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The Saline boys swim and dive team are state champs for the first time since 2013. The Hornets work to win the title began in earnest just weeks after the team was profoundly disappointed by its loss to Pioneer at the state championship last season.
Coach Brunty Returns to the Top of the Michigan High School Swim & Dive World | The Saline Post
Earlier this season, Saline lost pretty badly at the dual meet at Pioneer and, in the process, probably shook loose onlookers who viewed the Hornets as a state contender.
But nobody familiar with Coach Todd Brunty's regimen should have been surprised by the Hornets' sluggish start and strong finish.
"Everybody works hard. It's just more about where we are at a certain point of the year. We know we want to be our peak here (the finals), and sometimes you've got to do a lot of extra work early in the season and put in the time and the hours to do it then," Brunty said.
That's not necessarily easy to arrive at a road meet and have your best meet when you've been up swimming hard laps at 6 a.m. every day.
"Sometimes that's difficult to show up on a Thursday night and swim tough when you are doing all that," Brunty said.
It's easy to point to Saturday's performance at the Holland Aquatic Center, where Saline won the meet with 291.5 points to Pioneer's 263, and say that's where Saline won this state title. But you could just as easily point Friday's preliminary round - where the Hornets set themselves up for victory.
"We had a really good day. We gave ourselves some room and kind of put the pressure on Pioneer, since they're the defending champs, where they have to do something special and risky," Brunty said. "But they didn't do that. They swam tough and they're a good team. But we weathered the storm. Our guys had the confidence to rely on each other."
Or the season-long workouts and pre-meet tapering. Or you could point to last year's loss in the state championship, and the two previous years that helped forge the identity of the senior class that led this Saline team to the title.
Diego Valdes, a senior captain, took the final step and won his first state title, winning the 100 fly.
"Each year, he's taken a step and finally capped it off with a win and his leadership goes right along with it. And at that point of the meet, right after diving, there can be a little bit of a lull and he was able to step up there and put everyone back on notice," Brunty said.
It wasn't only Valdes, either. All of Saline's seniors at the meet made the finals in at least one race. Nathanyel Sarmet made the finals in the 200-yard freestyle. Valdes was third and Connor Lauritzen was fourth in the 200 IM (to Adanin's first). Jonah Bentley was seventh in the 50-yard free. Connor Lauritzen was also fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke. Sarment, Bentley, Lauritzen, and Valdes all helped relay the relay teams to great finishes.
But nobody did more to propel Saline to the title than sophomore Issac Adanin.
"He's awesome. If anyone got a chance to see him race today, it was really special. He's a special young man who did a great job of leading the team," Brunty said. "He brings a competitive fire that is very hard to find these days. It spread through the whole team and gave the rest of the guys confidence. "
Brunty said Adanin showed he's one of the best in the state.
"And he's only going to get better," Brunty said.
Here's how championship day happened:
Ty Laurtizen, Connor Lauritzen, Diego Valdes and Jonah Bentley took third in the 200 medley relay (1:33.41) which was won by Pioneer (1:32.66).
Thomas Gunnerson was 10th in the 200 freestyle.
Nathanyel Sarment was eighth.
Saline dominated the 200 IM.
Issac Adanin won the event in 1:48.24 - .14 seconds faster than Zeeland's Owen Stevens
Diego Valdes was third in 1:50.86.
Connor Lauritzen was fourth in 1:54.56.
In the 50, Jonah Bentley was seventh overall in 21.22.
Braylen May won the B final in 21:48.
Saline had two divers in the finals.
Carter Mitton moved up from 11th to 7th with 373..2 points.
Joseph Rosales finished 16th with 343.7 points. Both are just sophomores.
In the 100 fly, Diego Valdes won in 49.15 - more than a second faster than the second-place swimmer.
Will Loveland placed tied for 11th in 52.52 seconds.
In the 100 freestyle, Braylen May was 14th in 47.88 and Nathanyel Sarment was 16th in 48.33.
In the 500 freestyle, Jack Mallon was 10th in 4:46.01 and Thomas Gunnerson was 11th in 4:47.27.
Jonah Bentley, Braylen May, Nathanyel Sarment and Issac Adanin were third in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
Sophomore Ty Lauritzen was finished sixth in the 100 backstroke.
Issac Adanin came from behind in the last 25 years to overtake two swimmers and win the 100 breaststroke in 56.23.
Connor Lauritzen was fourth in 56.88.
The Hornets just needed to swim the 400 freestyle relay without doing anything disqualifying, but Saline swam it to win it. Braylen May, Nathanyel Sarment, Diego Valdes and Issac Adanin took second place to Nortivlle in 3:07.11 - about a half second behind Northville.
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