The Pilots, led by head coach Jim Singelyn, ‘90, swam their way to a fifth-place finish in the 2022 Macomb County Championships Friday and Saturday at L’Anse Creuse North High School. A total of 17 teams competed in the county meet.

For the Purple and Gold, senior Max Swiatkowski, a Northern Michigan University commit, led the way with a dominant performance. 

For starters, he recorded a first-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke for the third time in his high school career. He also finished second in the 200-yard individual medley, adding to his impressive day in the pool. 

“Since day one of his freshman year, Max has understood that he’s a leader of this team and that it’s a privilege to swim for your school,” Singelyn said after the meet. “He always finds a way to step up in the big meets, like he did today.” 

Additionally, Swiatkowski was part of the 200-yard medley relay team that finished in fourth place. He was joined by fellow senior Michael Paluch and juniors Michael Saad and Michael Slusser for the relay. 

The quartet also comprised the team that posted a fifth-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay race. 

On an individual note, Paluch finished fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke and fifth in the 100-yard butterfly. Meanwhile, Slusser recorded a fifth-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle and a sixth-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle. 

Singelyn also sent two divers to the meet: senior DeNiro Johnson and junior Derrick Braxton. 

Johnson, in his second year participating in the diving portion of the county championships, posted a fifth-place finish. Meanwhile, Braxton, a first-time participant at the county level, finished in eighth place. 

Singelyn was proud of the effort put forth by both his divers and swimmers throughout the weekend.   

“To have four swimmers and two divers come together to produce a fifth-place finish is quite an impressive achievement,” Singelyn said. “It was a lot of fun watching these guys compete and work relentlessly to put on a good showing for their school.”

The Pilots hit the pool next against Rochester Adams Tuesday. The meet is set to kick off at 6 p.m. at Adams High School.