2012 ALL-NORTH OAKLAND AREA BOYS SWIMMING TEAM: Talented swimmers left it all in the tank

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

Twitter: @LocalSportsFans

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to some technical difficulties, NOS is reposting some of its fall and winter sports All-Area teams from the 2011-12 school year.)

Although there were no state champions this season, there were still several top-level performers in area pools this past winter.

In fact, at the three state meets, at least one area competitor or relay team placed in the top 16 at the finals in every event except the 100 free. In some cases, there were multiple state placers with area ties. Overall, there were more than 40 state qualifiers from the coverage area of NorthOaklandSports.com in this season.

Over on the 2012 All-North Oakland Area Boys Swimming and Diving Team, there are plenty of talented athletes that are coming off sensational seasons — many which have a full slate of high-level meets set for this spring and summer.

Athletes named to the first team, excluding relays, were ineligible to be listed under another event to spread the wealth around. The team was selected by NOS staff in conjunction with area coaches.

Below are the profiles of the first-team members.

FIRST TEAM

200 MEDLEY RELAY: TROY CHEN-ZACHARY CHEN-ROHAN TANGRI-MILES MCDONALD, Troy: This foursome was always near the top at every meet this season and recorded their fastest time of 1:38.42 in the prelims at the Division 1 state meet. They were third at the OAA Red Division league meet, seventh at the Oakland County Championships, 10^th at the MISCA meet and 12^th at the state finals. Tangri and McDonald are seniors, while Troy Chen is a sophomore and Zachary Chen a freshman.

200 FREE: ZACH DIENER, Lake Orion: A junior, Diener show tremendous growth this season to establish himself as one of the area’s upcoming talents. In his top event, the 200 free, Deiner was 12^th at the county, third at the OAA Red Division league meet and fifth at the Division 1 state finals (1:41.77). Showcasing versatility, he also placed 12^th at state in the 100 butterfly (52.94), while he swam fourth at the league meet in the 500 free (4:56.81).

200 IM: TROY CHEN, Troy: The eldest Chen brother in our lineup, this sophomore had a grand season which saw him place in the top 16 in four events at the league, county, MISCA and state finals. In the 200 IM, he was the OAA Red Division champion, placed second at the county, third at the all-division MISCA meet and seventh at the D-1 state meet (1:55.66). Over in the 100 butterfly, Chen won league and county titles, placed fourth at the MISCA meet and sixth at the state finals (52.27). He can be found on two first-team relay units as well.

50 FREE: STEVEN NELSON, Clarkston: One of several seniors for Clarkston this season, Nelson turned out to be the most successful of the bunch. He finished the campaign 17^th at the Division 1 state finals in the 50 free (22.31), missing a top-16 medal by just a sliver. He was also the OAA Red Division champion in the event with a career best 22.22, while he was seventh at the county meet. Nelson, who swam on three relays at the state finals, also dipped into the 100 backstroke, claiming third at the league meet (55.65).

DIVING: JOEY ZENDEJAS, Clarkston: A repeat performer on the first team, this sophomore got injured at the state finals and failed to advance to the final round. That didn’t overshadow a fine season which included multiple top performances. He was the OAA Red Division champion (403.15 points), finished fifth at the county, 18^th at the MISCA and 30^th at the state finals. The state finals became the only time all season he lost to another local competitor.

100 BUTTERFLY: MILES MCDONALD, Troy: In his senior season, McDonald was seen competing in a wide variety of open events and relays and competed in four events at the state finals. In the 100 fly, McDonald finished second at the league and county meets while touching fifth (51.77) at the D-1 state meet. In the 200 free, he was eighth at the county and 17^th at the state finals (1:44.91). He also competed in the 100 free, earning sixth at the league and eighth at the MISCA meet (48.35). He is also first team as part of two relays.

100 FREE: JACOB ICEBERG, Ortonville Brandon: Another versatile performer who shined in various events, Iceberg was better at the sprints. A senior in his fourth varsity campaign, Iceberg was the Flint Metro League champion in the 100 free and also placed 31^st at the Division 2 state meet (49.78) and 36^th at the all-division MISCA meet. In the 50 free, he was the FML champion and touched 21^st at the state finals (22.33). At the Genesee Area meet, he won the 50 free and placed second in the 100 butterfly.

