SCS City Meet Wrap up Macomb Daily 02 14 09

Lake Shore makes its point

Saturday, February 14, 2009 6:13 AM EST

By John Hetzler, Macomb Daily Sports Writer

Two big finishing kicks equaled one big victory for Lake Shore's swimming and diving team.

Senior captains Brian Damm and Tony Szep swam strong anchor legs in the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, to help Lake Shore rally to win the St. Clair Shores City Championship by one point over host South Lake on Friday night.

"It feels great," said Damm, who also won the 100 freestyle. "I'm really proud of the guys."

Both South Lake's A and B teams led over Lake Shore's two squads going into the final 100 yards of the 400 free relay.

But Damm and Szep closed the gap over the final four lengths to edge out South Lake's B squad and help Lake Shore's B and A teams to second- and third-place finishes, respectively, and give the Shorians the city crown.

"When I first went in, they were ahead by about a full body-length," Damm said. "When I looked at the scoreboard, I was just really excited."

Lake Shore finished with 255 points to repeat as city champion and keep the wooden kickboard given to the winning team. South Lake placed second with 254 points, and Lakeview, which got a triumph from Joseph Niemiec in diving, was third with 111.

Despite the second-place showing in the tri-meet, South Lake still could claim a victory.

Because both the Cavaliers and Shorians compete in the same division, the meet also was scored as three dual meets. South Lake won both of its duals, including a 92-78 decision over Lake Shore.

With that victory, South Lake improved to 4-1 in the MAC Gold to tie for the dual-meet championship with Lake Shore.

"Right now, it's bittersweet," South Lake coach Jim Bunting said. "They feel like they lost today because they lost the city championship."

South Lake, though, had several stars on Friday, led by double winners in sophomore Dillon Marble and senior Max Woerfel.

Marble won the 200 freestyle with a time of two minutes and 1.69 seconds, and he prevailed in the 500 free with a time of 5:34.06.

Woerfel took the 200 individual medley in 2:15.01, and he won the 100 butterfly in 58.32 seconds.

"Max has been the go-to guy the whole season," Bunting said.

In addition to Marble and Dillon, sophomore Joe Crachiola captured the 50 free in 24.07, and Nick Patricca prevailed in the 100 backstroke in 1:01.29.

South Lake also swept all three relay events. Patricca, Austin Killgore, Woerfel and Tyler Arnold posted a winning time of 1:49.95 in the 200 medley relay; Arnold, Brian Micallef, Crachiola and Marble teamed for a 1:40.19 in the 200 freestyle relay; and Crachiola, Micallef, Patricca and Woerfel won the 400 freestyle relay in the 3:44.93.

In the end, though, Lake Shore proved to have just enough depth and just enough finishing kick.

"We take it meet by meet," Shorians coach Paul Devito said. "But we were really trying to get the kids hyped up for this."

Damm rallied over the final 25 yards to win the 100 freestyle in 52.91 seconds, Szep won the breaststroke in 1:06.18 and both came through in the clutch in the final event.

"It feels great," Szep said. "We all worked hard. I expected a good meet. All the guys swam well."

ST. CLAIR SHORES CITY CHAMPIONSHIP

Lake Shore 255, South Lake 254, Lakeview 111

200 MEDLEY RELAY: South Lake (Nick Patricca, Austin Killgore, Max Woerfel, Tyler Arnold) 1:49.95. 200 FREESTYLE: Dillon Marble, SL, 2:01.69. 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY: Woerfel, SL, 2:15.01. 50 FREESTYLE: Joe Crachiola, SL, 24.07. DIVING: Joseph Niemiec, Lakeview. 100 BUTTERFLY: Woerfel, SL, 58.32. 100 FREESTYLE: Brian Damm, LS, 52.91. 500 FREESTYLE: Marble, SL, 5:34.06. 200 FREESTYLE RELAY: South Lake (Tyler Arnold, Brian Micallef, Crachioloa, Marble) 1:40.19. 100 BACKSTROKE: Patricca, SL, 1:01.29. 100 BREASTSTROKE: Tony Szep, LS, 1:06.18. 400 FREESTYLE RELAY: South Lake (Crachiola, Micallef, Patricca, Woerfel).

SCS City Meet Preview MD 02 13 09

Shorians bring perfect mark in MAC Gold to city title meet

Friday, February 13, 2009 6:11 AM EST

By John Hetzler, Macomb Daily Sports Writer

Will Lakeview break through? Will Lake Shore repeat? Will South Lake make sure 2009 is its year?

All of those questions will be answered at the St. Clair Shores swimming and diving championship tonight at 6 p.m. at South Lake High School.

"From my standpoint, it seems to be a highlight of their season," Lake Shore coach Tom Zalewski said. "They're always talking about it. It seems to be something they've been looking forward throughout the year, especially this year with South Lake being in the MAC Gold Division."

This is the fourth year the schools have held a tri-meet to determine a city champion, and Lake Shore and South Lake have taken turns winning the title every other year.

