SWIM AND DIVE: Saline on Track for a Trophy at the State Meet

The Saline girls' swim and dive team has positioned itself to take home a trophy from the MHSAA Division 1 meet held in Holland.

The Hornets' rivals from Pioneers are swimming away from the pack and early favorites to win the championship. The Hornets are in a fight for second place with Brighton and Grand Haven.

The Hornets showed they are one of the deepest teams in the state. Only Pioneer qualified more athletes for Saturday's finals and consolation finals.

Saline began the day with Amelia Hayes, Megan Socha, Samantha Graden and Kylie Evenson taking third in the 200-yard medley, finishing in 1:45.91.

In the second event, the 200-yard freestyle, three Hornets qualified for the consolation finals. Junior Bella Arbaugh just missed making the finals, finishing ninth in 1:53.81. Johanna Ehrman, a senior, was 15th in 29.78 and Angelina Sanna, a sophomore, was 16th in 1:55.82. 

Hayes, a senior, took ninth in the 200-yard IM in 2:09.5. Fellow senior Samantha Graden finished 12th in 2:10.33.

In the 50-yard freestyle, sophomore Joann Oyema was 17th and just missed qualifying for the consolation round. She finished the race in 24.80 - .01 seconds behind the last qualifier.

In terms of individual events, Saline enjoyed its most fortune in diving. Junior Alice English is in second place with 284.15 points - within striking distance of leader Megan Jolly of Rockford. Freshman Lindi Jenkins sits in seventh place with 248.2 points. Junior Ava Turner is in eighth with 246.8. Turner was in 17th after the opening round and zoomed up the rankings with a great semifinals round.

Junior Samantha Bullard was one of the surprises of the day, taking eighth in the 100-yard fly (58.18). Senor Sam Graden was 11th in 58.29 and senior Allison Ploutz-Snyder was 14th in 59.27.

In the 100-yard freestyle, Arbaugh (13th, 53.1) and junior Kyle Evenson (15th, 53.24) advanced. Junior Megan Socha missed qualifying for the consolation finals by .07 seconds.

In the 500-yard freestyle, sophomore Angelina Sanna was probably the biggest surprise of the day for the Hornets. She took seventh in 5:06.05. Ehrman (12th, 5:10.75) and Ploutz-Snyder (13th, 5:17.49) also advanced.

In the 200-yard freestyle relay, Arbaugh, Socha, Graden and Ehrman finished in 1:39.07.

Two Hornets advanced to the championship round of the backstroke. Hayes was fourth in the backstroke (56.7) and Evenson was fifth (57.42).

Sophomore Ellerie Brunty (11th, 1:06.4) advanced in the 100-yard breast.

In the final event, Hayes, Ehrman, Arbaugh and Evenson were fifth in the 400-yard freestyle (3:32.89)

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