500 FREE: JACOB CARL, Rochester: Carl came into high school three years ago with high expectations and has lived up to them, placing in the state meet three times with a year of eligibility to go. In his best event, the 500 free, Carl was the county meet champion by a sizeable margin and placed third at the Division 1 state finals (4:38.30). He also placed second at the OAA White Division meet in the 50 free (22.59), while he was fourth at the league, second at the MISCA and 19^th at the state in the 200 free. Additionally, he was league runner-up in the 100 free and placed fourth at the MISCA (47.72), showcasing his versatile ability for long and short races.

200 FREE RELAY: ZACH DIENER-DREW NOWICKI-STEVEN ABRAMCZYK-JACOB LINDQUIST, Lake Orion: Made up of seniors Abramczyk and Lindquist and juniors Nowicki and Diener, this foursome reached the top 10 at three large meets this season. They were fourth at the OAA Red Division league meet, 10^th at the county and eighth at the Division 1 state finals. Their best effort came in the prelims at the state finals (1:27.79).

100 BACKSTROKE: ROHAN TANGRI, Troy: Tangri fits the mold of this first-team unit, which is versatility. The senior totaled between three open events and three relays this season and finished in the top 25 each time. In the 100 backstroke, he was second at the OAA Red Division league meet, fourth at the county, seventh at the MISCA meet and eighth at the Division 1 state finals (53.82). In the 100 free, he was 14^th at the county, 18^th at the MISCA and 21^st at state (48.65), while he also touched sixth at the league meet in the 100 free (49.74). Tangri is also found on the first team as part of two relays.

100 BREASTSTROKE: JACOB LINDQUIST, Lake Orion: Lindquist competed in three events at the state meet and it was his specialty that allowed him to reach the state podium this season. The senior, who was the OAA Red Division and county champion in the 100 breaststroke, finished second at the Division 1 state finals in the same event (56.89). He also set the school and OAA records in the breaststroke this season. A four-year varsity veteran, Lindquist was also ninth at the league and 21^st at the county in the 100 free and rotated between the three relays this season.

AT-LARGE: JARRED BUTLER, Oxford: This junior has helped put the Wildcats on the map of respectability in just three short years, leading his team to its first league title and best finishes at the county and state meets this past season. Already setting school records in several events, Butler was the OAA Blue Division champion in the 200 free and placed 25^th at the Division 2 state meet (1:34.48) and 29^th at the county in the same event. In the 500 free, he was league champ, finished 13^th at the county and 10^th at the state finals (4:49.36). Over in the 200 free, Butler was first at the league, seventh at the county and seventh at the state meet (1:44.07), becoming the Wildcats’ highest finisher at the state meet. As part of the Wildcats’ 400 free relay, he aided the group to a league title and 19^th place at both the county and state finals (3:25.58).

AT-LARGE: ZACHARY CHEN, Troy: The sole freshman to earn first-team status, Chen was impressive in his debut campaign and is slated for a big career with the Colts. In the 500 free, Chen was third at the OAA Red Division league meet, placed seventh at the county and 20th at the state finals (4:48.04). In the 200 IM, Chen swam third at the league, while claiming eighth at the county and ninth at the state finals (1:57.18).

400 FREE RELAY: MILES MCDONALD-ROHAN TANGRI-ZACHARY CHEN-TROY CHEN, Troy: This unit shined at all of the big meets this season. They were second at the OAA Red Division league meet, second at the county, fourth at the MISCA and seventh at the D-1 state finals. Their best time of the year came during the prelims at the state finals (3:12.75).

COACH OF THE YEAR

JACKIE RANK, Oxford: The Wildcats just finished their fourth season overall and third as a varsity program and the Wildcats have ventured great lengths to make themselves a respectable program in just a short time frame. Guided by former Rochester Adams standout Jackie Rank, Oxford finished 7-0 in duals, including 6-0 inside the OAA Blue Division. Oxford finished in second at the OAA Blue Division meet with 442.5 points, just 1.5 points behind Auburn Hills Avondale and wound up sharing the league crown with the Yellowjackets. It marked Oxford’s first league title in boys swimming and diving. Oxford also finished 20^th at the Oakland County meet (16 points) and 20^th at the Division 2 state meet (19 points), both which are the highest the program has placed at those events.

