The Panthers finished with 367 points, one ahead of Grand Haven (366) and just four ahead of Rockford (363) in one of the closest conference meets in OK Red history. Grandville finished fourth with 323, followed by Hudsonville (288) and East Kentwood (203).
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Combined with the dual meet portion of the season, Rockford and Grand Haven tied to win the overall OK Red title. West Ottawa was third in the dual meet season, thus winning the conference meet, but not the overall conference championship.
Further: Zeeland boys swim Pyles and beat Holland Christian in rivalry
West Ottawa claimed the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, to take the victory. Noah Williams, Luke Catton, Grady Armstrong and Grant Milobinski won the 400 free relay in 3:12.09.
Milobinski, Simon Prins, Armstrong and Catton won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:27.83.
Armstrong and Williams posted a 1-2 finish in the 200-yard freestyle. Armstrong won the race in 1:44.58, followed by Williams (1:47.37). Armstrong took second in the 500 free (4:44.31) behind Grand Haven’s Levi Ruster (4:40.01).
West Ottawa’s Isaac Kamara-Hagemeyer won the diving with a score of 464.70. Zach Jongekryk was third (399.35) and Eli McNeely fifth (331.70).
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Milobinski finished second in the 200 medley (1:59.30) behind Ruster (1:55.63) and second in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.15) behind Grandville’s Ty VanderWall (58.77). Catton was second in the 50 freestyle (21.29) behind Hudsonville’s Aiden Bayle (20.94) and Catton was second in the 100 freestyle (45.78) behind Bayle (45.54). Simon Prins placed fourth in the 100 butterfly (54.19) and 100 backstroke (56.33).
William Bowyer, Ben Meseberg, Prins and Williams finished fourth in the 200 medley relay in 1:46.10. Hudsonville won in 1:37.27.
OK Lakeshore: Holland Christian holds on
Holland Christian scored 518 points to win the OK Lakeshore Conference title. Spring Lake scored 498 to take second place and, with the Lakers winning the dual meet season, will share the conference title with the Maroons.
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Grand Rapids Christian was third (311), followed by Hamilton (306), Holland (216) and Mona Shores (61).
The Maroons started off with a win in the 200 medley relay as Greg Flermoen, Josiah DeVries, Miles Stock and Jake Shoemaker hit the wall in 1:36.18.
Shoemaker won the 200 freestyle in 1:43.34, ahead of Hamilton’s Jake Langeland (1:49.00). Dutchman Aiden Lambers was fifth (1:53.24).
Shoemaker also won the 100 freestyle in 46.37. Holland Christian’s Andrew Bengelink was fourth (48.99) and Langeland fifth (49.17).
Josiah DeVries won the 100 breaststroke (1:01.51). Netherlands’ Luke Arendshorst was third (1:02.32) and Hamilton’s Zach Bain was fifth (1:04.76).
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Stock finished second in the 200 IM (2:04.98) and DeVries was third (2:06.77). Arnendshorst was fifth (2:14.99).
Bengelink was third in the 50 freestyle (22.19). Flermoen was second in the 100 backstroke (51.61) and Jackson Busscher was fifth (59.11).
Bengelink, Stock, Flermoen and Shoemaker won the 400 free relay (3:13.87). Hamilton was third with Langeland, Reece Nykamp, ​​Cillian Slater and Brett Vandenberg third (3:22.09).
Bengelink, Charlie DeVries, Zeke Zwiep and Josiah DeVries finished third in the 200 free relay in 1:30.50.
Hamilton’s Jayden Bierschbach won the diving with a 393.90 and tied 1-2 with Brodie Brown (370.75). Holland Christian’s TJ Wolk was third (318.20) and Holland’s Keegan Welsh was fourth (290.60).
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Lambers finished second in the 500 freestyle in 5:08.49, ahead of Holland Christian’s Jacob VanDuinen (5:14.07) and Brighton Walcott (5:14.09).
OK Metro: Zealand takes second place
The Zeeland men’s swimming and diving team finished second at the OK Metro Conference championships on Saturday, February 28 in Northview.
Zealand scored 399.5 points to finish behind champion Byron Center (442.5). Forest Hills Northern took third place (292), followed by East Grand Rapids (278), Jenison (247), Northview (201) and Forest Hills Central (153).
Zeeland’s Gibson Meyering won the 100-yard backstroke in 51.80 seconds. He also finished third in the 100 butterfly (51.58).
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Zeeland’s Andrew Pyle, Andrew Skaggs, Meyering and Branton Posthumus finished second in the 200 medley relay (1:34.86) just behind Byron Center (1:33.21).
Pyle finished second in the 200 IM in 1:58.56 and sixth in the 100 backstroke (55.02). Skaggs placed second in the 100 breaststroke (56.75) and sixth in the 200 medley (2:02.40). Dylan Streeter was fifth in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.21). Brady Vroegindewey placed fourth in the 500 freestyle (4:51.83).
Vroegindewey, Posthumus, Hudson Kosten and Meyering finished second in the 400 free relay (3:15.57) to finish behind Byron Center (3:10.44).
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter. @DanDAddona or facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared in The Holland Sentinel: West Ottawa swimming wins OK Red meet, Holland Christian takes victory