Canton girls swim & dive team makes splash in first meet
Pictured are members of Canton’s swim & dive team following their first-place finish in the Kenzie Klassic.
Canton’s girls swim & dive team got off the 2024 blocks in rapid fashion when it won the six-team Kenzie Classic in Howell.
Beginning with the meet-starting 200-yard medley relay (Hannah Gurgel, Tayla Smith, Ximena Murillo and Amelia Pan), Canton won 10 of the 12 events.
The Cobras finished with 601 points to easily out-distance runner-up South Lyon East (490).
D1 cuts eclipsed already
The before-mentioned medley relay team already made the Division 1 state-qualifying time. Gurgel also qualified for the state meet in the 100 fly and 100 breaststroke.
Canton’s Tatijana Shockling won the 200 free in 2 minutes, 12.52 seconds.
The Cobras went 1-2-3 in the 200 individual medley thanks to strong efforts from Amelia Pan (2:18.17), Ximena Murillo (2:24.69) and Jasmine Pham (2:27.17).
Smith won the 50 free in 25.30, while Gurgel dominated the 100 fly in 59.01.
Freshman phenom
Pan, a freshman, touched first in the 100 free in 56.03, edging Howell’s Anabelle Respondek by less than a half second.
Smith placed first in the grueling 500 free in 5:38.82 — 17 seconds ahead of teammate Shockling.
The Cobras’ 200 free relay quartet of Gurgel, Abigail McAskin, Murillo and Shockling edged South Lyon East by one-third of a second.
Gurgel won the 100 breaststroke before the Cobras finished off their championship effort with a first-place showing in the 400 free relay.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
