Sunday, December 13, 2015

          SCMSC All Conference Awards
Abby Ernst- 200MedleyRelay 1st, 200 Freestyle 4th, 100 Back 2nd, 400 Free Relay 1st
Marlee Burgess- 200 Medley Relay 1st
Jessica Nyberg- 200MedleyRelay 1st, 100 Butterfly 4th, 100 Back 8th, 400 Free Relay 1st
Laura Jones- 200MedleyRelay 1st, 50Freestyle 7th, 100 Freestyle 5th, 400 Free Relay 1st
Veronica Klein- 500 Freestyle 6th
Cassy Keator- 50Freestyle 8th, 100 Freestyle 7th, - 200Freestyle Relay 4th, 400 Free Relay 1st
Emily Zimmer- 1 Meter Diving 4th
Leah Brady- 1 Meter Diving 8th
Shanyn Jewell- 100 Butterfly 8th
Allison Singh- 200 Freestyle Relay 4th
Emma Varley - 100 Freestyle 8th, 200Freestyle Relay 4th, 400 Free Relay 1st

            2015 Conference Meet

Shaved legs and Speed Suits were the style as the girls competed in the 2015 conference meet. Coach had the girls tapered and ready to go as the prelims started on Friday. In the second year of the expanded league everyone knew what to expect from the other teams and the Plainwell team looked confident during the warm ups. Great individual efforts from all of the girls put Plainwell in a great position leading into Saturday. Plainwell pursued Marshall all day, but in the end their depth was just a little too much and Plainwell comfortably took second place. There were many outstanding personal records set on the weekend and they are listed below. 

Medley Relay
Plainwell A (Ernst, Burgess, Nyberg, Jones) placed themselves nicely in 3rd on Friday and came out swinging on Saturday to take 1st. Splits 28.34, 34.83, 27.77, 25.85 winning time 1:56.79

Plainwell B (Hills, Singh, Jewell, Lamorandier) placed in 10th place both days. Splits 32.83, 35.14, 29.84, 27.79, final time of 2:05.54

Plainwell C (McKenzie, DeLaet, Pierce, Hillmann) Placed 17th on Friday Splits 34.85, 41.09, 35.95, 30.98, final time of 2:22.87

Burgess Friday 13th, Saturday 14th (-1.2 drop from seed time)  

200 Freestyle
Ernst Friday 5th, Saturday 4th (-.5 drop from seed time)
Klein Friday 9th, Saturday 9th (-4.5 drop from seed time)
Havenaar Friday 18th (-3.21 drop from seed time)
Betz Friday 21st 

200 Individual Medley
Jewell Friday 9th, Saturday 9th (-7.5 drop from seed time)
Burgess Friday 13th, Saturday 12th (-1.62 drop from seed time)
Singh Friday 17th
Moore Friday 23rd (-7.18 drop from seed time) 

50 Freestyle
Keator Friday 7th, Saturday 8th (-.99 drop from seed time)
Jones Friday 8th, Saturday 7th (-.77 drop from seed time)
Varley Friday 11th, Saturday 11th (-.77 drop from seed time)
Widman Friday 21st (-2.32 drop from seed time)
Pierce Friday 22st (-.19 drop from seed time)
Hillmann Friday 26th
McKenzie Friday 27th 
Evans Friday 29st (-.46 drop from seed time) 

Diving
 All 4 girls dove on Saturday, great job ladies.
Emily Zimmer 4th 367.90
Leah Brady 8th 306.35
Sarah Shannon 9th 295.45
Jaidin Clemens 10th 284.30 

100 Butterfly
Nyberg Friday 4th, Saturday 4th (-1.55 drop from seed time)
Jewell Friday 7th, Saturday 8th (-4.14 drop from seed time)
Hills Friday 9th, Saturday 10th (-2.9. drop from seed time)
Pierce Friday 19th (-1.35 drop from seed time) 

100 Freestyle
Jones Friday 3rd, Saturday 5th (-2.32 drop from seed time)
Keator Friday 7th, Saturday 7th (-1.62 drop from seed time)
Varley Friday 7th, Saturday 8th (-2.18 drop from seed time)
DeLaet Friday 24th (-1.30 drop from seed time)
Widman Friday 27th (-3.42 drop from seed time)
McKenzie Friday 28th (-2.42 drop from seed time) 

500 Freestyle
Klein Friday 6th, Saturday 6th (-8.87 drop from seed time)
Betz Friday 12th, Saturday 13th (-2.28 drop from seed time)
Lamorandier Friday 13th, Saturday 15th (-5.35 drop from seed time)
Havenaar Friday 18th (-8.29 drop from seed time)
Hillmann Friday 23rd (-8.43 drop from seed time) 

200 Freestyle Relay
Plainwell A (Keator, Singh, Varley, Jones) placed themselves nicely in 3rd on Friday and Saturday took 3rd. Splits 26.77, 27.40, 26.51, 26.16 winning time 1:46.84 Sate qualifying time

