Dragon Dane Herrick qualifies for state meet in March

By Kristi Pavelich

Review Sports Contributor

Despite strong overall times, the Lake Orion swimmers lost in a tight competition, 100-86, to the Rochester High School Falcons on Jan. 16.

The evening began with a Dragon win in diving by senior Alex Brent. Junior Blake Burgess took fourth, with sophomore William Kahrl placing fifth.

The Dragon excitement continued as many swimmers were challenged in new events, making their mark in new strokes.

The 500-yard freestyle event (20 lengths of the pool) was dominated by freshman Evan Fox, finishing six seconds ahead of his closest competitor. Sophomore Kevin Vanpoelvoorde took third and junior Michael Pavelich beat out his competitor by five-tenths of a second to claim fifth, scoring points for the Dragons.

In the 100-yard breaststroke, freshman Wyatt Pawlaczyk finished second by one second and sophomore Iker Uribesalfo Irureta, an exchange student from Spain, placed fifth, also achieving a necessary point for the team.

The meet finished with the Dragons as the fastest in the pool in the 400-yard freestyle relay, with senior Ben Gregg, juniors Dane Herrick and Brendan Ledtke and sophomore Kevin Vanpoelvoorde taking first place.

LO vs. Rochester Adams High School

The boys swim and dive team started the 2020 portion of their season at Rochester Adams High School on Jan. 9, with a highlight by junior Dane Herrick who achieved a time of 22.23 in the 50-yard freestyle event, qualifying him for the state meet in March.

Junior Brendan Ledtke took second place honors in both the 100- and 200-yard freestyle events and many swimmers set personal bests in the 50-yard freestyle.

Swimmers also tried new events, such as sophomores Jack and Noah Watt, who were both strong in the 100-yard breaststroke.

In the 200-yard freestyle relay, Dragons took top honors with a team of Herrick, Ledtke and freshmen Sebastian Selem and Evan Fox. The Dragons continued their dominance in the 400-yard freestyle with Ledtke, Fox, senior Ben Gregg and sophomore Kevin Vanpoelvoorde.

The Dragons will be back in the pool at Clarkston High School on Thursday.