Farmington Hills Mercy swim team completes state title three-peat

YPSILANTI/FARMINGTON HILLS — Farmington Hills Mercy High School won the MHSAA Division 2 girls swimming state title Nov 22 at Eastern Michigan University — its third consecutive state title.

This year’s win was by the slimmest of margins. Mercy ended the meet with 337 points while Grosse Pointe South finished with 335. Grosse Pointe South has now been runner-up to Mercy in back-to-back seasons.

“All of my coaches and I pay a lot of attention to what goes on in the state. We knew last year that Grosse Pointe South was going to be a team to contend with,” said Farmington Hills Mercy head coach Michael Venos said. “They have some of the most elite swimmers in the state. … We knew we were looking up at them.”

The mindset for Mercy was the opposite of what some may expect. Rather than focusing on what the team had to do to beat Grosse Pointe South, the girls instead didn’t focus on any team other than Mercy.

“What we try and do, quite honestly, is to keep the girls focused on themselves,” Venos explained. “The more that they were going to worry about Grosse Pointe South, I think the less successful we were going to be this season.”

This mindset directly led to the team’s success during the state meet. In a close race for first, Mercy swimmers simply focused on their next race and left the scoreboard watching to the fans and parents.

“They were more focused on themselves and didn’t even really watch the scoreboard. They just let things unfold,” Venos said. “The beautiful thing about swimming is you don’t have to beat people to see your success. … The girls were swimming in their own lane.”

The team certainly did that at states, as Mercy received fantastic production from the top swimmers on the roster. Sophomore Ella Hafner, junior Campbell Shore, freshman Lyla Collins and junior Avery Tack made up a relay team that finished in first place in the 400-yard event. The four also were consistently at the top of their individual events all tournament, as well.

“We all stepped up and did what we needed to do. Lyla Collins … having that be her first state meet, she really did amazing,” Avery Tack said. “Not just the four of us, but everyone on the team played their role and did what they needed to do.”

The Mercy junior class is in a unique position, as they head into their senior year having won a state title in every year of their high school career so far.

“I think we’ve just gotten stronger as a program and continue to build our legacy,” Tack said. “This year specifically, I think that everyone pushed each other to the next level. That’s been a really unique experience, and I’m really grateful to be a part of that.”

Mercy has always been a premier swimming program in the state; however, there was a short period after the team moved from Division 1 to Division 2 where the team wasn’t seeing its usual success. Now, with three consecutive titles, Mercy is reestablished as one of the best teams in Michigan.

“It’s swimming for the Mercy on your cap — all the girls that have come before you and the responsibility you have to step up for the girls that are going to come after,” Venos said. “They understand the program that they are a part of. And they get strength from that. … They know the responsibility they have.”

This is the 14th girls swimming state title in Farmington Hills Mercy history. The team has three-peated twice prior and four-peated from 2007-10 under Shannon Dunworth. Michael Venos has won six titles as the head coach of Mercy, three each at the Division 1 and Division 2 levels.