Lake Shore won last winter, which means, historically at least, this should be South Lake's year.

But results in the pool this season suggest the Shorians could repeat.

Lake Shore enters tonight's meet with an 8-1-1 overall record, including a perfect 4-0 mark in the MAC Gold Division.

Senior Tony Szep, who placed ninth in 200 free and second in breaststroke at county meet, leads the Shorians. Szep already has qualified for the Division 3 state meet in the breaststroke.

Lake Shore also relies heavily on versatile senior Brian Damm.

"He swims pretty well in most of the events we put him in," Zalewski said.

South Lake, which finished ninth at last weekend's Macomb County meet, has a 5-3 overall mark and a 3-1 record in the MAC Gold.

The Cavaliers are led by three state qualifiers: Nick Patricca, Max Woerfel and Austin Killgore. Brian Micallef also is part of South Lake's 200 medley relay team that also has qualified for the state meet.

Lakeview is 2-6 overall and 2-4 in the MAC Silver Division.

In addition to determining a city champion, the tri-meet also will determine the MAC Gold Division dual-meet championship.

A Lake Shore victory would give the Shorians the MAC Gold title outright, while a triumph by South Lake would give the Cavaliers a share of the MAC Gold championship along with Lake Shore.

Cousino v Lamphere 02 10 09

Swimming Cousino picks up first victory Umbarger, Kennedy each won four events for the Patriots By Jason Schmitt Special to The Macomb Daily Something had to give. No two teams can finish a league season winless. On Tuesday night Cousino made sure that didn't happen. Scott Umbarger and Pat Kennedy each won four events to lead the Patriots to their first win in MAC Gold action, a 111-75 victory over Lamphere. "It's nice to get another win and finish off the season on a strong note," Cousino coach Scott MacDonald said. "The guys feel good finally. Our spirits can come up a bit. Now everybody can practice happy again." MacDonald's top two swimmers teamed up with John Bechtel and Alex Sedik to win the 200 medley relay, the night's first event. The Patriots then won four of the next six events to take control of the meet. Umbarger won both the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly events during that stretch. Kennedy picked up both of his individual wins as well, winning the 50 and 100 freestyles. He edged out Lamphere's Sean Komrska in the 50 freestyle, winning by just 12 onehundredths of a second. The Rams did not give up, however. Coach Steve Kirschke's team bounced back to win three straight events to chip away at the Cousino lead. Christian Calverley, who had earlier won the 200 freestyle, came back to take the 500 free in a time of 5:20.91, narrowly missing his state cut by less than a second. Lamphere's 200 freestyle relay followed that up with a victory of its own. Calverley, still dripping wet, anchored that winning team. His teammates were Kyle Lyon, Ashton Lyon and Komrska. Their winning time was 1:43.43. The Rams third straight win turned out to be the performance of the night. Senior Matt Mandarino won the backstroke in a state-qualifying time of 1:00.21. "Right after I saw the time I was ecstatic," Mandarino said. "I heard everybody in the crowd screaming and yelling. That's been a goal of mine since I was a sophomore. "Afterwards I was thinking 'I have to work my butt off for the next four weeks to go to the state meet.' But it's worth it." Despite the run, however, Lamphere just didn't have the depth to catch the Patriots, who capped off the meet with wins in the 100 breaststroke and 400 freestyle relay. Bechtel took first in the breaststroke, winning in a time of 1:16.98. Kennedy, Tyler Debinski, Sedik and Umbarger won the relay in 3:47.57. "They're a good team. They have more depth than we do," Kirschke said after the meet. "We swim a lot of first-year swimmers. And I'm proud of the way they've been swimming for us." Lamphere's other win was in the diving competition. Junior Chris Ervasti crushed the field, scoring a 277.65 for his six dives. Ervasti won the Oakland County championship Saturday in Royal Oak. With the win, Cousino improves to 1-4 in the league and 2-6-1 overall. "The kids are swimming their hearts out in practice and our team continues to have best times," MacDonald said. "We're getting there." Lamphere finishes up 0-5 in the Gold and 2-9 overall. The team will compete at the MAC meet next weekend and perhaps at a last-chance meet. Kirschke believes Mandarino will have company at the state meet come early March. "I do believe that Kyle (Lyon) and Christian (Calverley) will make states," the coach said. "It's been our goal since the beginning of the season, for those guys to make states." NON-LEAGUE Cousino 111, Lamphere 75 200 MEDLEY RELAY: Cousino (Pat Kennedy, John Bechtel, Scott Umbarger, Alex Sedik) 1:58.04. 200 FREESTYLE: Christian Calverley, L, 1:56.66. 200 IM: Umbarger, C, 2:21.14. 50 FREESTYLE: Kennedy, C, 23.79. DIVING: Chris Ervasti, L, 277.65. 100 BUTTERFLY: Umbarger, C, 1:03.14. 100 FREESTYLE: Kennedy, C, 53.35. 500 FREESTYLE: Calverley, L, 5:20..91. 200 FREESTYLE RELAY: Lamphere (Kyle Lyon, Ashton Lyon, Sean Komrska, Calverley) 1:43.43. 100 BACKSTROKE: Matt Mandarino, L, 1:00.21. 100 BREASTSTROKE: Bechtel, C, 1:17.18. 400 FREESTYLE RELAY: Cousino (Kennedy, Tyler Debinski, Sedik, Umbarger) 3:47.57. (Cousino improves to 1-4 in the MAC Gold, 2-6-1 overall. Lamphere falls to 0-5, 2-9). Macomb Daily staff photo by Ray J. Skowronek Cousino's Scott Umbarger competes in the 200 medley relay.

