FLASHBACK: 2009 All-Area Girls Swimming Team

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

Inside Oakland County, swimming and diving talent is never at a shortage. Schools in all four corners of the county have pools nowadays and routinely boast swimmers and divers that qualify and place at one of the state meets.

Some of that can be overshadowed sometimes by the depth at programs such as Farmington Hills Mercy, Birmingham Groves, and Birmingham Seaholm, among others, which have dominated the state meet for the past two-plus decades.

Up in the coverage area for www.northoaklandsports.com, several of these schools did not have pools and teams as recent as 12 years ago, but the talent level has steadily grown in recent years. As for teams that have pools for quite some time, such as Rochester and Rochester Adams, this was a solid year of competition.

Below is a profile of the top swimmers and divers from the schools in Auburn Hills, Clarkston, Lake Orion, Oxford, Rochester, Rochester Hills and Troy. Athletes were limited to one first-team event, except for relays. Honorable mentions were a sample of athletes that qualified for the state meet or placed high at the league and county meets with respectable efforts.

FIRST TEAM

200 MEDLEY RELAY: Rochester Adams (Hanna Hunstad, Bianca Tiberio, Kristin Finney, Jenny Newman): This relay is a mix of the departing and the future of the Highlanders. With Newman a senior, Finney a sophomore and Hunstad and Tiberio both freshman, there is plenty of talent in the ranks for the future. This year as a unit, this foursome placed fourth at the OAA Red Division meet (1:54.66), placed seventh at the Oakland County meet and 16^th at the Division 2 state meet.

“They put it together at the end of the season,” said coach Tim Hickey. “We had two new swimmers this year in this relay as one of our top swimmers moved after last season and one graduated. We were really able to do a good job in the big meets.”

200 FREESTYLE: Kirsten Emerson, Rochester Adams: Headed to Grand Valley State next year, Emerson departs Adams as a four-time state qualifier. In one of her best two events, the 200 free, Emerson was the OAA Red Division league champion, placed second at the county and 10^th at the D-2 state finals (1:55.93). In the 500 free, Emerson was also third at the league, fourth at the county and fifth at the state meet (5:12.61).

“She was top eight last year and top-10 (in the state) this year and still swam a second faster in the 200 free,” said Hickey. “Kirsten is an outstanding athlete. She was one of our top swimmers during her career.”

200 IM: Julia Vela, Clarkston: Much like her older sister, now at Oakland University, Alyssa Vela swam at four state meets and is one of the top performers in the 10 years of the Wolves’ swimming and diving program. Although undecided on her college destination, Vela posted some impressive efforts in 2009. The senior was the OAA White Division champion in the 200, placed 10th at the county and was 12^th at the Division 1 state finals (2:12.84). Vela was also a league champ in the 100 butterfly (1:00.00), finished 12^th at the county and 20^th at the state finals.

“Julia had a great season. She was one of the top swimmers in our league and one of the ‘swimmer of the meet’ winners at the league meet,” said coach Kenwyn Chock. “It was nice to see her do so well at the end of the season.”

50 FREESTYLE: Nina Rusiewski, Rochester Stoney Creek: One of the Cougars’ most versatile swimmers, Rusiewski had her strongest showings in the 50 free. The senior was sixth at the OAA-Red, 10^th at the county and 16^th at the Division 2 state meet (25.02). In the 100 free, she was also fourth at the county meet (55.34), sixth at the league meet and 18^th at the state meet in

DIVING: Kayla Edwards, Troy Athens: The area’s top diver finished up the season just outside of the medals stand at the Division 1 state finals. Edwards did post a 334.80 total in taking fifth at the Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse regional. She was also third at the OAA White Division league meet and 10^th at the county meet.

100 BUTTERFLY: Nicole Kudla, Lake Orion: Another talented senior, Kudla swam in four events at the state meet and placed in four at the county and league meets. In the 100 fly, Kudla was third in OAA White Division league meet, 16^th in the county and 22^nd at the Division 1 state meet (1:00.37). She was also 13^th in the 200 free relay and 10^th in the 400 free relay at the state finals. Kudla also claimed 16^th in the 50 free at the county, second at the league meet and 10^th in the state (24.86).

“Nicole was a three-time state qualifier and tri-captain and had her best of her four years as a senior,” said coach Darin Abbasse. “She’s also a very good student. She’s an All-OAA Scholar Athlete and a candidate for NIFCA Academic All-America. We’ll miss her leadership in the future. She really pushed the younger girls and lead with integrity.”

100 FREESTYLE: Hannah Knapp, Rochester Stoney Creek: A sophomore, Knapp packed in plenty of top-16 finishes this autumn. She was third at the OAA Red Division, eighth at the county and 11^th at the state meet (53.95) in the 100 free. Knapp was also fourth in the 50 free at the league meet, as well as touching ninth at the county and 17^th at the state finals (25.07).