Plainwell B (Moore,  Jewell, Burgess, Klein) placed in 9th place both days. Splits 29.08, 27.53, 28.35, 28.12, final time of 1:53.07
 
Plainwell C (Hillmann, DeLaet, Widman, Evans) Placed 16th on both days. . Splits 33.26, 29.94, 30.58, 31.99, final time of 2:05.77 

100 Backstroke
Ernst Friday 2nd, Saturday 2nd 1:00.73
Nyberg Friday 8th, Saturday 8th (-1.68 drop from seed time)
Hills Friday 15th, Saturday 15th (-3.91. drop from seed time)
Lamorandier Friday 19th
Moore Friday 20th 

100 Breaststroke
Singh Friday 16th, Saturday 12th (-4 drop from seed time)
DeLaet Friday 22th (-2.63 drop from seed time)
Evans Friday 26th 

400 Freestyle Relay
Plainwell A (Nyberg, Varley, Keator, Ernst) placed themselves nicely in 3rd on Friday and Saturday took 1st. Splits 56.57, 58.92, 58.2, 55.88  winning time 4:04.33 (-14.76drop from seed time) One of the most exciting races of the weekend

Plainwell B (Betz, Havenaar, Lamorandier, Klein) placed in 8th place both days. Splits 1:04.81, 1:04.22, 1:04.50, 1:01.74, final time of 4:15.27

Plainwell C (Pierce, Evans, Widman, McKenzie) Placed 17th on Friday. Splits 1:09.66, 1:14.34, 1:10.91, 1:09.63, final time of 4:44.54
 
          Brian Ernst

Sunday, November 1, 2015


Plainwell 113, Otsego 67
Plainwell hosted Otsego for a fun filled final dual meet of the season on Tuesday, October 27, 2015. It was parent/senior night and emotions ran high as the swimmers/ parents paraded on deck prior to the meet. The ladies were back on task quickly as the swimming started, converting their emotions to wins by taking 8 of 12 first place spots throughout the meet. After diving, Coach introduced yet another impressive senior class consisting of Veronica Klein, Allison Singh, Abby Ernst, and Jessica Nyberg. Good luck to you girls in your future endeavors we have really enjoyed watching you grow up. The ladies wrapped up the meet with a nice state qualifying time in the 400 Free Relay. The final event of the night was a 50 Free between 2 very dedicated Plainwell swimmers, who have both practiced all season long, but have not been able to compete. Lauren Vanlent is suffering from an overuse injury and Lizzie Gorten is a transfer student whose eligibility won’t take effect until the spring season, we hope to see them both racing next fall. Plainwell ended up winning the meet by a score of 113 to 67, here are the places.

200 Medley Relay: Plainwell 1st, 3rd
200 Freestyle: Klein 1st , Betz 2nd , Lamorandier 3rd
200 Individual Medley: Burgess 2nd, Jewell 3rd, Singh 4th
50 Freestyle: Keator 2nd, Varley 3rd, Jones  4th
50 Freestyle X: DeLaet 2nd , Pierce 3rd , Evans 4th
Diving: Brady 1st, Shannon 2nd, Clemens 3rd
100 Butterfly: Ernst 1st (State cut), Jewell 3rd, Hills 4th
100 Freestyle: Keator 1st , Varley 3rd, Moore 4th
100 Freestyle X: McKenzie 1st , Hillmann 2nd, Widman 3rd
500 Freestyle: Betz 2nd, Lamorandier 3rd, Havenaar 4th,
200 Freestyle Relay: Plainwell 1st and 3rd
100 Backstroke: Hills 1st, Moore 4th, McKenzie 6th
100 Breaststroke:  Klein 2nd, DeLeat 5th , Evans 6th
400 Freestyle Relay: 1st (State Cut: Nyberg, Varley, Jones, and Ernst) and 3rd


                                                         

Monday, October 26, 2015


 Plainwell 114 South Haven 69
The long rainy drive didn’t dampen the spirits of the Lady Trojans as they took on the South Haven Rams on Tuesday October 20th in South Haven. Plainwell took the upper hand immediately placing teams 1st and 3rd in the Medley Relay. Betz, Burgess, and Havenaar kept the pressure on in the 200 Free by respectively taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Ernst led the charge in the 200 IM by placing 1st, followed by Jewell in 2nd and Moore in 3rd. In the 50 Free Jones took 2nd, Singh snagged 3rd, McKenzie got 6th. Pierce swam to 1st in the 50 Exhibition followed by Hillman in 3rd and Widman in 4th. The divers had another great 1 2 3 performance with Zimmer, Brady, and Clemens holding everyone attention on the 1 Meter board. Jewell flew her way to a 1st with Klein and Hills battling it out for 3rd and 4th in the 100 Fly. In the 100 Free Nyberg 1st, Varley 2nd, and Keator 4th took the varsity heat, while DeLaet, Hillmann, and Evans took 1st through 3rd in the exhibition heat. Betz had a smoking fast 500 Free to take first while Lamorandier and Havenaar, surfed her wake in for 2nd and 3rd. Plainwell took 1st, 3rd and 4th in the 200 free relay. Coach was able to start placing swimmers in exhibition during the 100Back allowing Hills (1st) and Lamorandier (3rd) to relax as Moore battled for 2nd. DeLaet grabbed a solid 3rd in the 100 breaststroke with Burgess and Nyberg swimming exhibition. Plainwell finished out the meet with a nice 2nd and 3rd place finish in the 400 free relay.  Final score Plainwell 114 South Haven 69. Nice job Ladies.
                              B.E.