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Stop pushing young athletes to injury | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Stop pushing young athletes to injury Freep.com Detroit Free Press


February 6, 2009

Stop pushing young athletes to injuryBy Ronald Zernicke, M.D.
Suddenly, ACL tears, concussions, and multiple surgeries are the norm for kids as young as 12, yet our epidemic of youth sports injuries gets little or no attention.

These injuries are preventable and simply should not happen. I see this as both a moral and an economic issue. Each year, U.S. emergency rooms treat more than 4.3 million sports-related injuries on youngsters. Many of these injuries require multiple surgeries and excruciating recoveries. These injuries can have life-long effects on mobility—and decreased mobility worsens a host of medical conditions in older adults, including diabetes, obesity, and osteoporosis.This costs taxpayers billions. Consider that more than 200,000 new cases of knee anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries occur annually, costing $1 billion a year. Evidence suggests that early onset arthritis will likely develop 5 to 15 years after an ACL injury.

This public health threat will worsen unless we force immediate changes in our athletic training system. The good news is research shows that those changes work: simple neuromuscular training programs drastically reduce youth injuries, and an ounce of prevention goes a long way.

Proper coaching, training programs, hydration, officiating, equipment, medical coverage at sporting events, and preseason physical exams reduce injuries exponentially. Educational, behavioral, environmental, and enforcement/legislative interventions have been developed, and something as easy as the right shoe for different playing surfaces can prevent serious injury.

There is no one person or entity to blame for the epidemic of disabling injuries in youngsters—the system itself needs fixing and the sources of the problems are numerous and complex. Young athletes feel pressure from parents, peers, coaches, TV ads and themselves. We need to encourage athletes to dream, but our first obligation is to protect from damage the 30 million kids who participate in organized sports. An incredible 30 to 50% of youth sports injuries are caused by overuse—kids are simply worked too hard. Little League set limits on the number of pitches young players may throw, and the sky has not fallen on baseball. All youth leagues should set sensible limits on practice times.

Related to overuse is improper use of the body. Running, jumping, throwing, and landing, if done with poor form, take an enormous toll on young bodies. But again, research shows that simple prevention and training programs work. One neuromuscular training program in Finland designed to decrease the number of lower extremity injuries in females saw a 66% reduction in the risk of injury for participants. Young women are two to five times likelier to tear an ACL than boys in the same sport. Finally, children are more vulnerable to permanent damage than adults. A high school athlete’s recovery time from concussion is longer than a college athlete’s, and high school athletes are three times likelier to sustain a second concussion. If we remain on our current course, musculoskeletal disabilities in youngsters will increase dramatically over the next 20 years.

If we want our children to bring home ribbons instead of broken ribs, the long-term scientific research must continue. But the grass roots prevention must start at home and on the school and neighborhood courts, fields and arenas from which our youngsters are being carted away —- not on the shoulders of teammates, but on stretchers.

Rondald Zernicke is the director of the University of Michigan Bone & Joint Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation Center, professor in the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering and the School of Kinesiology at U-M.

USA Swimming suspends Phelps for 3 months - The Oakland Press Sports: The best place for news in and around Oakland County

USA Swimming suspends Phelps for 3 months - The Oakland Press Sports: The best place for news in and around Oakland County

Friday, February 6, 2009 6:04 AM EST


By PAUL NEWBERRY and BETH HARRIS

AP Sports Writers

Michael Phelps’ day grew lousier by the hour on Thursday.

First he lost a major sponsor, then he got suspended.

The Olympic great was suspended from competition for three months by USA Swimming, the latest fallout from a photo that showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

The sport’s national governing body also cut off its financial support to Phelps for the same three-month period, effective immediately.

“This is not a situation where any anti-doping rule was violated, but we decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero,” the Colorado Springs-based federation said in a statement.

“Michael has voluntarily accepted this reprimand and has committed to earn back our trust.”

Phelps won a record eight gold medals in Beijing and returned to America as one of the world’s most acclaimed athletes. He made headlines of a different kind, however, in the wake of the photo, published Sunday by News of the World, a British tabloid.

Earlier Thursday, cereal and snack maker Kellogg Co. announced it wouldn’t renew its sponsorship contract with Phelps, saying his behavior is “not consistent with the image of Kellogg.” The swimmer appeared on the company’s cereal boxes after his Olympic triumph.

