Without looking it up, it’s hard to believe a specific area dominating a high school sport the way Ann Arbor has ruled the waters of prep swimming since the 1970s. The numbers are staggering and more than a few trophy cases have had to be built over the years to accommodate all the hardware.
And some of the key people behind this amazing success want to celebrate all the accomplishments, highlights, memories and friendships that have been splashed around over the years with the first A2 Aquatic Reunion. The event, which is open to all swimmers, divers, water polo and synchro athletes, coaches, officials, fans, families and supporters of Ann Arbor water sports, will take place from 1 to 5 p.m., on Aug. 10 in the parking lot at Pioneer HS.
“We are hoping to create an opportunity for those with the chlorine connection to meet up, bring their families, and relive some memories,” says Liz Hill, who along with her husband Denny, coached both the boys and girls teams at Pioneer HS. “There will be plenty of space for kids to play, people can bring their own canopy tents and chairs as well as snacks. Groups may wish to continue the fun by meeting up for dinner at local restaurants and downtown. We are all really looking forward to it.”
Liz said for years, Denny and her noticed that many athletes returned to the area in August to visit parents or family and friends still living in town. “When HS class reunions occur, the aquatic people always get together,” she said. “The only problem is that you don’t get to see the people in the one or two classes ahead or behind. In the 70’s we competed against each other (Pioneer-Huron) but we were all together in the summer at Fuller or on the club teams. We were all one big family.”
Now it’s time for that family to get back together for a stroll (or swim) down memory lane.
“We are very excited about putting this together and so far the response has been amazing,” said Maureen (Mojo) Murrett, who coaches the boys and girls teams at Skyline. “We are trying to reach as many people as possible because so many talented and hard working people made all this success possible and it would be nice to see everyone again and catch up.”
Liz agreed that the reaction to the event has been “amazing.”
“People are posting old photos on the Facebook page and it is generating a lot of excitement,” she said. “We know of several people who plan to travel from as far away as California and Texas. This summer also happens to be a big birthday for Denny at the end of July so I’m hoping we can celebrate that as well.”
During Denny Hills’ tenure as coach at Pioneer, the boys and girls swim teams won 31 Michigan High School State Swim Championships (15 for the boys team and 16 for the girls). After getting married in 1983, Denny and Liz Hill became a coaching team. Liz was named assistant coach of both the girls and boys teams beginning in 1984 and became co-head coach of both teams in 2005.
Between 1969 and 2014, the Pioneer boys swim & dive team won the Michigan HS State Championship in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2009. Between 1973 and 2010, the Pioneer girls team won the Michigan High School State Championship in 1979, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.
During Denny’s career at Pioneer, the combined dual-meet record was 1011-128-2 and the swim program produced 245 National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) All-American Swimmers (140 men and 105 women) for a total of 862 All-American awards.
Recent teams in Ann Arbor have been equally as impressive, living up to the amazing legacy the Hills left behind. The Pioneers, under coach Stefanie Kerska (who swam for the Hills at Pioneer), have won the last four Division 1 state titles in girls’ swimming. They also have won four straight on the boys’ side.
In 2015, Murrett led the Skyline girls’ team to a state title in D-1. Three years later, the boys team won a D-1 State title. The Eagles won a D-2 State title on the boys side in 2022.
In 2008, the Huron boys’ team won a D-1 State title.
Denny Hill is also credited with starting Club Wolverine, the Ann Arbor-based USA Swimming club team that many local swimmers have belonged to over the years.
Registration for the A2aquatic reunion will begin at 1 p.m. There will be a short program and speaker or two starting at 2 p.m. To join the Facebook group and RSVP for the event, search A2aquatic reunion on Facebook.
