Northville's girls swim and dive team enters the 2026 season ranked No. 3 in Division 1, matching the spot the Mustangs earned at last year's state finals.
The preseason ranking, reported by the Detroit News on Tuesday, Sept. 22, puts head coach Rich Bennetts' squad among five Metro Detroit teams to watch this fall. Northville scored 193 points at the 2025 MHSAA Division 1 finals, finishing behind six-time champion Ann Arbor Pioneer (404) and runner-up Jenison (249).
The Mustangs lost some key contributors, but the Detroit News reported the returning senior class is capable of making up for those losses.
Seniors anchor the roster
Rachel King and Rachel Mowers lead the senior class after strong performances at last year's state meet. King placed sixth in the 50-yard freestyle at 23.94 seconds and swam on three top-five relay teams. Mowers finished fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke at 1:05.95, according to MLive's state meet coverage.
Both seniors helped Northville's 200-yard medley relay of Finley Cadwell, Mowers, Maya Hawkins and King finish third in 1:47.75.
Juniors climbing the leaderboard
Juniors Kathryn Lauster and Veronica Lindberg add depth across multiple events. Lauster entered the season ranked 14th among Division 1 swimmers statewide, while Lindberg was ranked 56th, per the Detroit News.
Early results back that up. On MLive's first 2026 leaderboard, published Sept. 22, Lindberg sat sixth in the state in the 50 freestyle at 24.49 seconds. Lauster ranked seventh in the 200 freestyle at 1:55.66.
Both swam on Northville's 200 free relay with Kinley Cadwell and King, which clocked 1:37.01 for third at last year's state meet. The 400 free relay of Finley Cadwell, Lindberg, Lauster and King went 3:33.61 for fifth.
Diving and depth
Paige Lingenfelter gives Northville a scoring threat on the boards. She finished third in 1-meter diving at the 2025 state finals with 375.25 points. Maya Hawkins, who placed fourth in the 200 individual medley (2:07.65) and sixth in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.23) at last year's meet, adds another returning state scorer.
Road to the state finals
Northville's relay teams are already posting competitive times. The 400 free relay ranks fifth in the state at 3:42.77, and the 200 free relay sits eighth at 1:41.37, per MLive's leaderboard.
The gap with Pioneer is steep. Pioneer's 404 points more than doubled Northville's 193 at last year's finals. The Detroit News noted Bennetts' swimmers competed at the top level in nearly every event at the 2025 meet but could not land high finishes against Pioneer.
The MHSAA Division 1 girls swimming and diving finals are scheduled for Nov. 20-21.
