-KLAA.

Respondek additionally anchored the profitable 200 freestyle relay staff, which completed in 1:45.82. Olivia Fortner, Isabella Milne and Kayla Wurmlinger have been additionally on the staff.

Fortner gained the 200 freestyle in 2:05.85. Howell’s Kinsie Szakal gained diving with a rating of 267.85 factors.

MITCA cross nation meet

Pinckney junior Jaelyn Ray took an enormous chunk of break day her Livingston County file by putting sixth within the women elite staff race in 17:21.3 on a historically quick Shepherd course.

That time doesn’t county as a college or county file as a result of it didn’t happen whereas operating for the college. Ray’s file stays 17:36.7 from the Father Gabriel Richard Invitational.

Hartland senior Elliana Neuer ran a time that will’ve been the second-fastest at school historical past had it been in a college meet, putting 14th in 17:48.4. Avery Evenson ran 17:40.6 at regionals in 2011 for the Eagles.

Also operating private bests have been Brighton senior Juliet Lewis (twenty eighth in 18:09.8), Pinckney senior Julia Garcia (thirty fourth in 18:18.1) and Hartland senior Sophia Nunnery (71st in 18:40.3). Hartland junior Ava Goodman was 93rd in 18:52.5.

In the boys elite staff race, Brighton junior Blake Kulesza was forty fifth in 15:52.2 and Pinckney junior Cole McCraw was fifty fifth in 15:56.7.

Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan