Cranbrook Swimmers Continue Success at Consecutive Meets

On the heels of last weekend’s Shack Invitational, Cranbook Kingswood and Bloomfield Hills Andover boys varsity swim and dive teams had a rematch in an exciting, head-to-head competition Tuesday, hosted by Andover. Cranbrook Kingswood won by a final score of 108 to 78. The meet started out strong, with both teams garnering multiple State Cut and Oakland County Automatic Entry times.

With a time of 1:48.43, Andover’s Vic Sun edged out Cranbrook’s Matthew Liu, who turned in a 1:51.84 in the Boys 200 yard freestyle. The Cranes turned around and swept the top positions in the 200 IM, with Mitch Buccalo, Drew Branigan, and Alex Hogan posting times of 2:10.23, 2:12.36, and 2:14.47, respectively.

It was Andover’s turn for a sweep in the 1M Diving competition. The Barons’ Ivan Spizizen wowed the crowd with several picture-perfect dives, and took first place. Fellow teammates Connor Yee and Truman Lorick took 2nd and 3rd, with Cranbrook’s Grant Glover just behind in 4th place.

Cranbrook Head Coach Tony Kurth said the meet was a great opportunity to see how his team compares to those from other divisions. In the heart of their training, he was pleased with more than just the results.

“It was great to see the way the boys supported one another," he said. "That goes a long way to building a strong team.”

Shaking at the Schack

Cranbrook-Kingswood hosted the 12th annual Schack Invitational on Saturday Jan. 7 and competed against a field of five other Oakland County teams: Andover, Birmingham Seaholm (partial squad), Bloomfield Hills Lahser, Brother Rice, and Catholic Central.

The day began with the Men’s 1 Meter Diving Competition. Eleven divers competed, with Andover’s team leading the group. Ivan Spizizen topped the field with a score of 205.2. His teammate, Connor Yee, assembled 190.05 and Truman Lorick had 124.96 to take 21 meet points for their team.  Brother Rice’s divers contributed 10 points with Chris D’Angelo turning in a solid 178.15 and Kahlil DuPerry garnering 165.90 points for his performance.

As we all know, it takes a brave person to hurl their body through the air so close to the diving board. Just ask Cranbrook’s Ray Gagliardi, he’s working to get his confidence back after recently connecting with the board. He was not seriously injured, but it may take another meet or two before he’s diving as he would like. He still managed to turn in a respectable 129.6. Grant Glover added to Cranbrook’s points with a score of 122.75. Austin Fleischer and Tyler Clark supported Lahser with scores of 131.75 and 120, respectively. Rounding out the field were Alex Hallway (129.2) and Patrick Roelant’s 103.4 of Catholic Central. 

The Schack Invitational “gives the swimmers a chance to get some valuable feedback”, says Cranbrook Coach Tony Kurth.  “After all the intensity of the winter break training sessions, it’s a post-break stress- relieving meet but with some serious competition that helps us evaluate our progress.”   Despite the loss of some very strong seniors, there are some talented freshman coming into the program that may not be able to fill their shoes yet, but will no doubt make their claim to fame.    The Schack will provide a good opportunity to see how the team is coming together. 

Coach Shannon Dunworth of Catholic Central looks forward to the early feedback this meet provides as well.

“It’s our first meet of the season, and we really use it to gauge the success of our pre-season work.” Just a few short years ago, Catholic Central was at the bottom of the pack more often than not. “In any other sport, a record of 0-8 would be a disaster. But with swimming, you can have a successful 0-8 season because you have many personal bests, though you did not manage to win a meet. You could still hold your head high.” 

Of course, it’s better if you can manage the personal and team growth, which Catholic Central has managed to do.  They’ve been on the rise since Dunworth took over the program 7 years ago. 

A Poignant Tribute

Despite the handshakes of camaraderie, this year’s meet was dampened by news of the loss of Bob Anderson, the founder of the CK swim and dive program.   The Cranes Swim teams, the Schack family and the entire Cranbrook Kingswood community will not soon forget Bob’s love of swimming, immense contributions and dedication to the Cranbrook program.  

After a poignant moment of silence, it was down to the business of competing, as Bob would have appreciated.   And a competition it was, with nearly every event having multiple state qualifying-performances.   

This update was provided by Patch readers Jo Sikora and Carolyn Stevens, Cranbrook parents that volunteer time to distribute swim team media releases.