Milan's Mary-Kate Wayne repeats as Region Girls Swimmer of the Year

Mary-Kate Wayne made her name as a swimmer at Milan.

But that’s not her only sport.

She also throws the shot-put and discus for the school’s track and field team.

“I did it in middle school, but I couldn’t my freshman year because I tried water polo,” she said. “I went back to throwing my sophomore year.”

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She did pretty well in track last spring, placing sixth in the Huron League in the shot.

But the value of track goes far beyond that for Wayne.

“It really helps me to not burn out,” she said. “Sometimes you get tired of swimming. It’s good to have something that’s not pool related.”

Getting out of the water to get grounded paid off for Wayne.

She placed second at the Division 3 state finals in the breaststroke and was named the Most Valuable Swimmer at the Monroe County Championships.

Wayne has been named the Monroe County Region Girls Swimmer of the Year by The Monroe News for the second straight year.

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Even Milan swimming coach Dan Hiekka agreed that getting out of the pool was for good for Wayne.

“Mary had a tremendous season,” he said. “It all started last spring as she swam when still doing track. She had a tremendous summer USA season and put in the work to get ready for the fall.”

Milan followed Wayne’s lead to win the Huron League for the 26th consecutive season and cruise to the county championship.

Those were the things she talked about first when asked about her season.

“The season went amazing,” she said. “As a team, we really came together and gave it our best. We definitely had the team aspect, the girls and the coaching staff.”

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Wayne was voted the team captain by her teammates.

“This year Mary embraced her role as a captain and was a tremendous leader by example,” Heikka said. “Mary is not the most vocal, but her performances in the pool at practice and racing spoke volumes.

“She showed up every practice to get better and helped lead our team to great heights. “

That was evident at the county championships.

She recorded a lifetime best of 1:02.45 to win the butterfly and went a season-best 1:06.81 to rule the breaststroke. If that wasn’t enough, she was part of a pair of winning relays.

“Our team did great at both the league and the county meet,” she said. “I am really proud of how well we did.”

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Wayne said the Milan swimmers take pride in their string of Huron League titles that is closing in on three decades.

“The group of girls coming up is strong,” she said. “I think they will hold it together. There is more to come. Each year we look for the next one. It’s something that we adore.”

In addition to her runner-up finish in the breaststroke at state, Wayne placed 15th in the butterfly and helped Milan’s medley relay take 10th.

The Big Reds wound up 12th in the team standings.

Wayne went 1:05.49 in her signature event.

“The girl who won it (Ellery Chandler of East Grand Rapids) is committed to Arkansas,” Wayne said. “She won by a lot. It wasn’t really close.”

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Chandler was clocked at 1:01.6.

Wayne knew the race was for second place.

“I was seeded second, but there were some other girls right behind me,” she said. “I just tried to stay as close as I could to the girl who was seeded first.”

She was happy when she looked at the scoreboard and saw she was second.

“I was sad I was done at Milan, but not too sad because I know I’ll be swimming next year,” she said.

The daughter of Kevin and Shannon Wayne of Milan committed in early November to compete at Wayne State next year.

“I definitely liked the team aspect and the coaching staff there,” she said. “Their swimming program is strong. … I think I will be going into nursing, but I’m not 100 percent sure yet.”

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Milan's Mary-Kate Wayne repeats as Region Girls Swimmer of the Year