Allison Lobbia, Farmington Hills Mercy swimming
Mike Venos has been around Farmington Hills Mercy women his entire life.
His mother, Ellen, was a Mercy grad. His wife, Angela, graduated from Mercy in 1984. His daughter Kelsey graduated from Mercy in 2008.
And Venos, in his first year as the swim coach at Mercy, had to replace a legend in Shannon Dunworth, under whom Mercy won Division 2 titles in 2007-10 and Division 1 titles in 2011 and 2013.
Including divers, there are 54 members on the Marlins swim team. They are deep, strong and confident.
And they don’t talk about state titles. They talk about getting better.
That makes Venos’ job easier.
“There are plenty of girls that come to Mercy for the swimming,’’ said junior Katie Minnich, a two-time state champion. “We have so many swimmers who are good at every event. I think that, in part, it’s because of the training that we do. We work so hard in practice and push each other to be the best that we can so that we all improve in events that are more than just our No. 1 best event.’’
Venos and the Marlins are ranked No. 1 in Division 1.
“I couldn’t think of a better replacement for Shannon,’’ said Minnich. “He really fits well with the team because his wife went to Mercy and his daughter was here and he was familiar with the program. He has just taken us all under his wings and treated us like daughters already. He has made some changes, but change isn’t always bad. I think he’s doing really well.’’
Venos brings plenty of experience, having won three straight boys state titles at Birmingham Brother Rice — which is right next door to girls’ rival Birmingham Marian.
Mercy and Marian had a dual meet Tuesday, with Mercy prevailing.
“The thing about Mercy is that they’re so deep,’’ said Dave Feldman, Marian’s athletic director. “They can have two or three swimmers in an event that are good, which makes them tough to beat.’’
Venos agreed.
“We just have talent from top to bottom right now,’’ he said. “We’ve got a number of freshmen that have come in and they’re going to contribute right away. You have a possibility of scoring two or three girls in each event at the state meet where other teams may only score one.
“I guess you could say talent breeds talent. I’ve been coaching at Brother Rice for about 20 years. If you have a successful program, there are a lot of people that want to come swim for you. At the same time, as a coach I can tell you if they’re not going to buy into the whole school, they’re not going to contribute much. Our success puts us on the radar, academically and athletically.’’
Minnich returns as the defending 100-meter backstroke winner. The state championship 200-meter medley relay team of Minnich, Allison Lobbia, Alaina Skellett and Annette Dombrowski all return along with All-State junior Kendall Goit.
Kylie Goit
Megan Hutter
It literally is a family atmosphere at Mercy. Kendall and Kylie Goit are sisters; so are Kylie and Moira Hart, Katherine and Megan Hutter and Chloe and Michaela Pulick.
“One year on my summer club team I had seven sets of twins,’’ said Venos.
He laughed, but Mercy’s lineup is no joke.
“Coach has had a great imprint on this team,’’ said Kendall Goit. “He has had a positive influence on everyone. He creates a very happy environment for everyone. He just makes everyone want to work so much harder and work together as a team and as one, rather than individually. He knows about all the tradition. He’s able to participate in everything. Even though he’s new it seems like he has been there for years.
“It was tough replacing Shannon, but they’re completely different individuals. You can’t compare. You have to be grateful for what you had and be grateful for what you have now.’’
Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.