500 FREESTYLE: Alycen Wiacek, Rochester: This senior and four-time state qualifier was instrumental in helping the Falcons to their first league title in nearly two decades. In the 500 free, Wiacek, won the OAA White Division title, placed fifth at the county (5:13.82) and 11^th at the Division 1 state finals. In the 200 free, she was second at the league, fifth in the county and 17^th at state (1:58.15).

“She was the team MVP all four years. We’ll miss having her around,” said coach Paul Karas. “She has a 3.96 grade-point-average, so she’s a really bright student, too. She’ll swim in college and I think her best is yet to come in college.”

200 FREE RELAY: Rochester Stoney Creek (Carson Burt, Hannah Knapp, Nina Rusiewski, Rachel Watton): This unit had three top-10 finishes at the big meets at the end of the season. They were fourth at the OAA Red Division meet, sixth at the county and 10^th at the D-2 state meet (1:40.89). Rusiewski was a senior while Burt, Knapp and Watton are sophomores.

100 BACKSTROKE: Hanna Hunstad, Rochester Adams: This freshman earned a state medal by finishing 15^th in this event at the D-2 state finals (1:01.46). She was fourth at the OAA Red Division meet in a season-best 1:01.20 and 15th at the county meet.

“Hanna was a surprise at the state, finishing (15^th),” said Hickey. “She is a hard worker and the way she swam at the end of the season is evidence of that.”

100 BREASTSTROKE: Kristin Finney, Rochester Adams: A sophomore, Finney was the highest ranking area swimmer at the state finals this season, earning 17^th in Division 2 (1:10.21). She was also third at the OAA Red Division meet and sixth at the county.

“Kristin is absolutely one of the hardest workers that I’ve coached in 15 years at Adams,” said Hickey. “She didn’t have the state meet that she wanted, but I think she hasn’t scratched her potential.”

400 FREE RELAY: Rochester Stoney Creek (Hannah Knapp, Rachel Watton, Carson Burt, Nina Rusiewski): This quartet shined at the end of the season with a trio of top-eight finishes. They were second at the OAA Red Division meet, fourth at the county and eighth at the Division 2 state meet (3:42.00). Knapp, Watton and Burt are sophomores and Rusiewski a senior.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Paul Karas, Rochester: Karas received the reigns just one week before the preseason began. It ended with the Falcons going 6-0 in league duals and winning their first league title since 1992. Rochester won the OAA White Division meet title by a slim margin (351 to 346.5 points over Troy) to seal the overall crown. The Falcons were also 13^th at the Oakland County and 36^th at the Division 1 state finals despite having a team with just four seniors on a roster of 30.

“I got the job seven days before practices. I wonder if I had 15 more weeks with them, what would we have accomplished?” asked Karas, who swam at Oakland University in the 1970s. “We broke some school records that have been up there for a long, long time and we won our first league in nearly 20 years. I am proud of these girls for what they accomplished.”

