BATTLE CREEK – Harper Creek knocked on the door last year. This year, the Beavers knocked the door down.
After coming close a year ago, Harper Creek finally broke through to win the annual All-City Girls Swimming and Diving Meet.
Harper Creek finished first at the 43rd annual All-City Girls Swimming and Diving Meet at Battle Creek Central High School on Saturday, Sept. 13. The Beavers held off Lakeview in the final event to end the Spartans’ seven-season streak of championships.
It was the first All-City Meet championship for Harper Creek since 2017.
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“This feels very good that we finally beat Lakeview. This has been one of our goals since I first started swimming in high school. So I am very happy about it,” Harper Creek sophomore Ella Laupp said. “At first, I thought it wasn’t going to happen. But in the final couple of events we were able to hold on. I was in the last event and it felt so, so good that we were able to win that and get the points we needed to win this. It is so, so awesome.”
Harper Creek had 513 team points to take first, edging Lakeview with 500, in one of closest All-City events in recent history. Battle Creek Central was third.
Last year, Lakeview edged Harper Creek, 530-500.
Harper Creek held a slim seven-point lead heading in the final event – the 400 meter relay. Laupp and her Beaver teammates Megan Cook, Callie Slayton and Myla Slayton finished first in a time of 3:53.6 to clinch the championship.
“This feels great. The girls have been working hard. Not sure it was going to be this close, but Lakeview swam really hard and put up a fight. Our kids pulled it out in the end and really got it done when they needed to,” Harper Creek coach Chad Wager said.
Harper Creek only won four of the events, but took enough places to rack up the points.
“It took everyone on our team to win the meet. It wasn’t just one or two swimmers. We had the depth to take those third, fourth and fifth finishes and that was the difference today,” Wager said.
To go along with her relay victory, Laupp had two individual championships, winning the 200 IM in a time of 2:19.6, and taking first in the 100 butterfly in 1:03.53.
The only other first place for the Beavers was by Myla Slayton, who won the 100 backstroke in 1:09.12.
Lakeview’s Raegan Magnus had two individual first places, winning the 50 freestyle in 25.25 and and winning the 100 freestyle in 55.28.
The Spartans’ Payton Werner also took two firsts as an individual, winning the 200 freestyle (2:04.28) and the 500 freestyle (5:34.73). Lakeview’s Josephine Pawlowicz won the 100 breaststroke in 1:12.88. Lakeview diver Keira Byrd took first with 177.75 points.
Lakeview won the other two relay events as well. The Spartans took first in the 200 medley relay with the team of Adia Wielenga, Pawlowicz, Magnus and Schuemann in a time of 1:58.94. Lakeview won the 200 freestyle relay with the team of Pawlowicz, Schuemann, Werner and Magnus in a time of 1:47.55.
Brynn Hall had a good day for Battle Creek Central, taking third in the 500 freestyle and fifth in the 200 IM.
Bill Broderick can be reached at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on X/Twitter: @billbroderick.
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Harper Creek girls win first All-City swim championship since 2017
Reporting by Bill Broderick, Battle Creek Enquirer / Battle Creek Enquirer
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