12-29-2023 4:24pm

SWIM & DIVE: Saline Wins Big Holiday Meet in Zeeland

Saline’s boys’ swim and dive team won first place in the annual Zeeland Invite held Dec. 28 at Zeeland High School.

The meet traditionally features some of the best teams in the state.

The Hornets won with ease, finishing with 562.5 points. Holland West Ottawa finished with 452 points, good for second. Zeeland was third with 372 points in the 10-school meet.

Junior Diego Valdes won the 100-yard fly, Isaac Adanin won the 100-yard breast and Ethan Bull, Adanin, Valdes and Jonah Bentley won the 200-yard yard medley relay as Saline swam to victory despite not bringing their divers along.

Saline’s depth was on display in 200-yard medley relay. Not only did Bull, Adanin, Valdes and Bentley win in 1:39.78 - narrowing defeating Zeeland, Saline’s B team of Ty Lauritzen, Connor Lauritzen, Nick Twigg and Nathanyel Sarmet took fourth.

Valdes won the 100-yard fly in 51.94 - easily besting the field. Hornet Nick Twigg placed second in 54.16. Alex Fruth was ninth and Jason Oyemba was 15th.

Saline’s other victory came in the in the 100-yard breast, in which Adanin finished in 1:00.95. Connor Lauritzen was second in 1:01.59.

In the 200-yard IM, Valdes was second in 1:58.88. Adanin was third in 2:02.36 and Connor Lauritzen was fourth in 2:04.29.

Senior Deniz Ozil finished second in the 200-yard free (1:47.89). Jack Mallon was seventh, Thomas Gunnerson was 10th and, Braylen May was 12th.

Twigg took second in the 100-yard backstroke in 55.77 seconds. Bull was third (56.22), Ty Lauritzen was fourth (56.41), and Alex Fruth was 11th.

Jonah Bentley took third in the 50-yard freestyle. Bentley swam the race in 22.52 seconds. Sarment was ninth, Will Loveland was 10th and Elijah Ames was 13th.

Ozil was third in the 500-yard free, finishing the swim in 4:59.67. Mallon was fourth in 5:01.08 and Gunnerson was seventh in 5:12.24. May was 12th.

Sarment was fourth in the 100-yard free (50.25). Bentley was seventh in 50.8. Bull was ninth and Loveland was 11th.

Saline’s “A” team of Bentley, Valdes, Sarment and Ozil was third in the 200-yard free relay (1:31.67). The “B” team of Loveland, Connor Lauritze, Adanin and Gunnerson was sixth,

In the 400-yard free relay, the team of Ozil, Twigg, Gunnerson and Bull was third (3:22.1). The ”B” team of Ty Lauritzen, Mallon, May and Fruth finished seventh.