The Powers Catholic Girls Swim Team headed to Oakland University to finish their season strong at the Division 3 State Meet in Rochester!  Powers brought a team of ten to the meet and competed in ten total events! The girls were excited to compete and show off their hard work.  This was obvious when all of Friday Preliminary swimmers returned to the pool Saturday for Finals!  The Chargers’ highlights include: an 11th place finish in the Medley Relay, an 11th place finish in the 200 Freestyle, a 9th place finish in the 500 Freestyle, a 16th place finish in 100 Butterfly, and a 14th place finish in the 400 Freestyle Relay.  It was a great way to end the season.

Congrats to the following girls on a great weekend:

Abby Custack

200 Medley Relay (11th Place)

200 Freestyle (11th Place)

500 Free Freestyle (9th Place)

200 Freestyle Relay (17th Place)

Grace Erpelding

200 Freestyle Relay (17th Place)

400 Freestyle Relay (14th Place)

Sarah Murawski

200 Medley Relay (11th Place)

100 Fly (18th)

200 Freestyle Relay (17th)

100 Back (18th)

Sara Piper

400 Freestyle Relay (14th Place)

Emma Potochny

200 Medley Relay (11th Place)

100 Fly (16th Place)

200 Freestyle Relay (17th Place)

400 Freestyle Relay (14th Place)

Maggie Roche

200 Medley Relay (11th Place)

100 Breast (31st Place)

Loly Yapchai

400 Freestyle Relay (14th Place)

Congratulations to the Powers Girls Varsity Swim and Dive Team for an amazing performance in the 2023 Saginaw Valley League championship meet. The year of hard work and dedication definitely paid off.  After a great day of swimming on Thursday at prelims the top 24 in each event were able to compete in the finals meet on Saturday. Powers had girls qualify to come back for finals in every event.

The team finished 4th overall and a majority of the girls achieved personal best times. 

Meet results:

200 medley relay team of Sarah Murawski, Maggie Roche, Emma Potochny, and Abby Custack (4th)

200 free: Abby Custack (3rd), Emma Potochny (5th), Marin Custack (16th)

200 IM: Grace Erpelding (6th), Sara Piper (8th), Maggie Roche (10th)

50 free: Sarah Murawski (8th), Loly Yapchai (13th), Kennedi Dawkins (17th), Elli Lafay (24th)

100 fly: Emma Potochny (4th), Loly Yapchai (8th), Kennedi Dawkins (12th), Paige Skully (19th)

100 free: Alyson Chupa (23rd)

500 free: Abby Custack (2nd)

200 free relay team of Sarah Murawski, Emma Potochny, Grace Erpelding, and Abby Custack (3rd)

100 back: Sarah Murawski (5th), Grace Erpelding (8th), Sara Piper (11th), Marin Custack (14th), 

100 breast: Maggie Roche (6th), Ellie Lafay (14th), Sara Campbell (22nd)

400 free relay team of Loly Yapchai, Sara Piper, Kennedi Dawkins and Grace Erpelding (4th)

Also, special congratulations to the following girls for Saginaw Valley League awards:

1st team all SVL:

    Abby Custack (scored 55 points)

    Emma Potochny (scored 51 points)

2nd team all SVL:

    Sarah Murawski (scored 47 points)

    Grace Erpelding (scored 46 points)

    Maggie Roche (scored 41 points)

    Sara Piper (scored 38 points)

    Loly Yapchai (scored 36 points)

Honorable mention:

    Marin Custack (scored 24 points)

Several girls are looking forward to their last competition of the season at the state championship meet in a few weeks. Congratulations on a great season!

The girls swim and dive team put on a stellar performance in the SVL Championships last
weekend at Grand Blanc High School to finish off an incredible regular season. More than 70%
of the races swam by the team would see lifetime best performances and nearly the entire
team would be back competing in finals! A total of 8 girls would receive all SVL honors to go
along with some awesome time drops. Now the team turns their sights to the Division 3 State
Championships and look to top this amazing performance.
1 st Team
- Abby Custack
- Emma Potochny
2 nd Team
- Sarah Murawski
- Grace Erpelding
- Maggie Roche
- Sara Piper
- Loly Yapchai
Honorable Mention
- Marin Custack

A huge congratulations to the following athletes for a job well done!

