2021 CHSL Swimming & Diving Champions
Farmington Hills Mercy wins 30st straight CHSL Championship
It was business as usual for the Farmington Hills Mercy at the 2021 Catholic High School League Girls Swimming and Diving Championship – and by “usual”, that meant yet another league title for the Marlins, their 30th in a row. No championship was held last year due to COVID-19 protocols. Since the team's creation in 1967, the Marlins have won every CHSL championship but one (1990 to Birmingham Marian) for a total of 53. On Saturday, no opposing team could match Mercy’s depth as the Marlins piled up 617.5 points, finishing well ahead of Bloomfield Hills Marian (400), Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (360), Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett (207), Madison Heights Bishop Foley (181), and Dearborn Divine Child (132.5). Mercy’s quartet of Katie Hermann, Sydney Derkevorian, Madeline Basa and Amylia Higgins opened the afternoon by winning the 200-yard medley relay (1:49.56) and closed the session by winning the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:33.38). Hermann also won both of her individual events – the 200-yard freestyle (1:55.73) and the 100-yard butterfly (58.80). Derkervorkian was the Marlins’ other individual champion, winning the backstroke (58.91). With multiple entries in the championship heats, the Marlins scored at least 46 points in every individual event. Mercy’s top event was the backstroke, as Derkevorkian, Basa, Lily Cochrane and Grace Roberts finished first, second, third and fifth. Marian’s Julia Waechter was a double event winner, taking titles in the sprint races – the 50-yard freestyle (23.64) and the 100-yard freestyle (51.40). Only one league record was broken: University Liggett’s Ginger McMahon swam 1:04.24 in the breaststroke preliminary heat, erasing the previous mark of 1:05.12 set by Mercy’s Maddy Loniewski back in 2011.