HOLLAND – For the past quarter of a century, the Holland area has been a hotbed for swimming.
This is not a surprise to people from the area because it has become pretty commonplace to have Olympic Trials qualifiers and state champions on a pretty regular basis for the area.
While those high school teams continue to reload every year, many head to the college ranks. Every year the area sends a handful, many to NCAA Division I programs.
But the number of swimmers and divers who have competed at the NCAA Division I level since 2001 is absolutely stunning – even for someone who knows how great the sport is in the area year after year.
Since 2001, including current high schoolers Madison Ensing and Camryn Siegers, who committed this year – there have been 110 – YES ONE HUNDRED AND TEN – swimmers and divers reach the NCAA Division I ranks in the past 25 years.
That is almost five athletes per year on average (4.4 to be exact), which is simply stunning. Four Division I athletes from any area in a year is great, let alone every year for a quarter century – just in one sport.
Before we get to the list of athletes, lets look at what goes into this kind of success.
Coaches make a difference
The biggest reason for the overall success is the coaching we have had in the area.
When the century started, Mike Torrey at Zeeland, Tom Nienhuis at West Ottawa, Jon Shears and Don Kimble at Holland and Todd Smeenge at Holland Christian – all who have been a part of state championship teams.
After their retirements, Steve Bowyer at West Ottawa, Lisa Myrick at Holland Christian, Dan Kimble at Holland and Matt Ray, Marc VanSoest and Drew Scheerhorn at Zeeland have picked up the reins and Eric Talsma started the Hamilton program nearly 20 years ago and led the Hawkeyes to a couple of state titles.
Diving has seen legendary coaches like Jane Meyers, Matt Inman, Rich Klaasen, Steve VandeWege and Diane Riemersma.
Every school has won at least one state championship in the past 25 years and we have had at least one individual state championship every single year.
It should be stated that some of the success is because of the success of the clubs in the area.
Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics, West Michigan Swimmers in Zeeland and the West Ottawa Swim Club have coached star swimmers year round.
Don Kimble built a powerhouse club at MLA that has sent a few dozen swimmers to the U.S. Olympic Trials. When he left, Jim Whitehead and Ian Townsend kept the program going with more stars from West Michigan coming to Holland to train, which just makes everyone better.
The facilities
While the coaching has been great, the rise of facilities has helped as well.
The Holland Aquatic Center has revamped and expanded several times and has hosted state championship meets and even the NCAA Division III national championship meet. Holland and Holland Christian swim there.
Zeeland has built a state-of-the-art facility a few years ago and it has been a great success.
West Ottawa will be adding a 50-meter pool as well after a recent bond passed.
Great pools make kids want to swim.
The talent pool
Of course there has to be some talent, too.
Swimmers have been showing that talent from young ages for decades and youth coaches like Diana Simmons have been developing that talent.
Kids have success and have fun swimming and it is contagious.
The younger kids have watched the older kids win state championships and go to U.S. Nationals or the NCAA Championships or the Olympic Trials.
Chris DeJong was less than a second away from making the U.S. Olympic team in 2004.
Nearly 20 years later, Derek Maas was the Elite 90 winner at the NCAA Division I Championships, the top student-athlete of the meet, then went to medical school and in his last year of eligibility swam for NYU in Division III and won a national championship.
In between there have been dozens of state champions and NCAA Division I athletes.
The Division I athletes
NOTE: There is a good chance I missed some people in researching this. The Sentinel online archives only go back so far and are unfortunately incomplete. So please let me know if anyone needs to be added.
Holland area in the Big Ten
The University of Michigan has seen several waves of talent from the area.
DeJong (Holland) was the first, an All-American in the backstroke and captain for the Wolverines. He reached multiple Olympic Trials and was a national finalist and NCAA finalist.
Following him to Michigan were his brother Adam DeJong (Holland), Grant Burtch (Holland), Spencer Carl (West Ottawa), Ian Miskelley (Black River/Holland Christian), Caroline Sisson (West Ottawa), David Moore (Holland), Dani VanderZwaag (West Ottawa), Sarah Kamstra (Zeeland), Colin DeShaw (West Ottawa), Drew Coffin (Zeeland) and Taylor Garcia (Holland), who started at Arizona before transferring to the Wolverines to earn All-American honors.
Garcia is the all-time state leader in state championships – in any sport – with 17 overall including team titles.
Michigan State, which has unfortunately shuttered its program, had several local talents, led by two-time breaststroke state champion Shelby Lacy (West Ottawa), who set the Spartans school record in the 100 breaststroke while she was there.
Joining Lacy were Betsy DeJonge (Zeeland), Julian Barrios (West Ottawa), Kevin Mills (Zeeland), Ashley Borgman (Zeeland) and Josh Geschwendt (Zeeland).
Purdue has enjoyed plenty of talent, too, led by 50 freestyle state champion Lisa Butler of Holland, who earned multiple All-American honors with the Boilermakers. Leah Ritsema (Zeeland), Anna Giesler (Holland) and Khadin Soto (West Ottawa) also swam for Purdue.
Iowa had Holland state champion Thomas Rathbun and fellow Holland graduate Brian Tremml.
Ohio State had Zeeland state champion Jeremy Sall.
Other Power Fives
Holland state champion Courtney Bartholomew is still one of only three high school female swimmers to break 52 seconds in the 100-yard backstroke. She went on to swim for the University of Virginia and earned a plethora of All-American honors.
