Frost, Lau Help Hornets Win in Battle of Swim & Dive Titans

In a battle of the state’s top swim and dive teams, Saline bested Holland West Ottawa  104-82. Saline also beat Dexter in the Saturday afternoon meet at Saline High School.

West Ottawa came in as the third ranked team in Division 1. Saline shares the number one ranking with Farmington Mercy.

Saline won despite competing without all-state swimmer Kate Rogers .

Maddy Frost and Emily Lau each won two events, while Frost also played a role in the Hornets’ two relay victories. Cristina Czyrka also won the breaststroke and helped the Hornets win a relay.

Saline began the day by winning the 200-yard medley relay. Frost, Czyrka, Lau and Eppinga won in 1:49.92 to make the D1 cut.

The Hornets’ next win came in the 200-yard IM, where Lau (2:12.75) edged Czyrka by a quarter of a second, with both girls’ making the D1 cut.

Frost won her first individual event in the 50-yard freestyle, finishing in 24.63 to make the D1 cut. Eppinga was third in 25.61.

Emily Lau won her second event of the afternoon in the 100-yard butterfly. She finished in 58.7 seconds. Serena Yan was right behind her, in 59.1 seconds. Both made the D1 cut. Alex McPherson finished third (1:01.39).

Frost’s second victory came in the 100-yard backstroke, where she won in 58.15 seconds. Serena Yan (3rd, 1:01.21) also made the D1 cut.

Czyrka won the 100-yard breaststroke in a D1-qualifying time. She finished in 1:07.92. Freshman Therese Larson was fifth.

Saline’s final victory came in the 400-yard freestyle relay, where Frost, Grant-Armstrong, Yan and Schroeder won in 3:37.97. A second Saline team of Melyssa Aben, Erika Glatz, Hannah Lau and Czyrka was third in 3:51.04, good for a D2 cut.

In the 200-yard butterfly, Melanie Schroeder earned her D1 cut, placing second in 1:58.08. Grant-Armstrong was third in  1:58.14.

In diving, freshman Miranda Eberle was second with 189 points. Nikki Kermath was third with 167 points.

Freshman Amelia Grant-Armstrong (2nd, 55.19) and Allison Epping (3rd, 55.31)a had strong showings in the 100-yard freestyle.

McPherson made the D1 cut in the 500-yard freestyle. She was second in 5:12.88 seconds, just .13 seconds behind the winner.  Erika Glatz was fourth (5:22.84).

Holland West Ottawa edged Saline by .12 seconds in the 200-yard freestyle. Swimming for Saline were Eppinga, Melanie Schroeder, Grant-Armstrong and Emily Lau. The Hornets made the state cut.

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