Photo: Caroline Fealy, Ava Grant Wall, Delia Smaby, Brooke Ganas. Photo credit Ellie Saah
The Dexter Freshman/Sophomore Invitational brought together young swimmers from across the region on Saturday, September 20th, giving underclassmen the chance to shine. The Dreadnaughts put in a strong showing, highlighted by standout swims and promising depth across multiple events.
Freshman Emmalyn Saski was a major contributor, winning the 100-yard backstroke with a state meet qualifying time of 1:03.37 and helping power Dexter’s 400-yard freestyle relay to a fourth-place finish (4:17.90). Saski also earned a runner-up finish in the 100 free with a time of 56.91.
Sophomore Delia Smaby turned in a gritty performance in the distance events, finishing fifth in the 200 free (2:17.03) and third in the 500 free with a 6:08.26. Teammate Caroline Fealy added points for Dexter in the 500 free as well, placing fifth in 6:34.69. Ava Grant-Wall swam to 7th in the 500 free (7:13.42)
In the sprints, freshman Brooke Ganas posted a 28.14 in the 50 free for seventh place and came back strong in the 100 fly, earning third with a 1:06.99. Ganas also swam a leg on Dexter’s 200 free relay (1:59.75), which finished fifth.
Sophomore Elena Ragnes had impressive performances in both the 100 fly and the 100 backstroke.
Rounding out Dexter’s scoring were solid relay efforts, including a sixth-place finish in the 200 medley relay (2:16.01) and a fourth-place swim in the 400 free relay (4:17.90) featuring Ganas, Smaby, Ragnes, and Saski.
Dexter’s divers also made their mark. Lexi Gramling scored 147.30 to take eighth in the 1-meter event, while Holly Myers followed in 13th with 116.80.
With top-10 finishes across nearly every discipline, the invitational underscored the strength of Dexter’s underclassmen and offered a glimpse of the future for the Dreadnaughts. The Dreads will be in action at home on Thursday, September 25th, for Teacher Appreciation Night against Bedford at 6 pm.
8123 Main St Suite 200 Dexter, MI 48130
