AOTW: In the nick of time … Ohio State-signee Jongekrijg hopes to turn heads with state title

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

LAKE ORION — Some athletes spend a lifetime training to become the best in their sport.

The goal of being a college athlete, or a state title contender, qualifying for a state meet or national event, or maybe just earning a varsity letter.

Annie Jongekrijg has done all of that in a short period of time.

The Lake Orion High School senior is one of the best high school swimmers in the state of Michigan. She has long since earned a varsity letter, she has signed with a NCAA Division I college and she is a candidate to be an individual state champion.

In obvious terms, Jongekrijg is just plain good at her sport. But she hasn’t been a pool shark for very long — not long at all.

“It just comes natural to me,” smiled Jongekrijg following Monday’s practice.

That could be an understatement.

Jongekrijg is a converted soccer player. She got turned on to swimming by physical education teacher Paul Fairman, Lake Orion’s boys swimming and diving coach, about coming out for swimming three years ago. It turned out to be one of the best decisions for the talented Jongekrijg has ever made in her career as an athlete.

She has long arms and broad shoulders and is gifted athletically.

Jongekrijg enters this weekend’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 state finals at Eastern Michigan University seeded in the top five in two individual events, while she is also on two relays seeded in the top 16. She is a bond fide threat to not only medal in four events — but could emerge from the depths as a state champion.

FAST TRACK: Lake Orion's Annie Jongekrijg has gone from a soccer player to one of the state's best swimmers in three short years. File Photo | Larry McKee, www.lmckeephotography.com

Lake Orion has never had an individual state champion in girls swimming and diving and only two state champions in boys swimming and diving, including one swimmer and one diver.

Jongekrijg is seeded second in the 50 free (23.77) and first in the 100 free (51.53). Her 200 free relay is seeded 11^th and the Dragons’ 400 free relay eighth.

Lake Orion head girls swimming and diving coach Darin Abbasse has coached club and high school swimming in the Detroit area for nearly 25 years and understands that Jongekrijg’s situation is very rare.

“She’s just one of those natural athletes who works so hard,” said Lake Orion head girls swimming and diving coach Darin Abbasse. “To look at how far she’s come in only a few shorts years is amazing. She hasn’t swam very long, so it will be interesting to see how far she can go in college.

“I think that’s what colleges like so much about her. She has so much (upside),” added Abbasse. “For kids that start swimming at an early age, there’s only so much better they can get once they get older or go to college. With Annie, she’s only been swimming since she was a sophomore, so she hasn’t reached her potential. She’s only going to get better in college.”

Perhaps a lot better — and at a Big Ten Conference university.

Jongekrijg signed with Ohio State University on Monday afternoon, choosing the Buckeyes over Purdue, Michigan State, Texas A&M and several other pursuers. She’s glad to get the recruiting process out of the way — in a nick of time. With the state meet looming, she doesn’t want the additional distractions.

“I am glad to get that out of the way. It’s a lot of stress, distractions talking to all of those schools and people wanting to know where you are going to go,” said Jongekrijg. “Now, I can just worry about the state finals.”

Jongekrijg has also made some headwaves at the national circuit. At a recent club event in Minnesota, Jongekrijg almost made the cut for the U.S. Olympic trials in her specialty sprints, missing in both the 50 and 100 freestyles by less than a second. She’ll have plenty of time to do that in the future and she continues to climb the charts as a swimmer.

“I would love the chance to (win a state title),” she smiled. “I will have to have a good day Friday and get to the second day. We’ll see what happens.”

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Category: BWW Athlete of the Week, Featured Articles, High School, High School (M-Z), Lake Orion, Prep Wraps