“Michael accepts these decisions and understands their point of view,” said one of his agents, Drew Johnson. “He feels bad he let anyone down. He’s also encouraged by the thousands of comments he’s received from his fans and the support from his many sponsors. He intends to work hard to regain everyone’s trust.”

Phelps’ coach, Bob Bowman, said he believes Phelps will emerge from the experience a stronger swimmer and person.

“Michael’s been through a lot and he’s learned a lot, hopefully,” Bowman told The Associated Press during a telephone interview. “I support him and I want to see him do better. I’m here, as always, to try to help him move forward. He’s learned some tough lessons and he’s disappointed a lot of people, me included.”

Phelps has acknowledged “regrettable” behavior and “bad judgment.” He didn’t dispute the authenticity of the photo, reportedly taken at a house party while Phelps was visiting Columbia, S.C., in November during an extended break from training.

“I certainly understand USA Swimming needed to take action,” Bowman said. “We will certainly abide by everything they’ve put down.”

USA Swimming provides a $1,750 monthly stipend to national team members to help defray travel and training expenses, plus performance bonuses. However, it’s a small percentage of the millions Phelps makes through endorsements.

The 23-year-old has resumed training in his hometown of Baltimore, but his plans to return to competitive swimming will have to be put on hold. Phelps had planned to compete in early March at a Grand Prix meet in Austin, Texas.

Now, he won’t be able to compete until early May, which would give him a little more than two months for some racing before July’s world championships in Rome.

“This is the result of a poor decision Michael made,” U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Darryl Seibel said in an e-mail. “He understands there is accountability and has pledged to not repeat this in the future. We have offered our assistance to make certain he is as consistent and successful away from the pool as he is in it, and we are confident that will happen.”

After the suspension, Phelps would be able to compete at a May meet in Charlotte, N.C.; there’s another Grand Prix competition in Santa Clara, Calif., the following month. The U.S. team for Rome will be chosen at the national championships, which begin July 7 in Indianapolis.

“He’s been very good in practice,” Bowman said. “I think he feels good to be back in the water. Certainly, he’s not in very good shape.

“We’re anxious to get back to a really normal routine and we have. We’re moving on.”

Several of Phelps’ Olympic teammates rallied to his defense. Among them was Dara Torres, the 41-year-old silver medalist whom Phelps jokingly referred to in Beijing as “Mom.”

“I see him as a kid trying to grow up in the most intense spotlight known to any athlete. He has apologized and what else can he do?” she told the AP by telephone. “The thing I hope is that people realize Michael is still a person and not just a swimming hero.”

Torres said she sent Phelps a text a few days ago to extend her support.

“He didn’t let the USA down at the games, so we shouldn’t let him down,” she said.

Torres doesn’t expect a three-month suspension in a non-Olympic year to have much affect on Phelps’ career. He intends to keep swimming through the 2012 London Games.

“Knowing Michael the way I do, I guarantee you it’s going to make him want to do well,” Torres said. “All this is going to do is light a fire under him.”

Amanda Beard compared Phelps’ ordeal to some of the disdain she faced after posing nude in Playboy magazine before the Beijing Games.

“If anyone knows public scrutiny, it’s me,” the four-time Olympian said in a text message. “When I posed for Playboy, so many officials looked down on me. Michael knows he isn’t a bad person. He made a mistake. People need to get over it. I want to cheer him on in London.”

Gold medalist Ryan Lochte, who was one of Phelps’ teammates and main rivals in Bejing, said: “It really is kind of harsh. It’s just a picture.”

And even a rival agent came to Phelps’ defense.

“Enough is enough,” said Evan Morgenstein, who represents a large number of Olympic swimmers. “The penalty is far greater than the crime. He has said he is sorry. Let’s move on to the real problems in this country.”

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AB v DLS

Macomb Daily photo by David S. Angell

Aaron Shields swam to a pair of first-place finishes in individual events to help Anchor Bay defeat De La Salle. Shields won the 50-yard freestyle and 100 butterfly.

