MHSAA D3 Girls State Championships
- Nov. 16-17, 2018
- Holland, Michigan
- Meet Site
- Psych Sheet
Beginning this Friday is the Michigan Girls Division 3 State meet held in Holland, Michigan.
Looking into the psych sheet, a number of changes and returning battles come back to make the 2018 edition D3 state meet one to watch.
| 2017 Finish | Rank | School | Total | 200 Medley | 200 FR-R | 400 FR-R | Individuals |
| 1 | 1 | Cranbrook Kingswood | 211 | 32 | 32 | 40 | 107 |
| 2 | 2 | Bloomfield Hills Marian | 198 | 40 | 22 | 24 | 112 |
| 1 (D2) | 3 | East Grand Rapids | 191 | 30 | 34 | 32 | 95 |
| 8 | 4 | Notre Dame | 173 | 34 | 30 | 28 | 81 |
| 10 | 5 | Chelsea | 165 | 28 | 28 | 34 | 75 |
| 9 | 6 | Hamilton | 143 | 22 | 40 | 26 | 55 |
| 12 | 7 | Tecumseh | 115 | 18 | 18 | 30 | 49 |
| — | 8 | John Glenn | 96 | 24 | — | 22 | 50 |
| 6 | 9 | Holland Christian | 93 | 26 | 24 | (22nd) | 43 |
| 5 | 10 | Milan | 70 | 14 | (19th) | 14 | 42 |
Leading the top of the scores is defending D3 champ Kingswood and last year’s runner-up, Marian. Most of last year’s top-10 powerhouses are looking stable at the top, for now.
Returning to the meet this year is number-three ranked East Grand Rapids High School, who won the D2 state meet last year by a large margin. At the 2016 D3 state meet, East Grand Rapids also won the meet by a large margin.
Although ranked 11th, the Grand Rapids Christian team could once again be a top-10 threat year. Last year, the team placed 4th overall and placed all 3 relays in the top five.
The 200 free relay is the event where all of these different battles meet in the middle. Currently, Hamilton is ranked first with a 1:38.60. East Grand Rapids is second seed with a 1:39.72. Last year, however, Kingswood and Grand Rapids Christian took first and second respectively, both finishing under Hamilton’s 2018 seed. Will these powerhouse schools be able to take down East Grand Rapids?
Missing from the action is Grand Rapids Catholic Central, who took third at last year’s meet. With 6 seniors graduated, the team is ranked out of the top 10. The loss of their seniors leaves way for viable top spots.
After finishing in second last year behind a graduated Catholic Central senior, Kingswood’s Justine Murdock now has a chance to take the top spot in the 100 back. Murdock is currently ranked third with a 59.09. Ranked in first is Marian’s Lauren Sielicki (58.30), who took third behind Murdock last year. Will Murdock or Sielicki win the top spot this year?
Amidst all these mix-ups, some of the same battles from last year can be spotted in the psych sheet. Rhianna Hensler (Notre Dame), last year’s 50 free champ, and Ellie Frost (South Hamilton), last year’s runner-up, are once again battling for the top in the 50 free.
| 2018 Seed | 2017 Finals | |
| Rhianna Hensler (Notre Dame) | 23.74 (1st) | 23.78 (1st) |
| Ellie Frost (South Haven) | 23.97 (2nd) | 24.10 (2nd) |
Hensler is also the defending 100 fly champion. Her top seed of 54.96 is currently under her own D3 state record, and 3 seconds ahead of her next competitor. Can she reciprocate the same gap or will she have to fight it out against Frost?
Find out what happens at the 2018 MHSAA D3 State meet this weekend. Prelims begin on Friday at noon EST. Finals are scheduled to begin at noon EST the following day.