Area swimmers qualify for Junior Olympics and State Championships.

By Tracy Darrow

Hartland area swimmers recently qualified for the upcoming Junior Olympic and State Championship swim meets at the Arctic Blast meet, a USA Swimming sanctioned meet, hosted by the South Lyon Aquatics swim team at South Lyon East High School.

Kirsten and Dana Stroven, Teddy and Mia Keranen, Ryan Geheb and Dominick Van Ess all joined the newly formed USA Swimming South Lyon Aquatics team this past year and their training is paying off.

Hartland High School sister act Kirsten and Dana dominate in the pool. They swam identical State qualifying times for the 200 yard breaststroke (2:35.87) and nearly identical Junior Olympic (JO) times in the 100 breast (1:09.5 and 1:09.0, respectively). They both also qualified for JOs in the 500 free (5:40.12 and 5:43.25, respectively). Kirsten, a junior, also earned JO cuts in the 50, 100 and 200 free (27.34, 58.94, 2:25.6) and 200 individual medley (IM) (2:25.60).  Dana, a freshman, also qualified for JOs in the 200 fly (2:36.45).

Ore Creek Middle Schooler Ryan Geheb earned a State qualifying time in the 200 IM (2:16.35) and JO slots in the 100 backstroke (1:04.72) and 200 breast (2:29.54).

Teddy Keranen and Dominick Van Ess, both Farms Intermediate School students, earned JO cuts in a number of events. Keranen earned the right to compete in the 50, 100 and 200 free (28.87, 1:05.14, 2:27.11), 50 and 100 back (36.3, 1:16.47) and 100 and 200 IM (1:18.46, 2:45.63). Van Ess qualified in the in 50 back (36.50).

Nine year old, Village Elementary student Mia Keranen will catch up to her big brother soon qualifying for States in the 50 free (31.11) and JOs in the 100 free (1:10.26), 100 back (1:20.8), 100 fly (1:31.74) and 200 IM (2:59.25).

Swimmers with qualifying times from around the state will meet to compete at the Junior Olympics March 2-4 in East Lansing, the12 & Under State Championships  March 9 – 11 in Lake Orion and the 13 & Older State Championships March 16 -18 in Zeeland.