Swan Valley Vikings post winter season wrap-up
SAGINAW, Mich. — As the snow has melted and the grass is now green, winter sports are done for the year. To highlight the season, Swan Valley High School Athletics achieved high levels of success on both the court and on the mat, and even in the classroom.
The Swan Valley Varsity Girls Basketball Team wrapped up their season after an impressive record of 19-5. The Lady Vikings made a strong run in the postseason by first defeating Bullock Creek in the District Semifinals 49-40, then overcame a tough loss to rival Freeland from the week before, beating the Falcons in the District Finals 43-36. This was the Girls Basketball Program鈥檚 first district championship since 2017.
The next week before the Regional Semifinal Game against Belding, Swan Valley Varsity Girls Basketball Coach Reyna Luplow gave an inspirational speech to her team to get their minds right and instill a sense of confidence. As a result, the Lady Vikings prevailed over a talented Belding team 48-38, making this Swan Valley鈥檚 first regional win since 1999. Next up, was a rematch against Frankenmuth in the Regional Finals.
Senior Hannah Murphy stated, 鈥淚 was excited to play in the Regional Finals my senior year. After winning districts, playing in this championship game was just the cherry on top of my senior year.鈥� The team chanted 鈥極ne Team, One Drive鈥� as they took on the Eagles one more time. Although the Lady Vikes fell short in the end 28-42, the 2021-2022 season was just the beginning of the Vikings鈥� reign in women’s basketball.
Individually, junior Rachel Resio was recognized as Individual All-State Honorable Mention in Division 2.聽 Academically, the Varsity Girls Basketball Team was honored with Academic All-State with an average GPA of 3.74, while also being the Swan Valley High School Winter Sports Team with the highest GPA in the 2nd Trimester at 3.7.
History began to be made when female sophomore, Kennady Tiitola, hit the mats at the beginning of this past wrestling season. Wrestling since first grade, Kennady felt like she had something to prove. Training on and off the mats, she put in extra time to prepare for her second year of wrestling as a Viking at the high school level. Heading to regionals, Kennady knew what had to be done. Taking down an opponent from Chippewa Valley, Kennady was the first girl in school history at Swan Valley High School to qualify for the MHSAA Individual Wrestling State Finals.
While media interviews, nerves, and excitement swirled around the school, Kennady remained grounded and strived to make it to Ford Field. She ended the season taking 3rd overall in the 125 lb weight class in the MHSAA Girls Wrestling Tournament and became the first female all-stater in the sport of wrestling at Swan Valley.
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