Farmington Hills Mercy scored 336 points at Kettering High School to win its fourth straight Oakland County girls swimming title. Marian and Rochester made their strongest push in the relay events.
The final standings put Farmington Hills Mercy on top with 336 points at Kettering High School in Waterford. Bloomfield Hills Marian finished second with 207 points. Rochester took third with 176.5.
The meet added another major high school sports result for the City of Farmington Hills. Mercy's private program remains one of the county's strongest. The event took place in Waterford, and the broader county competition was documented in the Oakland County administration's regional community.
Mercy's seniors carried much of the meet. The younger swimmers also made their mark. The Marlins won the final event, the 400 freestyle relay, in 3:35.01. Senior Avery Tack, junior Ella Hafner, sophomore Lyla Collins and freshman Claire Tomasek made up the winning team.
Rochester finished second in that relay at 3:38.71. Bloomfield Hills was third in 3:40.69. Mercy's time beat the pre-meet mark listed for the favored relay group and gave the defending champion a strong finish.
That was not all.
Mercy also showed that it can replace graduating leaders and stay at the top. A county performance leaderboard had listed Mercy at 3:32.75 in the 400 freestyle relay. That was the fastest Oakland County time through Sept. 30.
Mercy's senior class delivers
Tack gave Mercy an early win in the 200 freestyle. She touched in 1:51.66, ahead of Stoney Creek's Jiyun Woo and Gabi Tyankova. She later finished second in the 100 freestyle behind Detroit Country Day's Quinn Norlander.
Shore won the 50 freestyle by a narrow margin. Her time was 24.01 seconds, just ahead of fellow Mercy senior Leah Greaves. Shore also took second in the 100 freestyle. She described the result as especially meaningful after changing her approach during her final season.
Shore, Greaves, Emilia Coccia and Tack are all seniors and captains. They joined Mercy as freshmen and knew the team had a long county run behind it. Their final county championship together added another season to that record. Shore's individual results also reflected a more relaxed mindset after a difficult junior year.
Greaves added a second-place finish in the 100 butterfly. Bloomfield Hills' Kailey Bachmann won in 55.81 seconds. Norlander set a county record in the 100 backstroke with a time of 54.90. Before the meet, Norlander had led the county rankings in that event with a listed time of 56.82. Tack and Collins were also among the county's top 10 performers in the 100 freestyle.
Relays reshape the standings
Marian finished second with 207 points after winning the opening 200 medley relay in 1:47.77. Juniors Malin Murphey, Catherine Howe and Cece Grace joined sophomore Lila Solomon on the winning team. Marian's third- and fourth-place relay finishes helped keep the Mustangs behind Mercy in the team race.
The relay results also point to another season for Marian. Senior Stella Glorio was the only senior in the team's 400 freestyle relay group. Howe, Murphey and sophomore Simona Berishaj are set to return next season. Head coach Alex Margherio said the swimmers already know one another well from their work together on last year's state relay team.
Rochester made the meet's biggest relay push without the fastest seed times. Senior Taylor Robinson joined sophomores Michaela Minous, Addy Kosch and Emma Phillips to win the 200 freestyle relay. Rochester also finished second in the 400 freestyle relay and third in the 200 medley relay.
Kosch said the winning relay demanded quick changes during her leg. She had to manage her breathing over the opening 25 yards. Minous closed the gap on the third leg, and Robinson anchored the finish. The swimmers were also chasing a school record. Teammates and coach Aaron Helander kept the group energized.
Rochester kept climbing.
County results
Rochester's relay results lifted the Falcons to third overall with 176.5 points. Birmingham Seaholm finished fourth with 144.5 points. Birmingham Groves was fifth with 131.
The remaining team scores were Detroit Country Day with 123 points, Stoney Creek with 121.5, Royal Oak with 121, Bloomfield Hills with 119.5, West Bloomfield with 119, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood with 105, South Lyon East and Novi tied with 94, Lake Orion with 74, Walled Lake Northern with 65, Berkley with 56, Walled Lake Central with 48, Huron Valley United with 34, North Farmington with 28, Oxford with 26, Troy with 23, Rochester Adams with 21, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and South Lyon tied with 17, Farmington with 15, Clarkston with 5 and Madison Heights Bishop Foley with 4.
Mercy's next test
Mercy coach Michael Venos used the county meet to measure the team's training at midseason. He said the freshmen handled the demands of a championship meet. Mercy also put freshmen Tomasek and Vivi LaBarge in the opening 200 medley relay. That team finished fourth.
The pre-meet outlook made Mercy the favorite in part because its 400 freestyle relay had been one of the strongest in the state. Tack, Campbell Shore, Hafner and Collins had posted a reported time of 3:40.48. The relay held the No. 2 state ranking at that point in the season.
The 400 freestyle relay win showed the team's next direction. The reigning champion is already putting younger swimmers into decisive races. Marian's depth and Rochester's relay work kept the meet from becoming a one-team event. Mercy still finished with 336 points and won the closing relay. The championship program remains tied to its Farmington Hills home, as noted by the City of Farmington Hills.
The latest independent reporting found no post-meet protests, official rulings or disqualifications. The published team scores and event results remain the confirmed outcome.
