The Skyline Eagles landed in fifth place on Saturday at the competitive Division 2 Swimming & Diving State Finals at Eastern Michigan University. Skyline finished with 170 points while SEC neighbor Dexter landed 18th with 34 points.
Birmingham Groves took first overall with 245 points, beating city rival Seaholm and Farmington HS by a single point. One point separated three teams in a frantic finish at EMU. Groves overcame a disqualification in the opening medley relay to add a few more candles to their cake and needed a win in the final event to take the title.
University of Detroit Jesuit was fourth (194) and Grosse Pointe South was sixth (114).
The Eagles started with a splash, taking third in the medley relay. The team of Owen McKelvey, Lucas Caswell, Chris Kurniawan and Zander Barr took the silver in 1:35.41.
McKelvey, a junior, jumped right back in the pool and took fifth in the 200 free with a time of 1:41.56. Dexter’s Dylan O’Connor was 16th in 1:49.17.
In the 200 IM, Caswell, a senior, was third in 1:51.82. He also took second in the butterfly with a time of 49.60. Seaholm’s Elliot Rijnovean was first in 48.83.
Junior Stuart Knight was seventh in diving for the Eagles with 401 points.
Skyline junior Sawyer Thompson was 12th in the 100 free in 48.62.
Dexter’s Jack Haidl had a strong showing in the 500 free. The junior was third in 4:45.28. Teammate O’Connor was 16th in 4:57.40. Skyline’s Connor Zillich was 14th in 4:54.61.
Skyline’s team of Kurniawan, Robby Shannon, Zander Barr and Sawyer Thompson was fifth in the 200 free relay in 1:27.83. Dexter’s team of Jude Smith, Haidl, Steven Merz and Matthew Resende was 14th in 1:29.97.
In the backstroke, McKelvey was sixth in 51.34. Dexter freshman Anthony Kopinski was 15th in 53.66.
Skyline’s 400 free relay team of Caswell, Shannon, Thompson and McKelvey was fourth in 3:11.69. Dexter’s team of Smith, Owen Dauw, Kopinski and Haidl took 13th in 3:20.69.