Sara Campbell – 100 Breaststroke (22 nd Place)
Alyson Chupa – 100 Freestyle (23 rd Place)
Abby Custack – 200 Medley Relay (4 th Place), 200 Freestyle (3 rd Place), 500 Freestyle (2 nd Place),
200 Freestyle Relay (3 rd Place)
Marin Custack – 200 Freestyle (16 th Place), 100 Backstroke (14 th Place)
Kennedi Dawkins – 50 Freestyle (17 th Place), 100 Butterfly (12 th Place), 400 Freestyle Relay (4 th
Place)
Grace Erpelding – 200 IM (6 th Place), 200 Freestyle Relay (3 rd Place), 100 Backstroke (8 th Place),
400 Freestyle Relay (4 th Place)

Elli Lafay – 50 Freestyle (24 th Place), 100 Breaststroke (14 th Place)
Sarah Murawski – 200 Medley Relay (4 th Place), 50 Freestyle (8 th Place), 200 Freestyle Relay (3 rd
Place), 100 Backstroke (5 th Place)
Sara Piper – 200 IM (7 th Place), 100 Backstroke (11 th Place), 400 Freestyle Relay (4 th Place)
Emma Potochny – 200 Medley Relay (4 th Place), 200 Freestyle (5 th Place), 100 Butterfly (4 th
Place), 200 Freestyle Relay (3 rd Place)
Maggie Roche – 200 Medley Relay (4 th Place), 200 IM (10 th Place), 100 Breaststroke (6 th Place)
Paige Scully – 100 Butterfly (19 th Place)
Loly Yapchai – 50 Freestyle (13 th Place), 100 Butterfly (8 th Place), 400 Freestyle Relay (4 th Place)

The Powers Girls Swim Team is entering the last week of the regular season. The girls have had a solid  season thus far. October has proved to be a busy month for the swimmers. Highlights are as follows: 

• The month started with a double dual meet against Fenton and Swartz Creek/Flushing. The  swimmers competed in at least one new event resulting in some surprise swims! Powers  defeated Swartz Creek/Flushing and took a loss against Fenton. 

• Powers took qualifying swimmers to Calvin College for the MISCA meet. MISCA is the largest high school meet held in Michigan. The highest level of swimmers and divers from the state  travel to Calvin College to compete. The team had some great times. The 200 Free Relay of Sara  Piper, Kennedi Dawkins, Grace Erpelding, and Abby Custack swam their fastest time of the  season, resulting in a Division 3 state cut! 

• Powers defeated Bay City Central and Lapeer in a double-dual meet! Congrats to Sarah  Murawski for getting another state cut, this time in 50 free. 

• Powers defeated Midland High and Saginaw Heritage. 

• The team has many swimmers heading to state meet. a 

Finally, Powers girls celebrated our Seniors in the final dual meet against Davison High School. This is  always a special meet. This year’s seniors, Sophia Atendido, Marin Custack, Grace Erpelding, Sarah  Murawski, and Emma Potochney were honored by their team and swim family with a special  presentation and a surprise father-daughter relay race. Congrats to Todd and Sarah Murawski for the  win! Overall, it was a wonderful meet with many great swims and dives. Although it was a close  meet, Davison defeated Powers.

The Chargers are heading into the SVL meet with a Dual Meet Record 8-3. After a week of heavy  training, the team is preparing for the SVL meet. The swim meet will take place at the Grand Blanc  Aquatic Center Thursday November 2nd and Saturday November 4th. The team is ready for some best  times and hopeful for a few more state cuts! Let’s go Chargers!

The Powers Girls Swim and Dive team has been on a roll this season while cruising their way to a 7-3 dual meet record and look to finish the regular season on a good note when they take on Davison this Thursday night!

The Chargers began with high expectations this season and have not disappointed. Starting with a 2-1 record the team would go into their mid-season championship meet at the Genesee County Invitational and put on a spectacular performance that would set the tone for the remainder of the season. This performance was highlighted by first place finish in the 500 Freestyle by sophomore Abby Custack, 14 top 8 finishes, and 7 state qualifying times. In a competitive meet there were season best times across the board with 13/20 girls returning to compete in finals which is an incredible feat. The team would take 4th place overall in the meet while just being 40 points out of 2nd  place.

200 Medley Relay – 3rd Place (Sarah Murawski, Maggie Roche, Emma Potochny, Abby Custack)

200 Freestyle

• Abby Custack (2nd Place)

• Emma Potochny (6th Place)

• Marin Custack (15th Place)

200 IM

• Sara Piper (6th Place)

• Grace Erpelding (7th Place)

• Maggie Roche (8th Place)

50 Freestyle

• Loly Yapchai (8th Place)

• Kennedi Dawkins (11th Place)

• Elli Lafay (15th Place)

100 Butterfly

• Sarah Murawski (4th Place)

• Emma Potochny (5th Place)

• Loly Yapchai (10th Place)

• Kennedi Dawkins (12th Place)

100 Freestyle – Alyson Chupa (15th Place)

500 Freestyle – Abby Custack (1st Place)

200 Freestyle Relay – 4th Place (Loly Yapchai, Sara Piper, Maggie Roche, Grace Erpelding)

100 Backstroke

• Sarah Murawski (4th Place)