2009 ALL-AREA GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING TEAM

EVENT                              NAME                             SCHOOL

200 Medley Relay:         Hanna Hunstad              Roch. Adams

200 Medley Relay:         Bianca Tiberio               Roch. Adams

200 Medley Relay:         Kristin Finney                Roch. Adams

200 Medley Relay:         Jenny Newman              Roch. Adams

200 Freestyle:                  Kirsten Emerson           Roch. Adams

200 IM:                               Julia Vela                         Clarkston

50 Free:                              Nina Rusiewski               Roch. Stoney Creek

Diving:                                 Kayla Edwards               Troy Athens

100 Butterfly:                  Nicole Kudla                   Lake Orion

100 Freestyle:                 Hannah Knapp               Roch. Stoney Creek

500 Freestyle:                Alycen Wiacek               Rochester

200 Free Relay:             Carson Burt                      Roch. Stoney Creek

200 Free Relay:             Hannah Knapp                Roch. Stoney Creek

200 Free Relay:             Nina Rusiewski               Roch. Stoney Creek

200 Free Relay:             Rachel Watton                Roch. Stoney Creek

100 Backstroke:             Hanna Hunstad              Roch. Adams

100 Breaststroke:         Kristin Finney                Roch. Adams

400 Free Relay:             Hannah Knapp               Roch. Stoney Creek

400 Free Relay:             Rachel Watton               Roch. Stoney Creek

400 Free Relay:             Carson Burt                     Roch. Stoney Creek

400 Free Relay:             Nina Rusiewski              Roch. Stoney Creek

COACH OF THE YEAR

Paul Karas                        Rochester                        First Season

HONORABLE MENTIONS

200 Medley Relay: Rochester Stoney Creek (Ariel Niederhauser, soph.; Katherine Scott, soph.; Claire VanRaaphorst, sr.; Carson Burt, soph.); Lake Orion (Ronnie Booth, jr.; Aubrey Campbell, sr.; Colby Pudlo, soph.; Annelise Jongekrijg, soph.) Rochester (Veronica Loock, soph.; Alyssa Rawling, sr.; Jenna Maletzke, fr.; Anna Quintero, sr.) Troy (Lauren Dietz, soph.; Kristine Barlow, soph.; Tessa Lanzen, soph.; Lindsey Ruther, sr.); Clarkston (Amber Fullmer, sr.; Shawna Mulcahy, fr.; Julia Vela, sr.; Taylor Tekiele, fr.); 200 Freestyle: Alycen Wiacek, Rochester sr.; Courtney McClear, Lake Orion fr.; Kelsey Haines, Troy Athens sr.; Rachel Watton, Rochester Stoney Creek jr.; Natalie Schmitt, Rochester Adams jr.; Veronica Loock, soph.; 200 IM: Gabrielle Thivierge, Rochester Adams fr.; Kristen Finney, Rochester Adams soph.; Haley Ludwig, Rochester fr.; Christine Forrest, Lake Orion sr.; Colby Pudlo, Lake Orion soph.; 50 Freestyle: Hannah Knapp, Rochester Stoney Creek soph.; Annelise Jongekrijg, Lake Orion soph.; Lauren Dietz, Troy soph.; Bianca Tiberio, Rochester Adams fr.; Jenny Newman, Rochester Adams sr.; Jackie Burke, Troy fr.; Skylar Darish, Troy sr.; Anna Quintero, Rochester sr.; Diving: Keegan McCaffrey, Rochester Adams fr.; Sarah Muzzio, Rochester Adams sr.; Meg Joiner, Rochester Stoney Creek jr.; Allison Westgate, Rochester Adams jr.; Lauren Reedy, Rochester soph.; Kaitlyn Morton, Auburn Hills Avondale fr.; 100 Butterfly: Colby Pudlo, Lake Orion soph.; Melissa Reynolds, Troy Athens sr.; Bianca Tiberio, Rochester Adams fr.; Julia Vela, Clarkston sr.; Haley Ludwig, Rochester fr.; Tessa Lanzen, Troy soph.; 100 Freestyle: Jackie Burke, Troy fr.; Courtney McClear, Lake Orion fr.; Skylar Darish, Troy sr.; Pam Johnson, Auburn Hills Avondale jr.; Nina Rusiewski, Rochester Stoney Creek sr.; Natalie Schmidt, Rochester Adams fr.; Chelsea Hinberg, Rochester Adams soph.; Jenny Newman, Rochester Adams sr.; Jacqui Loock, Rochester jr.; 500 Freestyle: Kirsten Emerson, Rochester Adams sr.; Gabrielle Thivierge, Rochester Adams fr.; Rachel Watton, Rochester Stoney Creek soph.; Caroline Westgate, Rochester Adams sr.; Christine Forrest, Lake Orion sr.; Kelsey Haines, Troy Athens sr.; Kelly Sinnaeve, Troy jr.; Natasha Boruszok, Troy sr.; Tessa Lanzen, Troy soph.; 200 Free Relay: Rochester Adams (Bianca Tiberio, fr.; Natalie Schmitt, fr.; Jenny Newman, sr.; Kirsten Emerson, sr.); Lake Orion (Annelise Jongekniig, soph.; Christine Forrest, sr.; Courtney McClear, fr.; Nicole Kudla, sr.); Troy (Lauren Dietz, soph.; Jackie Burke, fr.; Lindsey Ruther, sr.; Skylar Darish, sr.); Rochester (Anna Quintero, sr.; Jacqui Loock, jr.; Jenna Maletzke, fr.; Alycen Wiacek, sr.); Clarkston (Julia Vela, sr.; Shawna Mulcahy, fr.; Andrea Misteravisch, jr.; Taylor Tekiele, fr.); 100 Backstroke: Amber Fullmer, Clarkston sr.; Ariel Niederhauser, Rochester Stoney Creek soph.; Milan Spampinato, Rochester Adams soph.; Chelsea Hinsberg, Rochester Adams jr.; Veronica Loock, Rochester soph.; Pam Johnson, Auburn Hills Avondale jr.; 100 Breaststroke: Katherine Scott, Rochester Stoney Creek soph.; Alyssa Rawling, Rochester sr.; Aubrey Campbell, Lake Orion sr.; Kristine Barlow, Troy soph.; Shawna Mulcahy, Clarkston fr.; Haley O’Hara, Auburn Hills Avondale fr.; 400 Free Relay: Lake Orion (Nicole Kudla, sr.; Annelise Jongeknrijg, soph.; Christine Forrest, sr.; Courtney McClear, fr.); Rochester Adams (Kirsten Emerson, sr.; Gabrielle Thivierge, fr..; Natalie Schmitt, fr..; Hanna Hunstad, fr. ; Rochester (Alycen Wiacek, sr.; Veronica Loock, soph.; Jacqui Loock, jr.; Haley Ludwig, fr.).

To submit information to www.northoaklandsports.com, e-mail dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com.  To advertise, email  advertising@northoaklandsports.com.

Tags: all-area, all-area girls swimming

Category: All Area Teams, Auburn Hills Avondale, Clarkston, Lake Orion, Oxford, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Rochester Stoney Creek, Troy, Troy Athens