Zeeland's Owen Stevens repeats as Holland Sentinel Boys Swimmer of the Year

ZEELAND - Owen Stevens has gotten so fast that it is hard to put his accomplishments into perspective.

He has dominated the pool the past three seasons, and this was no different.

The Zeeland swimmer repeated as Division 1 state champion in the 200-yard individual medley and 500 freestyle, and with no surprise, is the Holland Sentinel Boys swimmer of the Year for the second year in a row.

But inside the swimming world, Stevens is opening more eyes with every swim.

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"Owen has made another step forward this year with breaking a few big milestones. Breaking 1:50 in the IM and 4:30 in the 500," Zeeland coach Drew Scheerhorn said. "His attention to detail on all aspects of his swimming progression is what puts him in the position to be successful every season. He's been a great leader and has been such a great example for our younger athletes."

So state titles in two events happens for some of the elite swimmers, who happen to win both events. But taking a look at the actual events Stevens swims and that makes is performances look all the more impressive.

State champion in the individual medley means that as a high schooler, he has mastered all four strokes at this level.

Then you add the 500 free, the longest high school event, and it shows he is dominant in the distance and endurance events.

So what can't he do?

Exactly.

Stevens even swam the 500 with a differnt strategy from last year.

"I swam the 500 much differently than I usually do, taking it out much faster. It was a tough race, but I pushed through and got myself a solid time," he said.

He is the most well rounded swimmer in the state and one of the top swimmers in Zeeland history.

"It was nice to be under 1:50 and 4:30 for my events. I think I definitely felt some more pressure this time around to defend those state titles," Stevens said. "It's a great steppingstone for this summer and next year."

Holland Sentinel All-Area Boys Swimming and Diving

First Team

Owen Stevens, Zeeland (SOY)

Grady Armstrong, West Ottawa

Lee Assink, Holland Christian

Nathan Bengelink, Holland Christian

Emmett Book, Holland

Owen Carlson, West Ottawa

Luke Catton, West Ottawa

Charlie DeHaan, Holland Christian

Owen Durham, Zeeland

Joseph Engle, West Ottawa

Ben Greshaw, Zeeland

Karsten Huisman, Holland Christian

Owen Jungblut, West Ottawa

Reese Jungblut, West Ottawa

Jack Langeland, Hamilton

Basilio Ledesma, Holland Christian

Carson McIntire, Hamilton

Brody Menghini, West Ottawa

Gibson Meyering, Zeeland

Jackson Miller, Hamilton

Harper Prutch, Holland

Levi Rozema, Holland Christian

Parker Schut, Holland Christian

Jake Shoemaker, Holland Christian

Fischer Sytsma, Zeeland

Second team

Luke Arendshorst, Holland

Brodie Brown, Hamilton

Jackson Busscher, Holland Christian

Ethan Elms, West Ottawa

Willem Evenson, Holland

Alex Figueroa, Zeeland

Jackson Hansen, Hamilton

Christian Huizenga, Holland Christian

Zach Jongekryg, West Ottawa

Hudson Kosten, Zeeland

John Kuiper, West Ottawa

Mason Landes, Zeeland

Owen Lewis, Hamilton

Landen Maatman, Hamilton

Henry Mulder, Holland

Trey Nyboer, Hamilton

Andrew Pyle, Zeeland

Brayden Rynsberger, Holland Christian

Andrew Skaags, Zeeland

Justin Stark, Hamilton

Joseph Stielstra, Holland Christian

Miles Stock, Holland Christian

Brett VandenBerg, Hamilton

Landon Van Ingen, Holland

Spencer White, West Ottawa

Seth Windemuller, Holland Christian

Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Owen Stevens repeats as Holland Sentinel Boys Swimmer of the Year