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FARMINGTON — It’s been two years since Farmington swim earned the fourth-place spot at the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 State Finals behind a trio of seniors in Katie Larick, Madeline Greaves and Kristen Fleming.
Now there’s a new set of juniors and sophomores who’ve shown what they can bring to the table and are drawing a lot of excitement heading into the 2023 season after their state finals performance this year.
“The heart of the team is that 10th and 11th grade class,” Farmington swim coach Kyle Kinyon said.
Led by juniors Mackenzie Bushey and Emme D’Errico, Farmington earned 10th at the MHSAA Division 2 Swimming Finals Nov. 19 at Calvin University. Farmington finished ninth at the 2021 state finals.
Bushey, who finished seventh in the 100-yard breaststroke at the 2021 state finals, set a new school record in the 100-yard breaststroke this year with a 1:04:13 time, finishing in second for the event. Bushey also finished seventh in the 200-yard individual medley, matching her 2021 state finals placement in the event.
D’Errico found success of her own with an eighth-place finish in the 100-yard fly and also teamed up with Bushey, sophomore Annika Cho and sophomore Sydney Visser to earn fifth in the 200-yard medley relay.
“Even though somebody like Mackenzie (Bushey) went to the state meet and had personal bests, you can tell she’s still hungry for more. It’s the same thing for Emmie,” Kinyon said.
Farmington had an impressive showing at the Oakland Activities Association-Red league meet on Nov. 4, earning third place.
Bushey led all Farmington scorers at the league meet with 10 points, which was courtesy of a first-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke and a second-place effort in the 200-yard freestyle, good for fourth-place in total points at the event.
Cho added an eighth-place finish in points at the event, earning second in the 100-yard breaststroke and third in the 200-yard individual medley. D’Errico added a second-place finish in the 100-yard fly, while Visser tallied a third-place finish in the 50-yard free.
Among the soon-to-be senior graduates for Farmington are Maddox Howell, Madelyn Peura and Ava Martin.
Peura was unable to finish her senior season at state finals due to an injury she sustained in October of this year, but Kinyon said she made a significant impact at the state finals on the sidelines.
“Talk about perseverance. This kid is just the heart of the team,” Kinyon said.
Maddox was a consistent contributor as both a swimmer and a leader this season, and Kinyon said she’ll be a tough departure as a team captain alongside Martin.
“She really just works that distance stuff every day, and in addition to training hard, she just makes sure everyone is included,” Kinyon said. “As a senior captain, she’ll be missed.”
Bushey and D’Errico will look to fill the void of the departing senior class, while Cho and Visser will return to headline the experienced junior group.
There’s a lot to be excited about for Farmington swim, and it starts with the next 2024 senior class.
“Our senior leadership has done that in their time throughout the program,” Kinyon said. “It’s one thing for me to tell these freshmen, ‘Hey, this is what you need to do and this is the process,’ but it’s another thing for our seniors who have done it to show them what’s expected. It speaks volumes.”
