The female swimmers out of the state of Michigan have flown a bit under the radar, but when examining the state meet results, there is a lot of big-time, D1 talent coming out of the state, not the least of which is senior backstroker Courtney Bartholomew. Bartholomew is one piece of the ridiculous three-year run of backstrokers we’ve seen come out of the high school ranks and will be headed to Virginia in the fall.
In the 100 back, her specialty, she marked a 51.99 to set a Michigan All Class record at the Division 2 State Championship Meet at her home pool in Holland. That would have placed her 4th at last year’s NCAA Championship meet (though next year, her freshman season, it will take a 51 to even final).
Bartholomew showed great versatility by posting a best time (and a Division, though not State, record) in the 200 IM at 2:00.06. That cleared her old mark of 2:02.72 set at last year’s meet.
But in that 200 IM, she was not Saturday’s fastest high school swimmer in the state of Michigan. That honor went to Tennessee commit Anna Demonte, who won the Division 1 title for Huron High in Ann Arbor in 1:59.67. That again is a Division Record (for those curious, Ava Ohlgren has the state record) and is among the #4 time posted by a senior so far this year (Bartholomew is #5). Demonte also competed in, and won, the 100 back, though her mark of 54.56 (still a Division Record) wasn’t as impressive as Bartholomew’s.
In terms of relays, Demonte split a 29.33 on the breaststroke leg of the medley, which is good for a high school swimmer but not mind-blowing.
Bartholomew split a 24.66 on Holland’s D-2 Champion (and State Record breaking) relay that touched in 1:41.01. That relay broke the National Public School Record that previously held by Carmel High School from 2009 that included Ohio State Buckeye Megan Detro. Bartholomew’s split would be competitive for any D-1 relay quartet aside from maybe Cal.
Demonte split a 23.5 on the 200 free relay, and Bartholomew split a 50.26 anchor on the 400 free relay.
Those two were the headliners, but reaching deeper, there’s a ton of talent in Michigan. Here’s a name to look out for – Catherine DeLoof of GP South High. The last name might sound familiar – her sister Ali is committed to Michigan – but out of the three DeLoof sisters currently attending GP South, Catherine is the fastest. As only a freshman, she took the D-2 title in the 100 free in 50.80, but her relay splits of 22.84/49.86 are even more impressive. If we base her potential progression on that of her sisters, they all made huge improvements their freshman years, and then have continued on steady (but much smaller) declines as they move through high school. Expect her to be flat-starting 49’s by the time she graduates, though.
The winner of the Division 1 state title, in a new Division record, was Ohio State commit Annie Jongekrijg. We warned in our women’s recruiting class rankings that Jongekrijg was improving at a huge clip through her senior season, and she demonstrated that by posting a 50.32. That’s almost exactly a two-second drop from her best time as a junior (she’s only been swimming club for about two years now). She also split as fast as 22.4/49.6 on relays. She’s going to be a huge addition for Ohio State, even as a freshman, and she could have a very high cieling in front of her.
Here’s a new name to put on your radar out of the Michigan Division 1 meet – Maddie Wright out of Waterford United High School (and the Kingfish Aquatic Club). The freshman took the state championship in the 100 fly in 54.82. She’s already broken two-minutes in the 200 fly as an 8th-grader, which is her best event.
Not to be outdone, freshman Taylor Garcia out of Holland High (same as Bartholomew) won the Division 2 title in an even better time: 54.39. That the third-best time swum by a high schooler in the country this year, and she’s only 14! What’s scary is that she might be an even better backstroker, which we’ll likely learn at this year’s Junior Nationals, but had to sit behind Bartholomew in the race this year. She also split a 50.2 on the 400 free relay and a 24.11 in the 50 fly on the 200 medley relay.
Considering the talent of Holland High School, is it any wonder that their medley broke the National Record? What’s better is that they did it as a “class relay” – with one swimmer from each grade level. Bartholomew swam the backstroke, junior Melissa Vandermeulen swam the breaststroke, Garcia was the butterflier, and sophomore Holly Morren was the freestyler. Holland has become a mandatory-stop on the recruiting trail of all Division 1 coaches.
(These were all the Lower Peninsula Championships, UP swimming takes place in February).
Division 1 Results
Division 2 Results
Division 3 Results
Congratulations Chuck and Ashley You will do a great job. You guys are a great team and have our support. Love you both very much! Dad
@KM WOW, Weaver did that while swimming with a club!? I once swam while carrying brass knuckles, but holy cow!
It is to bad Cournty Weaver doesn’t swim high school she had the best time this summer in 100 meter fly and even placed at juniors. She swims with her club team but it might be a cool race.
If you want to dig even deeper, check out Mallory Comerford, a freshman from Plainwell HS who competed in Michigan’s Division 3 Meet. She won the 50 in 23.62, the 100 in 50.46, split a 23.30 in the 200 Free Relay, and split 50.11 in the 400 Free Relay. Her 100 split is the third fastest out of all the Michigan meets next to Catherine DeLoof’s 49.86 and Annie Jongekrijg’s 49.62.
More speed! Michigan swimming is moving way up the ranks. A ton of young talent on the women’s side. Joins states like Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, and California as “must-see” every year.