West Ottawa leads All-Area water stars with state meet show
West Ottawa senior Tai finished eighth in the D1 200 free at 1 43 25 and 13th in the 100 butterfly at 51 92. Holland Christian junior Blake placed fourth in the D3 100 fly at 51 26 and 10th in the 50 free at 22 07. Hamilton senior Alex placed sixth in the D1 200 free at 1 42 89 and 14th in the 500 free at 4 49 96.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
West Ottawa
Tai
Steve Bowyer
Blake
Todd Smeenge
Hamilton
Junior Water Works
Eric Talsma
Alex
Sprinters Shine At State Meet With Freshman Depth and Leadership
Zeeland Freshman Julian Holland moved from California and posted 50 free 21.64 and 18th in 100 free 48.35, while 21st in 100 back 54.87 and 23rd in 100 free 48.71. Marc Van Soest placed seventh in 500 free 4:44.85 and 14th in 200 free 1:44.58, with Coach praising his freshman season and all state honors. Joey Chrissecond earned second in 200 free 1:42.40 and fourth in 500 free 4:41.79 at D3 state, with a coach noting his work ethic and humor. Christian Smeenge finished 9th in 200 IM 2:01.48 and 14th in 100 breast 1:02.16, admired for high goals and upside. SMeenge completed 21st at D1 state in 100 back 54.79, with the coach stressing leadership and perseverance through injuries.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hamilton
West Ottawa
Water Works
Holland
California
Julian
Steve Bowyer
Zeeland
Joe
Joey
Todd Smeenge
Christian
Marc van Soest
State swim lineup shows divers and sprinters hitting highs
Grace placed fifth at D3 state in diving while Sam and Josh logged top three finishes in sprints and IM events. Grant and Blake posted top eight in 200 IM and 100 breaststroke with strong state runs. Ethan and a 49.58 100 free at D1 state highlight the team’s depth as captains lead practice and meets.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Holland Sentinel
Holland Christian
Tonya
Vay
Blake Assink
Keshore
James Baer
Isaac Beatty
Zach Boehm
Alex Boersema
Chris
Holland Christia
Andrew Jipping
Julian Carrier
Owen Durham
Joseph Engle
Joey Grasman
Christian Hoeksema
Holland Chris
Tian
Grace
Sam
Josh
Grant
Ethan
Marc VanSoest
Sam Nykamp
Josh Rottier
Grant Sandstedt
Ethan Shelton
Blake Thomas
Aidan VanSoest
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!