2012 ALL-NORTH OAKLAND AREA BOYS SWIMMING TEAM

FIRST TEAM

200 Medley Relay:  Troy Chen          Troy

200 Medley Relay:  Zachary Chen       Troy

200 Medley Relay:  Rohan Tangri       Troy

200 Medley Relay:  Miles McDonald     Troy

200 Free:          Zach Diener        Lake Orion

200 IM:            Troy Chen          Troy

50 Free:           Steven Nelson      Clarkston

Diving:            Joe Zendejas       Clarkston

100 Butterfly:     Miles McDonald     Troy

100 Free:          Jacob Iceberg      Ortonville Brandon

500 Free:          Jacob Carl         Rochester

200 Free Relay:    Zach Diener        Lake Orion

200 Free Relay:    Drew Nowicki       Lake Orion

200 Free Relay:    Steven Ambramczyk  Lake Orion

200 Free Relay:    Jacob Lindquist    Lake Orion

100 Backstroke:    Rohan Tangri       Troy

100 Breaststroke:  Jacob Lindquist    Lake Orion

At-Large:          Jarred Butler      Oxford

At-Large:          Zachary Chen       Troy

400 Free Relay:    Miles McDonald     Troy

400 Free Relay:    Rohan Tangri       Troy

400 Free Relay:    Zachary Chen       Troy

400 Free Relay:    Troy Chen          Troy

COACH OF THE YEAR

Jackie Rank        Oxford             Third Season

SECOND TEAM

200 Medley Relay: Lake Orion (DJ Seeds, soph.; Jacob Lindquist, sr.; 
Will Cavender, sr.; Devon Nowicki, fr.); 200 Free: Justin Gray, Auburn 
Hills Avondale jr.; 200 IM: Alex Yu, Rochester Stoney Creek sr.; 50 
Free: Eric Misteravich, Clarkston jr.;  Diving: Brad Horvath, Lake Orion 
sr.; 100 Butterfly: Zach Rabideau, Clarkston sr.;  100 Free: Jeffrey 
Cheng, Rochester Adams sr.; 500 Free: Brien Moffitt, Rochester jr.;
200 Free Relay: Clarkston (Zach Rabideau, sr.; Patrick Bemis, sr.; 
Steve Nelson, sr.; Eric Miskavich, jr.); 100 Backstroke: DJ seeds, 
Lake Orion soph.; 100 Breaststroke: Thomas Nowinski, Auburn Hills 
Avondale jr.; 400 Free Relay: Lake Orion (Zach Diener, jr.; Steven 
Abramczyk, sr.; Devon Nowicki, fr.; Jacob Lindquist, sr.).

