From left, Grosse Pointe Shores Mayor Ted Kedzierski reads a proclamation for the champion Sharks swim team as Coach Ben Van Vechten and team members Kennedy Hasting and Cailey Hard — both of whom are seniors who’ll graduate in 2026 — listen.
By: K. Michelle Moran | Grosse Pointe Times | Published September 3, 2025
GROSSE POINTE SHORES — One could say the Grosse Pointe Shores Sharks swim team took a bite out of the competition this year.
The 93-member Sharks beat out their closest competitor — last year’s champs, the Grosse Pointe Woods Warriors, with roughly 220 swimmers — to surge to victory in the Lakefront Swimming Association finals July 23.
It marked the first time the Shores team has ever won it all in the history of the Lakefront Swimming Association, which has been in existence since at least 1964. The association consists of teams from all five Grosse Pointes and St. Clair Shores, who compete against each other in meets throughout the summer.
In honor of their victory, the team was recognized with a proclamation from the mayor during an Aug. 19 Shores City Council meeting.
“This is a historic event,” Mayor Ted Kedzierski said. “It’s such an accomplishment for us being the smallest of the cities (in the Lakefront Swimming Association).”
This was the first season the team was coached by Ben Van Vechten, who swam for St. Clair Shores as a youth and is also the coach of the Grosse Pointe Gators travel swim team.
Van Vechten acknowledged that it couldn’t have happened without the assistance of the parents and people like Shores Pool Supervisor Jen Serra, as well as the dedication of the swim team members.
“Thank you for all of the support,” Van Vechten said. “You made it so easy to just jump in. I’m so proud of all of you.”
Kedzierski concurred.
“It doesn’t just happen. … It takes a team effort,” Kedzierski said.
The Sharks finished about 21 points ahead of the Warriors. They also brought home a record number of six trophies, which included awards for individual team members.
Serra said the Sharks have come close to winning the first-place trophy before, coming in second in 2022 and 2023. Last year, she said, the team came in fourth.
Shores Communications Committee Chair Ted Coutilish prepared two videos in honor of the win, one of which was set to Queen’s classic rock anthem “We Are the Champions.”
“Congratulations to the Sharks on a great season … (and) a historic season,” Coutilish said.
In the video, Van Vechten reflected on the team’s first practice.
“They were ready as a team to work together,” he said.
That’s something he anticipates will continue in future seasons.
“The Sharks are going to keep showing up and they’re going to keep working hard and having fun,” Van Vechten said in the video.