By DAVID COOK
DIVISION 2
The Midland Dow boys swim team wrapped up a big season by placing in the top five at the Division 2 state swimming and diving finals.
Dow finished fifth with 169 points at the finals that were won by Holland with 323 points.
Senior Jackson Goethe led the way for Dow, as he won a pair of individual state titles and was also part of a pair of relay teams that placed second. Goethe won both the 50- and the 100-yard freestyles. He was part of the 400 free relay along with seniors Ben Martin and Michael Pixton and freshman Nehemiah Mork. Goethe, Martin, Mork, and sophomore Zach Hoffman made up the 200 free relay team that also captured second place.
Pixton and Mork also earned all-state honors as individuals, Pixton by placing fifth in the 200 freestyle and Mork by taking seventh in the 100 freestyle.
The area had a number of teams represented at the Division 2 meet. Okemos placed eighth, St. Johns took 14th, Waverly finished 15th, and Heritage was 19th.
Senior Adam Marsh led the way for Okemos, as he won the 100 backstroke and took second in the 200 free. Junior Ian Poland won the 100 butterfly, and the 200 medley relay team placed fourth.
St. Johns made its impact in the diving competition. Senior Brennan LaBar took first place by more than 70 points over the second-place finisher with a score of 484.15. Junior Jared Gregory placed eighth in diving for the Redwings.
Waverly senior Tommy Quinn placed seventh in the 100 butterfly and his teammate, junior Ben Rentz, took seventh in the 500 freestyle.
For Heritage, senior Nick Robinson placed fourth in diving, while sophomore Logan Yearham placed sixth in the 100 breastroke.
DIVISION 1
Rockford led area teams in Division 1, as the Rams placed fourth overall with 163 points. Saline again captured the Division 1 state title by totaling 313 points to win its fourth straight title.
Senior Nick Willison led the way for the Rams, as he placed seventh in the 50 freestyle and seventh in the 100 backstroke. Junior Craig Wasberg placed eighth in both the 100 backstroke and the 100 butterfly. Junior Shane Phillips placed fourth in the diving competition.
Grand Ledge placed 20th overall. Junior Zinghao Wang paced the Comets by finishing fourth in the 200 IM and sixth in the 100 breaststroke.
DIVISION 3
Several area teams placed at the Division 3 state finals that were won by East Grand Rapids.
Ionia was the top area finisher, as the Bulldogs placed 12th. Junior Skyler Fish paced the Bulldogs, as he took second place in the 100 backstroke and fourth in the 100 freestyle.
Mason finished 14th. The highlight for the Bulldogs was the 200 free relay team consisting of seniors Dalton Harris, Daniel Rogers, and Collin Zaremba and junior Corbin Shuler which placed eighth.
Alma finished in 20th place. Senior Broderic Bender finished third in the 100 butterfly and sixth in the 500 freestyle.
DeWitt placed 21st overall. Panther senior Brandon Hill led the way, as he took sixth place in the 100 butterfly.