Bartholomew made the U.S. National team and swam for Team USA in the Duel in the Pool, where she broke the American record in the 100 backstroke (short-course meters), and was part of the U.S. world record medley relay – yes, a world record.
Emily Bos was three years ahead of Bartholomew and swam at Auburn after winning multiple state championships. Bos was an All-American every year for the Tigers and competed around the world as a Team USA and Junior Team member.
Eric Solis of Holland has the most state championships of any male swimmer in area history and went on to swim at Florida before transferring to Arizona.
Clemson had Holland’s Jenna Burtch in the 1990s, but in this century had West Ottawa state champion Drew Scheerhorn and Zeeland sprinting sensation Bethany Meeuwsen.
Then there is the Alabama contingent. Kyle Maas (West Ottawa) started there and was followed by Derek Maas (West Ottawa), Riley VanMeter (Holland Christian), Kasia Norman (Black River) and several other MLA club swimmers from West Michigan.
Notre Dame had West Ottawa state champion diver Natalie Stitt, who was an NCAA qualifier, and All-American sprinter Tabahn Afrik (West Ottawa).
West Virginia has had Zeeland All-American Morgan Bullock as well as elite divers Hailey Vande Poel (West Ottawa) and Julia Calcut (Zeeland).
Zeeland’s Clay Youngquist, a national finalist, U.S. National Team member and finalist at the Olympic Trials, swam for Texas, helping the Longhorns to an NCAA Championship.
Other Power Fives included Elle Giesler (Holland) at NC State, Morgan Kollen (Zeeland) at Oregon State, Ashley Backus (West Ottawa) at Butler, Matt DeNave (West Ottawa) at Boston College. Owen Stevens (Zeeland) currently swims for Louisville.
Around the country
Harvard had three-time backstroke state champion Jordan Diekema of Zeeland, who was an Ivy League champion.
Chris Jordan (West Ottawa) was also in the Ivy League at Villanova.
Casey Woudenberg and Peter Woudenberg went to Army.
Bowling Green had Sarah Reinink (Holland), Jordan Bullock (Zeeland), Sarah Parker (West Ottawa), Anna Babinec (West Ottawa), Rayah Blood (Hamilton) and Lourdes Manderfield (Holland).
Sister Jillena and Janise Everest swam at Illinois State, while sisters Colleen and Jacklyn Vande Poel swam at Old Dominion.
Xavier saw Holland’s Randi Windemuller and Gage Mitchell.
Liberty had Holland Christian state champion Ashlee Sall and Zeeland’s Rachel Hoeve.
Youngstown State had West Ottawa’s Julia Darling and Leigh Bareman.
Other out-of-state Division I swimmers and divers were Jessica Elzinga (West Ottawa) at Ball State, Caroline Meyer (Holland) at Ohio University, Connor Bos (Holland) at Gardner Webb, Lilly Brandt (West Ottawa) at IUPUI, Kalyna Pyk (West Ottawa) at Toledo, Annelies Real (West Ottawa) at Valparaiso, Tai Afrik (West Ottawa) at Howard, Anna Battistello (West Ottawa) at Georgia Southern, Jonathan Kollen (Zeeland) at UW-Milwaukee and Sam Nykamp (Holland Christian) at Canisius. Ayvah Johnson (Hamilton) now swims for Queens in North Carolina.
In-state success
Several swimmers remained in Michigan at Division I programs.
Eastern Michigan has had Hamilton state champion Stephanie Johnston (Hamilton), Chris Meyers (West Ottawa), Katie Dykema (West Ottawa), Tyler Keelean (Zeeland) and Kyle Davis (West Ottawa).
Oakland University has by far the largest list of swimmers and divers from the area, including Jade Evink (Hamilton), Jordan Moses (Hamilton), Holly Morren (Holland), Jeremiah Morren (Holland), Sarah Ludema (Zeeland), Emily Ludema (Zeeland), Melissa VanderMeulen (Holland), Cassie Misiewicz (Holland), JulieAnne Stears (Zeeland), Ashley Bronkema (Zeeland), Micah DeJonge (Zeeland), Philip DeJonge (Zeeland), Sam Smith (West Ottawa), Rileigh Eding (Hamilton), Anthony Sall (Zeeland), Colby Haan (Holland Christian), Reilly VanDyke (West Ottawa), Evan Kobes (Holland), Missy Butcher (West Ottawa), Mike Ledesma (West Ottawa), Jenna Maas (West Ottawa), Alyssa Ruhf (Holland), Brendon Ray (Holland), Jordan Welling (West Ottawa), Nicole Cordero (Holland), Gabe Trevino (Zeeland) and Nicole Ensing (Zeeland).
And more …
While 110 is a stunning number, that doesn’t include all of the Division II, III and NAIA swimmers from the area, including swimmers like Haley Thompson, who won a state title at Holland then led the Savannah College of Art & Design win the NAIA national title.
Or Hope, Calvin and Grand Valley All-Americans like Justin Barkel (Zeeland), Brittaney Reest (West Ottawa) and many more.
There have been about as many lower-level college swimmers from the area, meaning the area has put about 250 swimmers into the college ranks in 25 years – 10 a year.
And with two Division I commits already, and more headed that direction soon, the trend isn’t going anywhere.
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: How Holland area has sent 110 swimmers, divers to NCAA Division I teams across the country
Reporting by Dan D’Addona, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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