The Milan News-Leader
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Big Reds to swim in new Division 3
Heikka happy with move, expects more MHS swimmers at state
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: April 12, 2007
The loss of the gender equity lawsuit and switch of six Lower Peninsula sports seasons wasn't the only news to come out of the Michigan High School Athletic Association last week.
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The MHSAA also announced its classifications for the 2007-2008 school year, including one big twist in swimming and diving: the formation of a brand new Division 3 competition, for schools with enrollment less than 1,117 students.
One of those schools is Milan High School. Competing in Division 3 will be a big change for the Big Red programs, but it's one that head coach Dan Heikka is embracing.
"I'm excited," he said. "This will give more of our kids the opportunity to swim at the state meet. The point of high school swimming is participation, and you want as many kids as possible to be able to experience something like that."
The carrot of an easier path to the state meet could lead to greater numbers for both of Milan's swim teams, Heikka said.
"It's going to be easier for me to sell the teams, with a greater chance of making states," Heikka said.
Another positive for Milan is the greater odds on claiming a state championship. The Milan girls' fourth-place finish at the 2006 states was the highest of any team now in Division 3, while the boys had the fifth-best performance among now-Division 3 teams.
Heikka admitted that the move left him wishing it had come just one season earlier.
"There's no doubt that if we'd had three divisions last year, we probably would have won with the girls," he said. "I think coming into this year we'll be picked third behind Cranbrook Kingswood and (Bloomfield Hills) Marian. But anything could happen.
"I think it might help us even more in the boys. Outside of East Grand Rapids and Alma, there are not many top boys' teams. Even without Ryan (Bordine, graduating senior and state champion in the 100 freestyle), I think we can make the top 10 again."
The move does have a handful of negatives associated with it, though. For example, returning junior Maura Donahue would have been a heavy favorite to win her first individual state title in both the 100 and 200-yard freestyle races at the Division 2 level, and Heikka says that while "nothing's written in stone," the Division 3 field might not push her to her fastest time.
The move also will keep Milan from racing against rivals like Dexter at states and could move Milan's state meet west to Holland rather than its usual site in Ypsilanti or Oakland. Heikka also points out that there is "going to be," many schools -- like rival Tecumseh -- will still have as many as 200 more students than Milan.
But in the end, none of those problems outweigh the potential overwhelming positives of Milan's new Division 3 home.
"I'm certainly not going to say I'm disappointed," Heikka said. "For our girls like Eryn Jacobs or Audry Ing or Rachel Kaczmarek to get the chance to go to state, that's a great thing for us."
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