• Sara Piper (7th Place)

• Marin Custack (8th Place)

100 Breast Stroke 

• Maggie Roche (6th Place)

• Grace Erpelding (7th Place)

• Elli Lafay (14th Place)

400 Freestyle Relay - 4th Place (Loly Yapchai, Sarah Murawski, Emma Potochny, Abby Custack)

The girls would look to keep momentum rolling as a group of nine swimmers traveled to Grand Rapids just two weeks later to compete in the MISCA meet which showcases some of the top teams across all three divisions. All three of the state qualifying relays would race along with individual events from seniors Emma Potochny, Sarah Murawski, and sophomore Abby Custack. Despite going season best times just a couple weeks ago they were all able to drop even more time! 

200 Medley Relay - Sarah Murawski, Maggie Roche, Emma Potochny, Abby Custack (26th / 41 Teams)

100 Fly - Emma Potochny (31st / 59 Swimmers)

200 Freestyle Relay – Sara Piper, Kennedi Dawkins, Grace Erpelding, Abby Custack (32nd / 45 Teams)

100 Backstroke – Abby Custack (31st / 62 Swimmers), Sarah Murawski (56th / 62 Swimmers)

400 Freestyle Relay – Sarah Murawski, Loly Yapchai, Emma Potochny, Abby Custack (29th / 49 Teams)

Since the MISCA competition The Chargers have continued their dominance with a perfect 4-0 record in wins over Saginaw Heritage, Midland, Lapeer, and Bay City Central highlighted by yet another state qualifying time in the 50 freestyle by senior Sarah Murawski. The team now has a combined 10 state qualifying times and will look to add to this total as they wrap up their season with the SVL Championships in a few weeks.

Local swimmers gathered at Fenton High School this past Friday and Saturday for the annual Genesee County Swim Meet. Powers Girls finished 4th outperforming 6 other local teams. This is always a fun meet as the Genesee County swim community cheers on friends and swimmers from neighboring schools. The Lady Chargers brought high energy and time drops. 

The Preliminary session took place Friday night. All twenty Powers swimmers participated, delivering many personal best or seasonal best swims. The Chargers added three more individual state cuts: Abby Custack (200 Free) and Emma Potochney/Sarah Murawski (100 Fly). This brought the total to six state cuts for the season. 

The top 16 swimmers in each event advanced to the Saturday Finals session. Powers brought back Seniors: Marin Custack, Grace Erpelding, Sarah Murawski, and Emma Potochney; Junior: Maggie Roche; Sophomores: Alyson Chupa, Abby Custack, Elli Lafay, and Loly Yapchai; Freshmen: Kennedi Dawkins and Sara Piper, all swimming individual events. Additionally, sophomore Meredith Wilkins swam in a relay. 

Finals started off with a ton of energy as the Medley Relay team of Sarah Murawski, Maggie Roche, Emma Potochney, and Abby Custack took third, earning a state cut. The meet ended with the 400 Free Relay consisting of Loly Yapchai, Sarah Murawski, Emma Potochney, and Sarah Murawski also earning a state cut and taking fourth place. In between the relays, there were many time drops and personal bests for nearly everyone. Powers sophomore, Abby Custack tops the leaderboard as 500 Free Champ. 

Finals Highlights: 

Abby Custack: 200 Free (2nd), 500 Free (1st) 

Sarah Murawski: 100 Fly (4th), 100 Back (4th) 

Emma Potochney: 200 Free (6th), 100 Fly (5th) 

Sara Piper: 200 IM (6th), 100 Back (7th) 

Grace Erpelding: 200 IM (7th), 100 Breast (7th) 

Maggie Roche: 200 IM (8th), 100 Breast (6th) 

Loly Yapchai: 50 Free (8th), 100 Fly (10th) 

Marin Custack: 200 Free (15th), 100 Back (8th) 

Kennedi Dawlkins: 50 Free (11th), 100 Fly (12th) 

Elli Lafay: 50 Free (15th), 100 Breast (14th) 

Alyson Chupa: 100 Free (15th) 

Additionally the 200 Free Relay consisting of Loly Yapchai, Sara Piper, Maggie Roche, and Grace Erpelding took 4th place.

Final Team Scores 

1st Place: Grand Blanc 492 

2nd Place: Fenton High School 349 

3rd Place: Davison 336 

4th Place: Powers Catholic 308 

5th PlaceSwartz Creek Flushing 216 

6th Place: Holly High School 148 

7th Place: Corunna 104 

8th Place: Kearsley Lake Fenton 98 

9th Place: Ortonville Brandon 

10th Place: Lapeer 46 

The Lady Chargers are back at it Thursday with a double dual meet against Grand Blanc and Mt. Pleasant. The meet will take place at Alma High School.

