Earlier this month, the Pioneer boys’ swimming and diving team hosted two of the best teams in the state in a tri-meet and both meets came down to the final event – so let’s start there.
With the outcome on the line, the defending state champions lined up for the 400 freestyle relay. The team of Henry Baumhover, Charles Knoepp, Brighton Han and Edward Zhang took first place with a time of 3:08.26. They just beat Northville (No. 2 ranked in D-1) to the wall – the Mustangs took second in 3:08.68 with U-D Jesuit (No. 1 ranked in D-2) in third in 3:09.96.
That win helped give Pioneer a 97-89 win over UD Jesuit and a 94-92 win over Northville. The Pioneers and Mustangs were tied heading into the final race.
Pioneers medley relay team of Knoepp, Elijah Almeida, Cam Kline and Baumhover took second in the opening event with a time of 1:36.34.
Zhang won the 200 free in 1:39.65. Kline was fifth (1:46.43) for Pioneer.
In the 200 IM, Knoepp was third (1:56.06) and Ryan Zhu was sixth (2:01.68).
Baumhover won the 50 free with a time of 20.87. Han took third in 22.58.
Pioneer’s Asher Morgan won diving with 203.95 points.
In the butterfly, Kline was third (53.41) and Almeida was fourth (53.47).
Baumhover was a close second in the 100 free with a time of 46.27. U-D Jesuit’s Charlie McCuiston was first in 46.10. Zhu was fifth in 50.29.
Pioneer went two-three in the 500 free with Knoepp second (4:37.51) and Zhang third (4:38.23).
The Pioneer foursome of Kline, Han, Almeida and Zhang won the 200 free relay in 1:28.84.
Dex Mercer took sixth in the backstroke with a time of 57.88 with teammate Oleksandr Gladunin was seventh in 57.98.
Almeida won the breaststroke in 58.49 with Han taking fifth in 1:02.75 and Benjamin Worden in seventh in 1:05.01.
