By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
GRAND RAPIDS—Plainwell boys swim & dive coach Andrea Murphy said the Grand Rapids City Sprint is one of the more fun meets her team has all season.
And the Trojans had every reason to enjoy themselves at this year’s version of the event, as they placed second thanks to some really strong performances.
“This is a really fun meet for our team and to have at the beginning of the season,” Murphy said. “It allows everyone to swim in some capacity.”
The Trojans had one first-place finish in the 11 events, as the diving trio of Aidan Ranger, Phil Mathis and Logan Stuifenbergen racked up 194.1 points to finish nearly 60 points ahead of the runner-up trio from Caledonia.
Plainwell’s top showing in the relays came in the 200 medley and 200 backstroke, as the Trojans placed second in each.
The 200 medley team of Ben Sparks, Davis Nooney, Alex Steele and Vander Summerer posted a time of 1:52.47. The 200 backstroke team of Matt Malantinski, Hiro Nguyen, Joseph Hoffman and Grady Nugent finished at 2:01.45.
Individually, Nooney led the way by placing second in the 50 breaststroke at 33.28.
Sparks was third in both the 50 backstroke (28.46) and the 50 free (23.9), while Steele was third in both the 100 IM (1:03.1) and the 50 butterfly (27.63).
“We have a large senior class that gives our team a lot of depth and good leadership that will help us out a lot this season,” Murphy said. “We also have some newcomers to our team who we are excited about.
“I think everyone had a great meet considering how early it is in the season.”
