The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Dexter honors swimmers, divers
PUBLISHED: April 5, 2007
Dexter's boys' swimming and diving team brought its season to a close on March 29 with the annual banquet and awards ceremony.
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Dexter swimmers and divers were honored for their individual and team accomplishments. Special guest Dave Plawchan, founder of Dreadnaught swimming and diving, spoke on the history of the program and the tradition of excellence it has achieved. Plawchan spearheaded the effort to gain approval for and construct the Dexter Community Pool.
This season the Dreadnaughts posted a 2-1 dual meet record against SEC White Division opponents and a 3-3 record in the combined SEC. Overall, Dexter won four dual meets and lost five.
The season culminated in a dramatic victory at the SEC championship meet, the Dreads' ninth consecutive league title. Dexter went on to finish 24th at the MHSAA Division II state finals.
The Dreadnaughts were coached this season by first-year head swim coach Michael McHugh and veteran dive coach Manny Billegas. Seniors Nate Cook and Kirk Kumbier were team co-captains.
"Our team had a great season," said McHugh. "We showed significant improvement across the board, and the conference meet was a testament to our total team effort."
Kumbier was elected the team's Most Valuable Swimmer, an honor he also had earned as a junior. Junior Ben Steavenson was awarded Most Dedicated, junior Scott Dyer was voted Most Improved, and freshman Liam Donevan earned Rookie-of-the-Year honors.
Diver sophomore Scott Crompton received the Sweat Award from Billegas, for work ethic demonstrated throughout the season. This effort translated into a 21st place finish at the state meet. Sophomore Corey Presley received the diving Coach's Award.
"We're very excited to have both of these guys back for two more years," said Billegas.
Class awards were presented by the coaches for outstanding contribution to the team by a member of each class. The Freshman Award went to Tyler Steeb. Jacob Wiltse received the Sophomore Award, while Sean Kilian earned the Junior Award. Cook brought home the Senior Award.
Senior Johno Wilson received the SEC Sportsmanship Award for the Dreadnaughts.
Dexter state meet qualifiers were recognized, including Crompton, Dyer, Kirk Kumbier, Walker McHugh, Danny Rion, Joey Sayre, Robert Spiegel, Steavenson, Taylor Verna and Wiltse.
In addition to performing in the pool, the Dreadnaught swimmers and divers continued their tradition of academic excellence, epitomizing the concept of student athlete. Earning DHS Scholar Athlete awards, for a GPA of 3.0 or higher, were Ryan Aliapoulios, Matt Cambridge, Jesse Claflin, Cook, Crompton, Donevan, Dyer, Kilian, Karl Kumbier, Kirk Kumbier, Andrew Leonard, McHugh, Tim Pituch, Spiegel, Steeb, and Verna.
Kirk Kumbier earned SEC Scholar Athlete for a senior with a GPA of 3.25 or higher. He has also been nominated for Academic All-American, with awards still pending. Only seniors with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.75 can be considered for this award.
To win the Rookie-of-the-Year award, Donevan scored the most points among the Dexter freshmen at the conference championship. At that meet, Donevan finished seventh in the White Division and fifteenth overall in the 100 yard butterfly.
In earning most improved, Dyer showed tremendous time drops this season in his main events, the 500 freestyle and the 200 freestyle, as well as in the 100 freestyle. Dyer achieved his first state cut this year in the 500 freestyle, with a time of 5:09.36 at the conference meet, finishing fourth in the SEC White. He went on to finish 34th at the state meet in a time of 5:10.91, nearly holding his taper for two weeks—a significant accomplishment for a swimmer.
Steavenson, receiving the Most Dedicated award, was recognized by his teammates for his tremendous work ethic throughout the season. A tri-athlete and distance runner, Steavenson is considered to have one speed when he trains—fast. His hard work paid off—his times dropped significantly over the course of the season and he achieved lifetime best swims at the state meet, recording times of 2:06.28 (21st) in the 200 yard individual medley and 5:00.38 (18th) in the 500 freestyle.
Most Valuable Swimmer Kirk Kumbier was an All-State performer, placing sixth in the breaststroke at the state championship. He was also a finalist in the 200 individual medley, placing 14th in the state, and on Dexter's 200 medley relay, placing 16th.
Beyond this season, Kumbier's award recognized him for career achievement at DHS, through his "dedication to hard work, individual goals, leadership role as co-captain and commitment to total team success."
Plawchan commented, "This a special award given to swimmers who've achieved All-State or above in all four years of their high school career."
Among Kumbier's accomplishments as a Dreadnaught are six All-State awards, including a fourth, fifth, and two sixth place finishes in the breaststroke. He was a twelve-time state finalist in the breast, IM and relays. Kumbier holds two DHS varsity records—the 100 yard breaststroke (59.78) and as a participant on the record-setting 200 medley (1:36.43). As a sophomore, he was a key contributor to Dexter's fourth-place finish at the 2005 state championship.
"Guys like this don't come along everyday," added Plawchan. "Kirk has been an exceptional swimmer and leader and will do well competing in college. Dexter can and should be proud of him."
Looking to the future, the team elected Dyer, Kilian, and Steavenson as Dreadnaught co-captains for the 2007-08 season. Dexter will be returning ten seniors, eight juniors, and four sophomores, including nine state meet participants.
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