HONORABLE MENTIONS

200 Medley Relay: Clarkston (Steven Nelson, sr.; Isaac Young, sr.; Zach 
Rabideau, sr.; Eric Misteravich, jr.); Auburn Hills Avondale (Neil Damani,
sr.; Justin Gray, jr.; Thomas Nowicki, jr.; Kevin Yang, jr.); Rochester 
Adams (Cameron Clark, sr.; Brad Hassberger, sr.; Frankie Riviera, jr.;
Jeffrey Cheng, sr.); 200 Free: Devon Nowicki, Lake Orion fr.; Chris 
Charters, Troy sr.; Chris Marten, Rochester Stoney Creek sr.; Austin 
Kilpatrick, Rochester sr.; Kyle Larson, Rochester Adams jr.; Ryan Schwerin, 
Ortonville Brandon sr.; Brien Moffitt, Rochester jr.; Kyle Inch, 
Clarkston sr.; Aaron DeHaven, Holly jr.; 200 IM: Brad Hassberger, 
Rochester Adams sr.; Brien Moffitt,Rochester jr.; Colin Berta, Rochester
jr.; Jeffrey Cheng, Rochester Adams sr.; Christian Nault, Auburn Hills
Avondale soph.; Erick Vandecar, Oxford soph.; Garret Pinagel, Holly soph.;
Brad Hassberger, Rochester Adams sr.; Will Cavender, Lake Orion sr.; DJ
Seeds, Lake Orion soph.; Landon Holloway, Clarkston jr.; Isaac Young,
Clarkston sr.; Philip An, Troy soph.; Michael Roeser, Ortonville Brandon
jr.; 50 Free: Kevin Yang, Auburn Hills Avondale jr.; Joey Tasch, Oxford
sr.; Eric Heinrich, Rochester Stoney Creek jr.; Brandon Nowicki, Lake 
Orion jr.; Jeffrey Cheng, Rochester Adams sr.; Chris Charters, Troy sr.;
Diving: Charlie Mauer, Lake Orion sr.; Bobby Mrozinski, Rochester Adams
sr.; Nick Ludwig, Lake Orion jr.; Matt Criswell, Troy soph.; Jake Selak,
Ortonville Brandon sr.; Ray Renaud, Rochester sr.; Peyton Molzahn, Holly
jr.; Corey Smith, Troy Athens jr.; 100 Butterfly: Will Cavender, Lake Orion 
sr.; Alex Yu, Rochester Stoney Creek sr.; Justin Gray, Auburn Hills 
Avondale jr.; Tim Bajorek, Auburn Hills Avondale sr.; Aaron DeHaven, 
Holly jr.; Brad Hassberger, Rochester Adams sr.; Dalton Pokley, Clarkston
soph.; Patrick Bemis, Clarkston sr.; 100 Free: Eric Heinrich, Rochester
Stoney Creek jr.; Joey Tasch, Oxford sr.; Kevin Yang, Auburn Hills 
Avondale jr.; Garret Pinagel, Holly soph.; Ryan Schwerin, Ortonville 
Brandon sr.; Kyle Walsh, Rochester Stoney Creek jr.; Chris Charters, 
Troy sr.; Justin Gray, Auburn hills Avondale jr.; Daniel Pecheniuk, Lake
Orion sr.; 500 Free: Kyle Inch, Clarkston sr.; Zachary Chen, Troy fr.;
Austin Kilpatrick, Rochester sr.; Chris Marten, Rochester Stoney Creek sr.;
Ryan Schwerin, Ortonville Brandon sr.; Ben Walling, Rochester Adams fr.; 
Andy Oh, Rochester Adams fr.; Erin Eckhout, Troy jr.; Cheyne Stresky,
Oxford fr.; 200 Free Relay: Troy (Chris Charters, sr.; Jonathan Engle, jr.;
Kunal Tangri, fr.; Erin Eckhout, jr.); Ortonville Brandon (Jacob Iceberg,
sr.; Ryan Schwerin, sr.; Anthony Gorney, sr.; Tevin Wright, jr.); Oxford
(Joey Tasch, sr.; Erick Vandecar, soph.; Blake Hibdon, soph.; Jarred 
Butler, jr.); Rochester Adams (Frankie Riviera, jr.; Daniel Carniak, soph.;
Ben Walling, fr.; Kyle Larson, jr.); Rochester (Jacob Carl, jr.; Brien 
Moffett, jr.; Evan Theodoracatos, sr.; Colin Berta, jr.); Auburn Hills
Avondale (Kevin Yang, jr.; Christian Nault, soph.; Ryan Petersen, jr.;
Justin Gray, jr.;  100 Backstroke: Landon Halloway, Clarkston jr.; 
Cameron Clark, Rochester Adams sr.; Aaron DeHaven, Holly jr.; Frankie 
Riviera, Rochester Adams jr.; Kyle Larson, Rochester Adams jr.; Peyton
Molzahn, Holly fr.; Alex Palmer, Lake Orion sr.; Ryan Geisler, Clarkston
soph.; 100 Breaststroke: Isaac Young, Clarkston sr.; Colin Berta,
Rochester jr.; Danny Olthof, Rochester Stoney Creek fr.; Nikhil Rao,
Rochester soph.; Kyle Walsh, Rochester Stoney Creek jr.; Craig Matola, 
Lake Orion soph.; Danny O’Donovan, Troy sr.; Austin Lozter, Ortonville
Brandon sr.; 400 Free Relay: Clarkston (Zach Rabideau, sr.; Steve Nelson, 
sr.; Eric Misteravich, jr.; Kyle Inch, sr.); Rochester Adams (Jeffrey
Cheng, sr.; Kyle Larson, jr.; Ben Walling, fr.; Brad Hassberger, sr.);
Ortonville Brandon (Jacob Iceberg, sr.; Michael Roeser, jr.; Tevin Wright,
jr.; Ryan Schwerin, sr.); Oxford (Joey Tasch, sr.; Erick Vandecar, soph.;
Blake Hibdon, soph.; Jarred Butler, jr.); Rochester Stoney Creek (Chris 
Marten, sr.; Eric Heinrich, jr.; Alex Yu, sr.; Kyle Walsh, jr.); Rochester
(Brien Moffitt, jr.; Austin Kilpatrick, sr.; Colin Berta, jr.; Jacob 
Carl, jr.).

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