2024 Boys MHSAA Division I Championships
- March 8-9, 2024
- Oakland University Aquatic Center – Rochester, Michigan
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results (PDF)
The Ann Arbor Pioneer boys’ swim & dive team extended their streak of Michigan (MHSAA) Division 1 High School titles to four on Saturday, doing so without winning a single event in the entire meet.
Last season, the Pioneers won five golds en route to a 111-point margin of victory. This time around, the team won by 30 points over runner-up Saline, leaning on superior depth.
“We didn’t win a single event, and we didn’t win a single relay,” Pioneer head coach Stefanie Kerska said, according to the MHSAA.
“For every single person to play their part and do their job, it’s just a really special feeling for this team.”
Leading the Pioneers were sophomores Henry Baumhover and Edward Zhang, who both tallied 33 points with one runner-up and one 3rd-place finish apiece.
Baumhover was 2nd in the 100 free (45.51) and 3rd in the 50 free (20.95), while Zhang was the runner-up in the 200 free (1:38.10) and 3rd in the 100 breast (57.31). Both set best times in both of their events, though Baumhover’s 50 free (20.75) and Zhang’s 100 breast (56.88) came in the prelims.
Given how young this Pioneer team is, it stands to reason that there’s a good chance the streak is extended into next season and beyond.
“Ten of 17 had never been here before,” Kerska said. “Our 400 free relay was made up of freshmen and sophomores. We are a fairly young and inexperienced team.”
The meet had two multi-event winners individually in the form of Oxford senior Olin Charnstrom and Zeeland junior Owen Stevens, who both defended at least one title from last year.
Charnstrom, a Wayne State commit, rolled to a successful title defense in the 100 back (48.10) and also won the title in the 100 free (45.03), both marking new best times.
“I really have a drive for freestyle,” Charnstrom said. “Last year, I had a really bad prelims and a good finals. This year, I made sure to come in and leave nothing behind.”
“It feels great. My progress from my freshman year to now, every single year I’ve gotten better and put in more work. It’s so nice to see all that pay off.”
Committed to Louisville, Stevens repeated in the 200 IM (1:49.68) and 500 free (4:27.48), setting new bests in both (1:49.44 200 IM in the prelims).
“This year I came in with more expectations,” Stevens said. “There was some pressure there. It was a little nerve-wracking. But I had a lot of fun, and it was some good swimming. I felt better about the 500 more than the 200 IM. I was little off from where I wanted to be in the 200 IM. But it was still a very good time I dropped from last year.”
Also defending titles were Rockford senior Julian Cardenas and Brighton senior Luke Newcomb.
Cardenas won the 1-meter diving title with a record-breaking score of 537.95, eclipsing the 528.45 mark established by Rockford alum Jake Herremanns in 2015.
Newcomb, who will join Hope College next season, delivered a monster swim in the 100 breast final, breaking 55 seconds for the first time in 54.56, pulling away from Detroit Catholic Central’s Luke Mychalowych (55.15) on the second 50.
Mychalowych was another top performer, winning the 200 free (1:37.98) and providing critical splits for Detroit Catholic’s winning relays in addition to his 100 breast swim.
Set to join the University of Minnesota in the fall, Mychalowych dropped a 24.42 breast split on the 200 medley relay, aligning with Roshi Turner (BK-24.11), Paddy Germeza (FLY-23.53) and Camren Turowski (FR-20.55) for a winning time of 1:32.61, taking out Zeeland (1:33.20) and Saline (1:33.82).
In the 200 free relay, it was Turowski (21.16), Adyn Stoddard (22.14), Mychalowych (20.22) and Jack Szuba (21.09) clocking 1:24.61 to easily top Saline (1:25.84).
The other school to secure a relay win was Holland West Ottawa, which put up a time of 3:08.65 in the 400 free with legs from Luke Catton (47.93), Joseph Engle (46.29), Reese Jungblut (48.08) and Brody Menghini (46.35).
Detroit Catholic took 2nd, with Szuba dropping another blistering anchor leg in 45.99 for a final time of 3:09.09, narrowly holding off Northville which had an even faster anchor from Phillip Zhavoronkov (45.28).
Zhavoronkov also won the 50 free (20.65) and was 3rd in the 100 free (46.08), both new best times.
The 100 fly proved to be a nail-biter, with Rochester senior Lucas Hosch holding off Saline junior Diego Valdes by 11 one-hundredths, 49.80 to 49.91, both producing their fastest-ever times.
TEAM SCORES – TOP 5
- Ann Arbor Pioneer, 275
- Saline, 245
- Detroit Catholic Central, 243.5
- Northville, 226
- Zeeland, 136