48 Thursday, August 15, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com
WILL KOWALSKI
Sports Editor/Asst. Editor
Lakeview High’s Major Baumann
had a super freshman season as a
member of the Spartans’ varsity
boys’ swimming & diving team last
year, and is expected to flourish again
during his upcoming sophomore cam-
paign at LHS.
And prior to that, Baumann gained
notoriety by breaking some of the
great Clay Youngquist’s Lakeview
Middle School records.
And now, to add to his young-aged
yet prolific resume – thanks to a
top-notch performance last Saturday
- the 15-year-old Baumann’s name
now graces the Cereal City’s long-
and-storied overall swimming record
book as well.
On the cool summer morning of
Aug. 10 in a gathering that took place
in the waters located off the shores
of Battle Creek’s Willard Beach area,
Baumann was the first overall fin-
isher in the 97th Goguac Lake Swim - an event annually put on by the
Battle Creek Family YMCA.
Baumann had a main-event, 1.15-
mile time of 25 minutes and 9.7 sec-
onds while competing in Michigan’s
longest running open-water swim
race.
And a very close second last
Saturday was the top female finisher,
14-year-old Liz Holds – who was
born in the area, who now resides in
Middlebury, IN, and whose grandpa
Donald Green resides on Goguac
Lake.
Holds had a time of 25:14.8,
just less than five seconds behind
Baumann.
Third overall was two-time-
defending female champion Lillian
Mahar, 15, of Kalamazoo in 26:01.8
(Mahar’s dad Paul was a Battle Creek
Central High standout who now
coaches swimming at Kalamazoo
Loy Norrix High) fourth was Jeff
Bailey, 57, of Ceresco in 28:27.2;
fifth was Baumann’s 17-year-old
Lakeview High teammate Christian
Hancock in 28:31.9; and sixth was
14-year-old Ella Laupp of B.C. in
28:36.1.Major Baumann – shown here
competing for Lakeview High’s
varsity boys’ swimming & diving team
last season – was the overall winner
of the 97th Goguac Lake Swim last
Saturday. Baumann is entering his
sophomore year at LHS. (Shopper News
file photo by Will Kowalski)LHS sophomore Baumann first at 97th Goguac Lake Swim
In all, a total of 91 swimmers com-
peted in the traditional 1.15-mile
event.
The youngest boy participants were
age 10, and the youngest girl partici-
pants were age 12.
At the other end of the age spec-
trum, there were six septuagenar-
ians in the 1.15-mile field – three
male and three female. The males
were 73-year-old Dick Hastings of
B.C., 71-year-old William Woodof Dowling and 70-year-old Ron
Bloomberg of B.C. The females were
74-year-old Mary Younker of B.C.,
73-year-old Sherry Anderson of B.C.
and 70-year-old Karen Slack of B.C.
Aside from the 1.15-mile main
event, the morning also featured a
750-meter swim (27 participants) and
a 200-yard short course swim (11
participants) – giving the 97th annual
gathering an overall total of 129 con-
testants.
First in the 750-meter event was
12-year-old L. Schillio of B.C. in
12:03.8 (only the first initials of
youth competitor’s first names ages
13-under are given out/made avail-
able by race officials each year);
second was 14-year-old Bryn Hall
of B.C. in 12:06.1; and third was
12-year-old L. Russell of B.C. in
12:45.1.
Also in the 750-meter event, the
oldest competitor was 81-year-old
Earl Gaball; and the youngest was
8-year-old N. Romel.
Additionally, placing first in the
200-yard short course was 11-year-
old K. Schotke of Mount Prospect,
IL, in 1:54.2; second was 11-year-
old D. Gibson of B.C. in 1:57.4; and
third was G. Klein of B.C. in 3:15.5.
The youngest swimmers in the
200-yard short course were 7-year-
olds B. Shotwell of B.C., B. Smith of
B.C. and D. Dutkiewicz of Ceresco.
Following are complete Goguac
Lake Swim results:
97TH ANNUAL
GOGUAC LAKE SWIM
Main 1.15-Mile Event- 1-Major Baumann, 15, Battle
Creek, 25 minutes, 9.7 seconds.
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Come join us as we learn all about the lo-
cal chapter of
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNI-
VERSITY WOMEN
Sunday, Aug 18. 2 PM
Kimball House Museum
196 Capital Ave NE
Suggested donation $5