High School Swimming

‘Smart’ Tars trip up DLS

Anchor Bay program continues growth

By Chuck Klonke Special to The Macomb Daily

It’s one thing to swim, and it’s another to swim with a purpose.
Anchor Bay’s swimming team has taken that next step this year, and the Tars’ learning curve appears to be heading straight up.
“Their maturity has improved a lot,” Anchor Bay coach Steve Leopardi said after his team’s 116-70 non-league victory against De La Salle on Thursday. “Now they’re thinking about what they’re supposed to do instead of just swimming. There’s a difference between swimming and swimming smart.
“When we meet tomorrow we’ll talk about our splits and what we might have done different. It’s the same with our divers. Last year after their dives they didn’t know what they did. Now if they make a mistake, they know what they did even before I tell them. As long as they understand where they can improve, it will make them a better swimmer or diver.”
The Tars, who lead the Macomb Area Conference White Division with a 2-0 record, are 5-2 overall.
It was the first time Anchor Bay has beaten the Pilots, but Leopardi realizes that this wasn’t the same De La Salle team he has faced previously.
“He (Pilots coach Joe Michol) lost a lot of people,” Leopardi said. “It’s good that my kids swam well but I know that’s not the team (De La Salle) usually has.”
This was the third straight defeat for De La Salle. The Pilots also dropped dual meets to Dakota and Ford, and they have a date with perennial state power Birmingham Andover next Tuesday.
“We’re struggling,” Michol said. “We’re trying to keep the morale up by letting them know that if they keep working the success will come. Ford and Anchor Bay have improved from last year. We beat (the Tars) by as much as they beat us today. They’ve worked hard, they’ve come a long way and they deserved this.
“We’re hurting now with injuries and some ineligible swimmers. We haven’t had our whole team all year, and our schedule is loaded. We swim all the top teams in the county, the Catholic League and on Tuesday we have Andover. Our goal is to get kids to the state meet and unless you challenge them every meet and work hard every day, you aren’t going to get there.”
Anchor Bay won nine of the 12 events with Aaron Shields and Nick Victor each winning two individual races.
Shields edged De La Salle’s Mack Biggert in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.17. The Tars took three of the top four places in the 50, with Ben McVay and Brad Scott also posting times that will qualify them for the Macomb County meet next weekend.
Shields’ other first came in the 100 butterfly and Anchor Bay also took three of the top four places in that race. Shields cruised to the victory with a time of 57.05.
Victor was a runaway winner in the 200 individual medley, posting a time of 2:11.98. He also led a 1-2-3 finish for Anchor Bay in the 100 breaststroke. Teammates Matt Wojciechowski and Jon Ptashnik took the next two places.
McVay won the 100 freestyle in 53.78 and Nick Wise took first in the 500 freestyle in 5:40.07.
Anchor Bay won all three relays.
“We had a lot of best times,” Leopardi said. “As a coach when they touch and look up and see a best time -- that’s what makes it all worthwhile. I was pleased with a lot of our swims and with our divers. One of our new swimmers, Blake Baumgart, swam the 500 for the first time. He was really nervous but he did a good job.”
De La Salle’s Kieran Scott (2:01.10) and Joe Chodkiewicz took 1-2 in the 200 freestyle. The Pilots also got a first from Biggert in the 100 backstroke. He nipped Anchor Bay’s Andrew Leopardi in one of the closest races of the meet. Biggert’s winning time was 1:01.70, while Leopardi touched in 1:02.26.
Jon Lorenz posted De La Salle’s other first with a score of 161.10 points in diving.
“Some of my younger
swimmers swam well, we had a
couple of kids qualify for the
county meet and our relays
swam well with young kids,” Michol said.
Anchor Bay 116, De La Salle 70
200 MEDLEY RELAY: Anchor Bay (Andrew Leopardi, Matt Wojciechowski, Nick Victor, Brad Scott), 1:50.11. 200 FREESTYLE: Kieran Scott, DLS, 2:01.10. 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY: Nick Victor, AB, 2:11.98. 50 FREESTYLE: Aaron Shields, AB, 23.17. DIVING: Jon Lorenz, DLS, 161.10 points. 100 BUTTERFLY: Aaron Shields, AB, 57.05. 100 FREESTYLE: Ben McVay, AB, 53.78. 500 FREESTYLE: Nick Wise, AB, 5:40.07. 200 FREESTYLE RELAY: Anchor Bay (Nick Victor, Jon Ptashnik, Ben McVay, Aaron Shields), 1:37.40. 100 BACKSTROKE: Mack Biggert, DLS, 1:01.70. 100 BREASTSTROKE: Nick Victor, AB, 1:07.78. 400 FREESTYLE RELAY: Anchor Bay (Brad Scott, Ben McVay, Andrew Leopardi, Aaron Shields), 3:41.17.
Anchor Bay swimmers who earned MISCA cuts were: Nick Victor in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke; Aaron Shields in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly; Matt Wojciechowski in the 100 breaststroke; as well as the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay teams.
De La Salle’s Mack Biggert qualified for the MISCA meet in the 50 freestyle.