The Lady Chargers were back in the pool to face Bay City Western last Thursday, for what
seemed to be the quickest meet in team history! The final score was Powers 118 Bay City
Western 58.
The girls had some great swims and took several firsts places. Abby Custack led Powers
earning two first place finishes in the 50 Free and 500 Free. Congrats to Abby for earning a
statecut in the 500 free. This is her second cut and the team’s third statecut. Freshman Sara
Piper finished first in the 200 free, sophomore Meredith Wilkins took first in Diving, senior Emma
Emma Potochney placed first in the 100 Fly, senior Grace Erpelding placed first in the 100
Back, and junior Maggie Roche took first in the 100 Breast.
More Charger Top Swims:
200 Free: Marin Custack (3rd) and Paige Burnett (4th)
200 IM: Lauren MacDonald (4th) and Sophia Atendido (5th)
50 Free: Kennedi Dawkins (2nd) and Grace Erpelding (3rd)
100 Fly: Loly Yapchai (2nd) and Sophia Atendido (4th)
100 Free: Kennedi Dawkins (3rd) and Alyson Chupa (4th)
500 Free: Maggie Roche (2nd)
100 Back: Emma Potochney (2nd) and Marin Custack (3rd)
100 Breast: Sara Piper (2nd) and Elli Lafay (3rd)
200 Medley Relay: A.Custack, Roche, Potochney, and Yapchai (1st)
200 Free Relay: Yapchai, Potochney, Piper, and A.Custack (1st); Lafay, Campbell, Chupa, and
Dawkins (3rd)
400 Free Relay: Piper, Yapchai, Campbell, and Erpelding (1st); MacDonald, Chupa, Atendido,
and M.Custack (2nd)
The Chargers are preparing for the Genesee County Meet held at Fenton High School
September 21st-23rd.

Girls Varsity Swimming 1-1 to Start the Season

The Chargers traveled to Midland to swim against Midland Dow and Saginaw Heritage in a double duel meet Wednesday night.  The girls had some great swims.  The future of the team looks bright. Powers Catholic defeated Saginaw Heritage and lost to Midland Dow.  Final scores were Powers 137-Heritage 35 and Midland 127-Powers 53.

Senior Sarah Murawski (100 Fly, 50 Free) and Sophomore Abby Custack (200 Free, 100 Back) led the team in points.  Abby Custack earned her first state cut of the season in 100 Back.  

The following swimmers scored points for the Chargers:

200 Free:  Abby Custack (1st vs Heritage, 2nd vs Dow); Emma Potochney (2nd vs. Heritage, 4th vs Dow

200 IM: Grace Erpelding (1st vs Heritage, 4th vs. Dow); Maggie Roche (2nd vs Heritage 5th vs. Dow); Sara Piper (3rd vs Heritage)

50 Free: Sarah Murawski (1st vs Heritage, 2nd vs Dow); Kennedi Dawkins (2nd vs Heritage, 4th vs. Dow); Loly Yapchai (4th vs Heritage); Elli LaFay (5th vs Heritage)

1 Meter Diving: Meredith Wilkins (1st vs Heritage, 2nd vs Dow)

100 Fly: Sarah Murawski (1st vs Heritage, 3rd vs Dow); Emma Potochney (2nd vs Heritage, 4th vs Dow); Kennedi Dawkins (4th vs Heritage)

100 Free: Loly Yapchai (1st vs Heritage, 5th vs Dow); Alyson Chupa (2nd vs. Heritage), Meredith Wilkins (3rd vs Heritage)

500 Free: Marin Custack: (1st vs Heritage, 5th vs Dow);  Sara Campbell (3rd vs Heritage)

100 Back:  Abby Custack (1st vs Heritage, 2nd vs Dow); Grace Erpelding (2nd vs Heritage, 3rd vs Dow); Sara Piper (3rd vs Heritage)

100 Breast: Maggie Roche (1st vs Heritage, 2nd vs Dow); Elli Lafay (2nd vs Heritage, 4th vs Dow); Sara Campbell (5th vs Heritage)

200 Medley Relay: Murawski, Roche, Potochney, and A. Custack (1st vs Heritage, 2nd vs Dow), M.Custack, Lafay, Yapchai, Erpelding (2nd vs Heritage, 4th vs Dow)

200 Free Relay: Dawkins, Roche, Lafay, Yapchai (1st vs Heritage, 3rd vs Dow); Chupa, Burnett, Scully, Wilkins (3rd vs Heritage)

400 Free Relay: Murawski, Dawkins, Potochney, A. Custack (1 vs Heritage, 2nd vs Dow); Piper, Erpelding, Atendido, M. Custack (2nd vs Heritage)

The Chargers next meet is Thursday September 14th at Bay City Western.