The Lady Wolves finished the OAA Red Swim & Dive Championship in fourth place last Friday at Lake Orion.
The Clarkston Girls Swim and Dive team followed the phrase from their head coach Amber Miller – “Give, live and be great” throughout the season to lead them to success.
The OAA Red league meet was held over three days with intense competition. Clarkston secured their fourth place finish in one of the state’s toughest divisions.
Senior captain Ashleigh Allen posted personal bests in the 200-yard individual medley for second place, 2:08.25, and the 500-yard freestyle for fifth place, 5:10.31.
Junior Caroline Hughes added a third place finish in the 100-yard butterfly, 58.12. She was co-champion along with Rochester Adams freshman Meghan Fleury in the 100-yard backstroke, 58.49.
Junior Rachel Kociba helped the Wolves efforts with a 15th place finish in the 50-yard freestyle, 25.83.
Sophomore Haley VanBuskirk continued her strong season finishing in third place in the 200-yard individual medley, 2:08.86, and fourth place, 100-yard freestyle, 53.21.
Sophomore Betsey Walkowiak was a key contributor for the Wolves adding valuable points in the 50-yard freestyle, 25.38, and the 100-yard backstroke, 1:00.98, as she finished both in seventh place.
Clarkston had major contributions from freshmen swimmers Alexis Moon, Evie Dice and Maddie Kwasnik. Moon finished the 100-yard breaststroke in second, 1:06.52. Dice compete in the 200-yard freestyle, 2:02.49; and in the 100-yard butterfly, 1:00.78, earning 15th and tenth place points. Kwasnik swam the 200-yard individual medley, 2:16.86, and the 500-yard freestyle, 5:31.56, for 12th and 16th place points for the team.
Clarkston qualified three relay teams for the MHSAA State Championship with their 200-yard medley, 200-yard freestyle and 400-yard freestyle relay teams.
The 200-yard medley relay team of Walkowiak, Moon, Hughes and Allen qualified with a season best time of 1:50.13.
The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Moon, Kociba, Dice and VanBuskirk qualified with a time of 1:40.89.
Allen, Walkowiak, Hughes and VanBuskirk finished the 400-yard freestyle relay at 3:36.41 to qualify.
The Lady Wolves sent five divers to the OAA Red League meet and they finished in the top 15 spots. Sophomore Abby Line finished in second, 358.75 points; senior Sydney VanBuskirk, third, 313.86; freshman Abby Bartley, ninth, 280.05; junior Elise Lowell, tenth, 277.40; and freshman Isabella Taylor, 15th, 255.35. The divers are under the direction of Coach Bill Codi.
The Lady Wolves had two swimmers and two divers finish All-League with Allen in the 200-yard individual medley, Hughes for 100-yard backstroke; and Line and Sydney VanBuskirk for finishing in the top three in diving.
Clarkston now prepares for the MHSAA Swim & Dive State Championship at Oakland University, Nov. 17-18.

  Clarkston Girls Swim & Dive, OAA Red