By Wendi Reardon Price
Staff Writer
wprice@mihomepaper.com
BLOOMFIELD HILLS — The Wolves had two student-athletes place in the top 11 in the MHSAA Division 1 Diving Regional 2 to qualify for the state championship at Bloomfield Hills High School last Thursday.
Sarah Ostheimer finished in ninth place with 298.90 points and Aubrey Zeiman in tenth place, 285.70. Julia Whitecar finished in 21st place with 115.85 points
Ostheimer and Zeiman were also awarded All-League in diving during the OAA Blue League meet at Oxford High School, Nov. 6-8. Ostheimer finished in second place and Zeiman in sixth place. Whitecar finished in 11th place.
The Clarkston Girls Swim and Dive team finished in third place with a total of 230 points over the three-day meet.
“All three coaches would agree we were pretty excited about how the league meet ended up,” said Melissa Hesse, head coach. “We weren’t in it to win it this year, which took the pressure off and allowed the girls to have fun with the meet. By the finals on the second day, you could see the girls’ confidence soaring. Although there were some disappointing moments here and there, they didn’t last long as all of the swimmers had at least one best time for the season, and all of the divers had their highest total scores. The energy was pumping throughout the meet, and hugs of excitement were being given nonstop.”
Hesse shared quite a few events stood out during the meet including the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke and diving.
“The first standout moment was during the 50-yard freestyle where senior Olivia Booker dropped over won seconds, won her heat, and earned her varsity letter,” Hesse said. “Olivia’s success pumped up our other 50 freestyle swimmers who hadn’t swam yet. They all performed exceptionally well, securing us five of the top 16 spots – Sophia Love, Ella Kurmaniak, Ella Johnson, Ella Guzel and Savannah Ryan.”
She added an emotional moment was during the 100-yard breaststroke event when Suzanne Valla, the exchange student from France dropped nine seconds during her swim.
“The love and support she received and the look on here face – both were priceless,” Hesse shared.
The divers contributed 36 points to the score with their finishes with Ostheimer contributed 17 points, Zeiman, 13 points, and Whitecar, six points.
“The divers made Clarkston stand out as a team of very talented divers,” said Hesse. “Sarah Ostheimer improved her 11-dive score by 55 points, while Aubrey made a similar leap with a 45-point improvement. Julia and Maggie Hannigan competed in their first 11-dive competition, which was a huge achievement for both of them. Watching their improvement over the season and the close bond with one another has been amazing to watch.”
Swimmers finishing in the top 16 in the individual events to score points were: in the 50-yard freestyle, Ella Johnson in seventh place in the time of 26.64; Sophia Love, eighth, 26.85; Ella Kurmaniak, 12th, 27.61; Savannah Ryan, 15th, 28.42; Ella Guzal, 16th, 28.79; 100-yard butterfly, Johnson, fifth, 1:06.08; Caitlin McGivern, ninth, 1:14.77; Bella Popiolek, 12th, 1:16.87; 100-yard freestyle, Love, tenth, 1:00.20; Avery Gralewski, 11th, 1:01.06; Marion Walters, 14th, 1:03.40; Estella Emerson, 15th, 1:05.36; 100-yard backstroke, Walters, tenth, 1:11.35; McGivern, 12th, 1:13.38; Allie George, 16th, 1:22.65; 100-yard breaststroke, Tyler Craig, tenth, 1:24.98; Kurmaniak, 12th, 1:25.33; Ryan, 13th, 1:25.39; 200-yard freestyle, Gralewski, 11th, 2:13.22; Popiolek, 12th, 2:17.98; Gwen Brumbaugh, 16th, 2:27.22; 200-yard IM, Bayla Zarzycki, ninth, 2:34.80; 500-yard freestyle, Craig, 11th, 6:10.34; and Zarzycki, 12th, 6:19.61.
“More importantly than the personal records or places was the fact that the girls showed how much they valued their teammates and supported one another,” Hesse said. “The love and encouragement they showed each other was incredibly heartwarming. Each success was celebrated together, and it was wonderful to be a part of.”
For relay events, the team of Johnson, Gralewski, Kurmaniak and Love finished in second place in the 200-yard freestyle relay in the time of 1:49.21. The team of Gralewski, Popiolek, Craig and Love finished in fourth place in the 400-yard freestyle relay in the time of 4:08.26.
“Our relays are always a highlight of our meets, and our relays definitely didn’t disappoint,” Hesse said. “We had so many fast swims and the cheering from all teams created the most electrifying atmosphere that really made the meet more fun.”
The team of Zarzycki, Craig, Johnson and Kurmaniak finished in fifth place in the 200-yard medley relay, 2:05.58.
“In the end, the most memorable part of the meet, to me, was when the 400-yard freestyle relay was over and the girls realized their season was coming to an end,” Hesse said. “They supported one another and especially their seniors, who for many had been swimming since they were 4- and 5-years-old. It was an emotional moment filled with hugs, tears, and strong bonds. We couldn’t have asked for anything more and couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the meet.”
Ostheimer and Zeiman head to the MHSAA Division 1 State Finals at Holland Aquatic Center this Friday and Saturday.

  Clarkston Athletics, Girls Swim and Dive, Swim and Dive