Lost but Not Forgotten
As I sat down to write about this meet I was unable to locate my notes. I was a little upset at first but then realized that for this meet it was absolutely perfect. Plainwell made their way down the, I- 94 Corridor, to swim against St Joseph. Although non-conference St. Joseph has an established program and has provided Plainwell with great competition over the years. Both teams traded wins throughout the contest and the girls swam/dove their best. The meet was a battle to end and Plainwell came up short by just 2 points, 92 to 94. Why was it good that I lost my notes? Because this was a tremendous team performance put on by all the swimmers and divers. Yes there were outstanding individual efforts, but in the end it came down to the difference of a fifth place finish. That is why I like Swimming, you can put forth extra effort to turn a fifth place into a fourth place and maybe win the meet for your team.  Gritty meets like this are only preparing the team better for the upcoming conference meet. I can’t wait to see the team perform coming off taper and hungry for every point. Great job Ladies!
                                                  B.E.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

          Plainwell 108, Allegan 77.
Plainwell hosted Allegan on Tuesday, October 13th for the 2015 dual meet. A large crowd turned out to watch this inter-conference rivalry as Plainwell went to work. It was great to see swimmers and parents from past teams still following the Plainwell program. The girls appreciated the support and swam/dove an outstanding meet winning by a score of Plainwell 108, Allegan 77.
         Here are the Plainwell places:
200 Medley Relay: Plainwell 1st and 3rd
200 Freestyle: Klein 2nd, Betz 3rd, Havenaar 4th
200 Individual Medley: Singh 2nd, Jewell 3rd, Moore 4th, DeLaet 5th (Exhibition)
50 Freestyle: Jones and Varley tied for 1st, McKenzie 4th (with a PR)
50 Freestyle X: Pierce 1st, Evans 2nd, Widman 4th
Diving: Zimmer 3rd, Brady 4th, Shannon 6th
100 Butterfly: Nyberg 1st, Jewell 2nd, Hills 4th
100 Freestyle: Ernst 1st with a state cut, Keator 3rd, McKenzie 5th
100 Freestyle X: Pierce 2nd, Widman 3rd, Evans 4th
500 Freestyle: Klein 2nd, Betz 3rd, Havenaar 4th, Lamarandier (with a PR Exhibition)
200 Freestyle Relay: Plainwell 1st with a state cut and 3rd
100 Backstroke: Hills 2nd, Lamorandier 3rd, Moore 4th
100 Breaststroke:  Burgess 2nd, Singh 4th, DeLeat 5th
400 Freestyle Relay: 2nd and 3rd                                         
                                     B.E.

Monday, October 19, 2015



Plainwell’s first week of the dual meet schedule provided us with two very exciting meets with Plainwell @ Marshall on Tuesday and Battle Creek Lakeview @ Plainwell on Thursday. The fans were given spectacular show as the ladies fought for every point. This fiery competition provided the Trojans with many new personal records as the girls stepped up to the challenges in the pool.  Coach had swimmers in different roles trying to get every point possible and girls fought valiantly right through the 400 Free Relay of both meets.
At Marshall, Plainwell got things going with a 1st in the Medley relay.  Ernst took 1st and Klein followed up with a PR in the 200 Freestyle. Burgess set a PR and Jewell shaved 3 seconds off her IM while Plainwell took 2nd, 4th, and 5th. The Zimmer, Brady, and Shannon took 2nd, 3rd, and 4th with some outstanding performances to tie the score at 39 to 39. Nyberg took 1st in the Fly, Ernst grabbed 1st while Klein set another PR in the 500 Free. Marshall’s depth took over as the meet concluded with a Score of Plainwell 79 Marshall 107.
BC Lakeview was a similar meet with both teams alternating wins through diving. Again the divers positioned Plainwell well with a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd leaving Plainwell just 2 points behind in the team score. Jewell had a great 100 Fly to take 3rd, and Nyberg showed everyone the way to the finish taking 1st in the 100 Free, with Singh and Burgess taking 4th and 5th. Lamorandier may have found a new event showing her toughness in the 500 Free by taking 3rd followed closely in by Havenaar 4th and Keator 5th. Ernst won and Moore took 5th spot in the Backstroke. Klein showed some of her versatility by taking home a 3rd place in the Breaststroke with DeLaet chasing her in for 5th. In the end BC Lakeview was a little deeper than Plainwell outscoring them 105 to 81.
It was a tough week for the team but the girls handled themselves like professionals and are looking towards future meets.
                                                                   B.E.