Article - Cavaliers make the cut

Article - Cavaliers make the cut

Article - Swimming

Article - Swimming

Article - ‘Smart’ Tars trip up DLS

Article - ‘Smart’ Tars trip up DLS

Romeo @ Fraser (Romeo Observer 12-24-08)

Above, swim team captain Tyler Laurain competing during the boys' Dec. 16 Fraser competition. (Photo by Greg Kimpan) Romeo takes first place in eight events at Fraser       Romeo High School boys' swim and dive team took first place in eight out of the 12 events at Fraser on Tuesday, Dec. 16.        "The first place relay finishes really helped win the meet," Coach Kendall Peake said.        Swimming in the 200 yard medley relay were Tyler Laurain, Mike Glinski, Devon Compeau and Matt Ruman (1:47.10). The 400 yard relay of Laurain, Compeau, Ruman and Max Hensel clocked in at 3:03.05 for first place. The 200 yard freestyle relay team of Compeau, Hensel, Ruman and Ryan Abbott also won first place (1:38.32).        Peake noted the pressure was put on sophomore swimmers Aaron Barla, Sam Kimpan, Abbott and Manny Tapia to gain points for Romeo. All came through and helped score for Romeo.        In the 200 freestyle Hensel placed second (2:06.60) and Kimpan placed fourth ((2:09.24). In the 200 yard IM Adam Rhein placed second (2:26.91), Ben Winn placed fourth (2:36.13) and Barla placed fifth (2:37.88). Laurain came in first in the 50 yard free (24.08) and Ruman placed second (24.55).        Max Lennon had the top score in diving with 165.55 points and Stephen Figurski came in third with 106.85 points.        Compeau swam the 100 yard butterfly in 59.89 for a first place finish followed by Glinski in second place (1:00.81). Hensel came in second in the 100 yard freestyle (55.48) with Shane Kent in fourth (58.68) and Abbott in fifth (59.46). It was a third place finish for Kimpan (5:58.83) and fifth place for Winn (6:31.02) in the 500 free. Nolan Kiiskila, Kimpan, Winn and Lennon came in third in the 200 yard freestyle relay (1:48.56). Laurain won the 100 yard backstroke (59.46) while Barla came in fourth (1:09.81) and Tapia fifth (1:11.38). Glinski won the 100 yard breaststroke (1:06.18), Rhein came in third (1:15.72) and Kent in fifth place (1:18.59).        First place wins by Laurain, Glinski, Ruman, Compeau, Hensel, Abbott and Lennon helped boost Romeo's score to win over Fraser.

© Copyright 2000-2008 The Romeo Observer. Retrieved 12/29/2008 at 10:29:52 AM.

Macomb Daily 08-09 Swimming Preview

Dakota dives into the Red Division - The Macomb Daily Sports > Preps: Breaking news coverage for Macomb County, Michigan

Dakota dives into the Red Division

Friday, December 26, 2008 6:10 AM EST

By John Hetzler, Macomb Daily Sports Writer

What can Dakota do for an encore?

After going undefeated in dual matches and winning the MAC White Division championship last season, Dakota's swimming and diving team moves into the MAC Red Division for the 2008-09 campaign.

"We have a very young team this year so I think we will make big improvement throughout the year," said Dakota coach John Samonie, whose team finished second at last winter's Macomb County Swimming and Diving Championships.

"I think we can have a really great season, but it is going to be tough in the Red Division this year," Samonie said. "I have a great group of kids that work really hard so we could surprise a lot of people by the (end) of the year."

Junior Al Francisco leads the Cougars in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke, and seniors Ben Szymczak and Martin McCreadie each excel in the freestyle events.

Senior Jesse Sivec returns as Dakota's top diver.

MAC Red Division

Eisenhower will be led by captains Ben Hohnstadt (200 individual medley, breaststroke) and Steve Brown (IM, backstroke). In addition, Eagles coach Roger Doyle expects big things from freshman Kris Hector in the IM, butterfly and 500 freestyle.

Romeo, the defending county champion, is led by seniors Devon Compeau and Tyler Laurain. Other top swimmers are Mike Glinski, Matt Ruman and Max Hensel, and Matt Lennon gives the squad a strong diver. The Bulldogs have won eight of

the last 11 county titles.

Grosse Pointe North and Grosse Pointe South also compete in the division. Grosse Pointe South finished 16th at last year's Division 2 state finals.

MAC White Division

Anchor Bay returns junior Aaron Shields, a double winner at last year's county meet. Sophomore Nick Victor, a runner-up in two events at the county meet, also returns for the Tars.

Chippewa Valley brings back Jeff Chew, the school record holder in the 500 free and two-time MAC White champion in that event. Other returning swimmers for the Big Reds are Kevin Schnieders, Andrew Scheibe and Mike Arena.

"We have great captains and seniors this season as well as a good size freshman class," Chippewa Valley coach Jeff Lepler said. "The year has the makings of something special."

Ford will be led by Zlatan Cizmic, Justin Nasiadka, Jack Dischler and Brandon Nelson.

Ryan Rutherford and Charles Ross are among the top swimmers at Fraser.

L'Anse Creuse is led by Eric Platte, who excels in the 500 freestyle.

MAC Blue Division

L'Anse Creuse North moves into the MAC Blue after winning the MAC Gold and going 8-1 overall last season. Top swimmers for the Crusaders include senior Chris Ciesinski, sophomore Adis Jakupovic, senior Pat Wloszczynski and senior Joe Pomaville.

Roseville has high hopes with senior Jeff Maniaci, the defending division champion in the 200 IM and the 100 free, and senior Dennis Defauw, the defending division diving champ, returning to the Panthers. Other top swimmers for the Panthers are sophomores Taylor Compton and Ken Mayer.

