Senior Megan Hunter currently competes for Oakland University, a swim and dive team in its second year as members of the Horizon League. Pete Hovland is the head coach at Oakland University, assisted by Shawn Kornoelje, Katie Sullivan, Andre Latour, Blaine Dolcetti, and Larry Albright (Diving). Oakland Swimming and Diving is known for their long history of success in the pool, starting in the Division II days. In Division II, Oakland won 20 National Championships between the Men and Women’s teams. After Oakland moved up to Division I, the teams continued their winning tradition, being undefeated at the conference championships 16 years in a row. Oakland University athletes are also known as the Golden Grizzlies (Oakland University Golden Grizzlies Athletics, 2015).
Background
Megan Michelle Hunter, born on November 9, 1993, grew up in Monroe, Michigan with her parents, Alex and Renee, and her brother AJ. She started swimming with Southern Michigan Aquatic Club (SMAC) at age five under Louie Balough, Justin Layman, and Jeremy Layman, the latter of whom would later become her high school coach.
High School
During her four years at Monroe High School, Megan was a huge asset to the team, leading it to two Mega Red championships in 2007 and 2008 before Monroe switched to the SEC Red conference. During her time at Monroe, she qualified for the Division I high school state meet all four years, placing top sixteen in the 200 IM and 500 freestyle. Her senior year, Megan was voted in as a captain, won the 500 freestyle at the SEC championships, and was voted MVP of the team. Megan graduated summa cum laude and tied for Valedictorian.
College Career
Megan joined the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the fall of 2011 to swim backstroke and the medleys. Her freshman year, she fought for a spot on the conference team to compete in the Summit League championships. There, she proved her worth and helped her team snag the conference title by placing 4th in the 400 IM, 5th in the 200 IM, and 7th in the 200 backstroke, while also getting a career-best time in the 100 backstroke.
Her sophomore year, she once again represented the Grizzlies at the conference championship meet, placing 4th in the 400 IM, 9th in the 200 IM, and 7th in the 200 backstroke. The Golden Grizzlies won the Summit League championships once again, making it the 13th consecutive Summit League championship won by the Oakland Women’s swim team.
The 2013-2014 season was marked by a change in the conference Oakland belonged to. At Oakland’s first appearance at the Horizon League championships, Megan contributed hugely to the team by swimming to a 3rd place finish in the 200 back with a time of 2:01.39, which is the sixth fastest in Oakland’s history. She also had a 4th place finish in the 200 IM and 5th in the 400 IM with a time of 4:26.80, the 8th fastest 400 IM time in the program’s history. Academically, she was named to the Horizon League Fall 2013 Honor Roll and Horizon League 2014 Academic All-League selection.
Hunter plans to graduate in the spring of 2015 with a degree in Health Sciences and attend graduate school to become a physician’s assistant.
