BY DAN STICKRADT
CORRESPONDENT
dan.Stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
LAKE ORION — Dominating.
Farmington Hills Mercy has redefined the term inside the Oakland County Girls Swimming and Diving circles.
The Marlins, ranked third in the state in Division 1, captured their unprecedented 11th straight Oakland County Championships title Saturday at Lake Orion High School, rolling up 392 points to finish well ahead of the star-studded field that featured 12 county schools that are either ranked in the top 10 or listed as honorable mention in the polls.
Mercy, which also won its 13th county crown in 14 years, captured six of 12 events and recorded 28 overall places over 12 events to run away with the meet title, which serves notice to state leaders Saline and Ann Arbor Pioneer that the Marlins will once again be state title contenders.
Birmingham Marian was a distant second with 258 points, Rochester Adams claimed third with 226 points, while White Lake Lakeland (216), Lake Orion (170), Birmingham Seaholm (162), North Farmington (116), Farmington Harrison (111), South Lyon Unified (101) and Birmingham Groves (84) rounded out the top 10 in a field where 22 schools scored points.
Mercy bookended the meet with a pair of county records.
First, Katie Minnich, Alaina Skellett, Allison Lobbia and Kendall Goit joined forces to win the 200 medley relay (1:46.63) in the first event of the afternoon. Goit, Minnich, Skellett and Ellyse Conn ended the meet with a 3:31.99 clocking in the 400 freestyle relay, another new county mark.
“It’s a tribute to all of the girls that we’ve had here over the years. You don’t win that many county championships if you don’t have hard-working girls,” said Mercy coach Shannon Dunworth. “They’ve taken it on the chin already this season (at another invitational) but have just worked hard to get better every meet.”
Conn came back to win the 200 IM (2:05.91) and 500 freestyle (4:57.22), Skellett claimed the 100 butterfly (55.86), and Minnich touched first in the 100 backstroke (55.60) for the Marlins.
“We have a lot of tradition at Mercy, so many great swimmers over the years. We have a lot to live up to. We have to carry on the tradition,” said Conn.
the county swim meet is the first meet of the championship season and it helps set the stage for the key meets down the stretch.
“I love this meet,” added Dunworth. “It’s as good a meet as there is in the state the whole year. Our girls realize that. The competition is amazing each year. And this helps prepare us for the state meet.”
Marian’s Sophia Schott had a grand day, setting the county meet record in the 50 freestyle (23.58) while swimming a leg on the winning 200 freestyle relay (1:38.38). She was joined by Sister Christina Schott, Mary Kate Nodland and Lauren Biglin in the victorious quartet.
Schott broke a record that has stood for 21 years.
I know I never could have gotten it without lots of hard work,” said Schott. “You work so hard all year for meets like this and this is your shot to do something special. I just give it my all when I’m (against great competition).”
Walled Lake Central’s Amanda Ling won the 1-meter diving event with 453.30 points, some 76 points ahead of the nearest competitor.
North Farmington’s Emma Bradley earned the title in the 200 freestyle (1:52.87), Lake Orion’s Claire Abbasse captured the 100 freestyle (51.86) by five one-hundreths of a second over the aforementioned Schott (51.91), and Lakeland’s Isabel Fairbanks rounded out the winners with a victory in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.81).