Port Huron United, Marysville send familiar faces to girls swimming finals

Don't let the snow outside fool you. Champions will be determined this weekend by their performance in the pool.

The 2022 MHSAA girls swimming & diving state finals begin Friday in all three divisions. And two teams in the Blue Water Area will have athletes competing.

Port Huron United's Sophia Moore will compete in the 200-meter individual medley and the 100-meter butterfly in Division 1 at Oakland University in Auburn Hills.

"Her hard work and dedication to the sport is above anybody right now," Port Huron United coach Aley Minton said. "She works out on her own and with the team. She just really puts her heart and soul into what she's doing."

Moore is no stranger to the big stage. In fact, she's become a regular fixture there.

"Sophia has qualified for the state meet every year of high school," Minton said. "Which is a huge accomplishment since we're in (Division 1). It's remarkable."

This weekend will mark the end of an extraordinary high school career for the senior.

"She has been a leader for our team since she came on as a freshman," Minton said. "Even though she wasn't a captain her freshman year, of course, she has led our team and cheers everyone on. It's been total support and she's always about the team first ... she's going to leave a big hole."

Moore will continue her swimming career next season at Northern Michigan University.

In Division 3, Marysville's 400-meter relay team of Ava Hanners, Aubrey Hanners, Alison Jainer and Joanna Roosa will compete at Holland Aquatic Center in Holland. Hannah Bockhausen will join them as the team's alternate. Ava Hanners qualified in the 100-yard fly as well.

For Aubrey Hanners and Bockhausen, this will be their first appearances at the state finals.

"(Aubrey) saw her sister go to the state meet last year," Marysville coach Lisa Staszewski said. "And she went to the state meet as a spectator. She said to her mom, 'I'm going to be in this meet next year.' "

During the offseason, she trained with a club team to stay in shape. By the time Marysville started practicing in August, Aubrey was already in full gear.

"She continued dropping her times and kept showing that she really wanted it," Staszewski said. "Her drive just impressed me so much. She's unassumingly aggressive. You would never know that she's a fighter like that. But she truly is and I'm just so happy for her."

While Roosa is returning to the state finals, it wasn't long ago when it seemed like her high school swimming career might be over.

"She had a broken leg as of March," Staszewski said. "She was sitting in a wheelchair. And she had doctors tell her that she wasn't going to ever swim at a state meet again."

But Roosa used that as fuel to not only recover, but to shatter the prognosis as well.

"She's gotten some of the best times (this season) that she never thought she'd get," Staszewski said. "It's just an amazing story for her. Having a broken leg in March and going to the state meet in November is pretty remarkable."

Marine City is the other local Division 3 school that'll be represented at the state finals. Lauren Muscat scored a 241.85 at regionals and was one of 36 divers to qualify.

Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Port Huron United, Marysville send familiar faces to swimming finals