Heidi Likins swims during practice Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016 at St. Clair High School.
Two Likins and two Laenens equal one dominant relay.
This weekend the St. Clair sisterly duo of Molly and Heidi Likins and Emilee and Lola Laenen will be one of the teams to beat at the Division 3 girls swimming state finals. While they’re all individually some of the fastest swimmers in the state, they’ll combine their powers as they have all season in the 200 freestyle relay.
“The L4 relay is my favorite relay,” junior Emilee Laenen said. “We’ve grown up together, so not only is Lola my sister, but so is Molly and Heidi. We know how to pump each other up and it’s amazing.”
Sisters Heidi and Molly Likins and Lola and Emilee Laenen will compete together in the 200 meter freestyle relay at the Division 3 state finals.
The quartet of swimmers have already put their name up on the St. Clair record board in the 200 freestyle relay, touching the wall in 1:41.06 at the MAC Red Championships. Having three other swimmers that are both fast and family not only puts them on top of the leaderboards every meet, but it also makes the race a little less hectic.
“It makes you feel like you have a lot less stress and you don’t worry about going your time as much,” Heidi Likins said. “Because no matter what, you know what they’ll do and they’ll have your back.”
St. Clair head coach Marcus Cronce also mentioned they always know what the other one is saying, sometimes without words just by giving their sister a certain look. Whether it’s a fierce look or a funny one, the sisters have a knack of constantly driving each other forward in the pool.
“Once you get passed the fact she’s my sister and I don’t want to talk to her sometimes, we push each other really hard in the pool,” sophomore Lola Laenen said.
The four swimmers paired up last year for a ninth overall finish in the 200 freestyle relay at the Division 3 state meet, where the Saints claimed the team runner-up award.
Lola Laenen writes down a lap time on a whiteboard Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016 at St. Clair High School.
The Likins sisters also teamed up with then-seniors Grace Shinske and Red Smith to claim first in the 200 medley relay, and the Laenen sisters teamed up with those two as well for a second place 400 freestyle relay finish.
The relay is just one event the Likins and Laenens will be competing in at the state meet this weekend. Junior Molly Likins will also be racing in the 100 breaststroke – where she took second last year – as well as the 50 freestyle and 200 medley relay. Heidi Likins will be competing in the 100 butterfly, 200 IM and 400 freestyle relay as well.
Lola and Emilee Laenen will be taking on two different styles of swimming as Lola will also take on the distance events while Emilee focuses on the sprints. Lola Laenen will be racing in the 200 freestyle – where she placed fifth last year – and the 500 freestyle along with the 400 freestyle relay. Emilee will be taking on the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 200 medley relay.
No matter how these four finish at states this weekend, they all know they’ll enjoy another year teaming up in the pool.
“We’ve grown up together the last 10 years, and it’s just a lot cooler in high school where you can share a passion,” Molly Likins said. “We all love it, and we know we will push each other.”
Molly Likins swims during practice Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016 at St. Clair High School.