"We have a lot of returning talent this year, especially in the stroke events," Roseville coach Jason Bettin said. "We finished last season on a real strong note by winning the Blue Division championship meet. We are focused on defending that this year and hopefully adding a dual-meet championship to it as well."

Stevenson has a big roster with 41 swimmers and two divers, including 17 newcomers. Juniors Anthony Bollini, Damenik Dusevic, Jon Duvall and Joey Kowoleski return for the Titans.

"Most of our top returners swam in the offseason and (are) coming back very strong," Stevenson coach Suzanne Murray said. "We're excited about competing in the Blue this year."

Ryan Nichols, Anthony Russo, Ben Halliwill and Grant Marcinkowski lead the way for Utica.

Marysville and St. Clair also compete in the MAC Blue.

MAC Gold Division

Cousino will depend on a pair of seniors in Patrick Kennedy (freestyle, backstroke) and Scott Umbarger (freestyle/butterfly).

Lake Shore boasts an experienced team led by senior captain Tony Szep, who finished third in the 100 breaststroke at last year's county meet. Also returning are senior captain Brian Damm and sophomore Nick Michielutti.
Lake
"The Phelps effect is seeming to work well," Lake Shore coach Tom Zalewski said. "This is the biggest boys team Lake Shore has ever had to my knowledge. We have a lot of upperclassmen to lead and a lot of rookies that give us some flexibility. With LCN out of the division, it should be an even closer division that it has been in the past couple of years."

South Lake will receive contributions from Joe Crachiola, Nick Patricca, Max Woerfel, Brian Micallef and Austin Killgore. Patricca already has posted a Division 3 state-qualifying time in the 100 backstroke.

Nino Papale and Mitchell Berkley are among the top swimmers for Warren Woods-Tower.

Lamphere and Marine City also compete in the MAC Gold.

MAC Silver Division

Center Line will receive contributions from Shawn Johnston, Ryan McEvoy, Joe Henson and Cole Raxter.

East Detroit has expanded from just eight swimmers to 17 and one diver in the Shamrocks' second year under coach Lauren Feldman. Sophomore Brett Schultz (freestyle, backstroke) returns after a strong freshman year, and junior Ed Cormier already has posted a personal-best time in the 100 butterfly this season.

"I am really enthusiastic to see where our speed can take us this season," Feldman said.

Fitzgerald will be led by Steven Poma (backstroke) as well as Austin Hayes, Gage Roach, William Lindsay and Chris Gill.

Lakeview will be led by senior captain Tom Noonan, who competes in the individual medley and the 500 free, and junior captain Matt Price, who swims in the 50 and 100 free and the butterfly. Newcomer Emmanuel Jianis shows promise, as does freshman diver Joe Niemiec.

Sterling Heights, the defending MAC Silver champion, should receive contributions from Justin Wilson, Horea Calimente, John Dayco and Peter Jaworski. Bruce Northey is the top diver for the Stallions.

Warren-Mott finished second in the MAC Silver last season, and the Marauders hope to challenge Sterling Heights for the division crown. Dan Chapman, Ethan Sroka, Dan Pysh, Josh Dunkelberg, Greg Hakala and Nathan Prashcan lead Warren-Mott.

"We are looking forward to competing with Sterling again for our division title," Warren-Mott coach Michelle Taylor said. "We were very close in our dual meet with them and at our division meet. We are hoping with our strong seniors, we will be able to win our division title this year."

Clawson also competes in the MAC Silver.

Others

De La Salle, which competes in the Catholic League Central Division, finished third at last year's county meet. Seven seniors have graduated from that squad, but 11 swimmers return, including state qualifiers and co-captains Mac Biggert, Pat Vaughn and Kieran Scott. Biggert (50, 100 free) is a sophomore and Vaughn (distance freestyle) and Scott (IM, breaststroke) are seniors. Also returning is Joe Chodkiewicz.

"We're hoping to be top-five in the county," DLS coach Joe Michol said. "But the county is going to be pretty tough this year."

Romeo Observer March 13 2008

Romeo swimmers and divers who competed in this year's state meet are, front row from left, Max Lennon, Mike Elliott, Devon Compeau, Matt Ruman, middle row from left, Mike Glinski, Max Hensel, Derek Raska and Tyler Laurain Head Coach Kendall Peake, left, and Diving Coach John Pearson, right, are standing in the back.
(Photo courtesy of Denise Laurain)

Romeo able to send a record 8 to State Meet

The Romeo High School swimming and diving team set a new record for Romeo. This year six swimmers and two divers from Romeo attended the state swimming and diving meet held at Oakland University on March 7-8.

This is the most qualifiers Romeo has ever had for a state meet. In fact, Romeo had the mostqualifiers in the MAC Red division. Romeo had eight total while Eisenhower, L'Anse Creuse North and Dakota were next with two each.

This is also the first year Romeo has had all three relays qualify for the state meet. The 200 yard medley relay and the 400 yard free relay from Romeo have never qualified until this year.

Senior Derek Raska qualified for six individual events - the 200 yard free, 200 yard IM, 100 yard fly, 100 yard free, 500 yard free and the 100 yard breastroke. He was also on all three qualifying relays.

The state meet only allows a swimmer to enter two individual events and two relays or one individual event and three relays. Therefore, Raska chose to enter the 200 yard free (1:46.80) and the 500 yard free (4:48.00) events. He also swam a leg on the 200 yard medley relay and the 200 yard free relay.

Another first for Romeo is having a swimmer qualify for the 100 yard backstroke. Tyler Laurain qualified in the 100 yard backstroke (57.25) this year and swam on all three relays. The qualifing 200 yard medley relay (1:43.09) consisted of Laurain, Mike Glinski, Devon Compeau and Raska. Swimming in the 200 yard free relay (1:32.40) was Max Hensel, Compeau, Laurain and Raska. Another qualifying event, the 400 yard free relay (3:25.00) was swam by Matt Ruman, Laurain, Compeau and Hensel.

Romeo recently had another first in diving. Senior Mike Elliott is the first Romeo diver to take first place in the Regional diving meet. The Regional meet was held at L'Ance Creuse North on March 4. Elliott's first place at Regionals not only qualified him to dive at the state meet, but also gave him consideration for All American. Max Lennon placed 13th at Regionals, placing him as the first alternate diver at the state meet.

At the state meet, Romeo medaled in the following events:

In the 200 freestyle relay, the team of Laurain, Compeau, Hensel and Raska placed 15th. In the 200 medley relay, the team of Laurain, Glinski, Compeau and Raska placed 9th with a new school record of 1:40.39

Elliott and Raska both earned All State honors. Elliott placed 7th in diving, while Raska placed 7th in the 200 freestyle and 6th in the 500 freestyle.

As a team Romeo placed 12th in the State, the highest finish ever for Romeo in a swimming state finals meet, and the highest place by a Macomb County team at the D1 State Meet since Henry Ford II placed 6th in 1996.

(Information provided by Denise Laurain and Assistant Coach John Pearson.)

Macomb Daily Article March 9 2008

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Macomb Daily Article Feb 12 2008

Swimming Notebook

Crusader swimmers continue to hit their marks • LCN repeats as MAC Gold dual meet champ.

By Tom Willard Macomb Daily Sports Writer

It was hardly a surprise when L’Anse Creuse North clinched a second-straight Macomb Area Conference Gold Division dual meet championship last week, but the Crusaders took immense satisfaction in the accomplishment nonetheless.

“They love it,” LCN boys coach Mike Owensby said of his swimmers and divers, who defeated Marine City 95-84 to finish 5-0 in the division and successfully defend their crown.

“To go back-to-back was just an incredible season for them,” said Owensby. “They swam together as a team. They pushed each other. The seniors are helping our young kids to become better, which in turn is making the program better. Our ultimate goal is to produce a team that can knock out the (elite programs in Macomb County.)”

LCN features virtually the same roster that went undefeated in MAC Gold competition in 2007, led by Kevin Engelman, who broke former all-state swimmer Craig Jakowiac’s school record in the 100 butterfly with a time of 55.58 seconds versus Cousino on Jan. 8. Engelman, who finished second only to Eisenhower’s Kevin Galerneau at the Feb. 2 county meet, is closing in on a Division 1 state qualifying cut.

“He’s having an incredible season,” Owensby said of the senior, who will compete in both the 100 butterfly and the 200 freestyle at this weekend’s 2008 Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association boys meet at Eastern Michigan University.

Junior Chris Ciesinski (100 freestyle) and the Crusaders’ 200 medley, 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay teams will also compete at the MISCA meet, which is expected to draw 300 or more of the best prep swimmers in the state.

Owensby said his goal is “to swim our best, set some team records and see if we can get close to some state cuts” at the competition.

LCN finished seventh in team scoring at the county meet behind Anchor Bay and ahead of Chippewa Valley.

“I didn’t have any outstanding swims but we finished right where we should have, six positions higher than last year with the same team,” said Owensby. “My entire team is swimming pretty well. They’ve been nice and consistent, and when I’ve needed something done, they’ve stepped up and done it.”

One of his more pleasant surprises has been senior Kyle Ficht, who qualified for the county meet for the first time this season and placed in the top 16 in both the 200 and 500 freestyle events.

“He’s really come on strong and been very impressive,” his coach said.

Owensby, who coached at Chippewa Valley and Dakota before taking over at LCN in 2001, said his team will surely move up into the MAC Blue Division next year after running the table two consecutive seasons in the Gold. The Crusaders jumped up from the MAC Silver in 2004.

“It’s time for them to move up (again),” he said. “Each year the higher division is supposed to hold more competition, which will hopefully make my kids step up and swim even better than they are now.”

Macomb County Championship Article