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Meet the Swimmers
Members of our swim team are adventurous open water swimmers who are on a mission to symbolically complete the tragic journey of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald and help carry on the legacy of the 29 lost crew members, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of her sinking in 2025. Their mission is also to safeguard mariners of today and tomorrow by raising funds to preserve the Whitefish Point Light Station.
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Learn about these adventurers by reading the bios they submitted below!
Stage 1: Edmund Fitzgerald Wreck Site
Daniel Chaffin
​Moorpark, CA​
Joe Barr
Manistique, MI
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My name is Joe Barr, a lifelong resident of Manistique, MI. I have loved the water all my life.
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Cat Murdock
Marquette, MI
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Dennis Crumpler
Union Hall, VA
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Stage 2: Whitefish Bay Crossing
Rachael Currie
Cobourg, ON CAN
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Lisa Kohler
Traverse City, MI
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Beverly Hallfrisch
Traverse City, MI
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Beverly grew up in the Sault in the U.P., where the sound and sight of freighters was part of the daily backdrop.
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Victor Gutwein
Chicago, IL
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​If there's water, count me in. Preferably fully immersed, but if not then just get me as close as possible.
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Stage 3: Sault Ste. Marie / Soo Locks
Elizabeth Healy
Portage, MI
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Diane Melvin
Plainwell, MI
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Tracey Lawie
Kalamazoo, MI
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Liza Rusan
Plainwell, MI
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Stage 4: Upper St Marys River
David Blake
Brownstown, MI
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Eryn Drayton
Jenison, MI
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Eryn is a 15 year old freshman at Jenison High School.
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Sonja Dean
Kalamazoo, MI
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Brandon Sundberg
Southfield, MI
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Stage 5: Lower St Marys River
Christina Calvello
Ripon, WI
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Lori Jurgensmier
Fond Du Lac, WI
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Lily Huber
Ripon, WI
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Brita McCullough
Fond Du Lac, WI
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Stage 6: Lake Huron Crossing
Nina Norris
Prospect, KY
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Jennifer Titus
Hayward, WI
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I swim. Actually, I was born a mermaid and therefore, I swim.
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Matt McNichols
Naperville, IL
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Hello, I am Matt McNichols and I am proud to come from a family with deep ties to the Great Lakes area as well as ties to the Great Lakes & Midwest freight and transportation industries.
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Kelly McNichols
Honolulu, HI
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Stage 7: 40-Mile Point - Presque Isle
Quinton Bernard
Allendale, MI
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Hello! My name is Quinton Bernard. I’m a 25 year old from Zeeland, Michigan. I now reside in Allendale, Michigan with my wife and 13 month old baby girl.
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Sunday Humphrey
New York, NY
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Kalina Emaus
Omaha, NE
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Koryn Houdek
Milwaukee, WI
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Stage 8: Presque Isle - Thunder Bay Island
Michael Bell
Plymouth, MI
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My grandfather worked on a freighter on the Great Lakes briefly following his return from WWII. He shared his love of history and of our great state.
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John Leitner
Grand Haven, MI
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Hello, I'm John Leitner and I'm living in Grand Haven where I grew up on Lake Michigan.
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David Centner
Grand Rapids, MI
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I am a 60-year-old lifelong Michigander (and Wolverine) who loves swimming, the Great Lakes, the lake freighters that traverse them, and the lighthouses that watch over them.
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Sara Morgan
Duluth, MN
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Hello, my name is Sara (Dickenson) Morgan. I was born January 10, 1983 and raised in Superior, Wisconsin the city where the Edmund Fitzgerald began its fateful journey from.
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Stage 9: Thunder Bay Crossing
Laura Hall
Grand Rapids, MI
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Laura Hall is from Grand Rapids, Michigan and loves the Great Lakes!
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Laura (Lux) Krebs
Alma, MI
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Jay Nix
Bellingham, WA
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Charlene Stade
Emmett, MI
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Stage 10: Sturgeon Point - Au Sable
Reed Maes
Ypsilanti, MI
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Brian VanderHoff
Kalamazoo, MI
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Brian VanderHoff grew up swimming from a young age and continued swimming competitively through high school at Rockford High School and one year at Calvin College.
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Robin Politowicz
Duluth, MN
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John VanderSloot
Okemos, MI
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Stage 11: Saginaw Bay Crossing
Gordon Gatza
Freeland, MI
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My name is Gordon Gatza and I am not a swimmer. I have been a runner for years completing various distances.
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Brandon Hillaker
Saginaw, MI
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​Mr. Hillaker has been battling mental health obstacles his whole life.
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Miriam-Elizabeth Nowak
Metamora, IL
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Tammy Lenarz Carruth
Montevideo, MN
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Hello! I developed a love for swimming as a child and would ride my bike to the lake from our farm whenever possible.
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Stage 12: Grindstone City - Harbor Beach
Michelle Howard
Monroe, MI
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I was born and raised in Middleville Michigan. I attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor,
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Kelly Conway
Kalamazoo, MI
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Emilia Larson
Duluth, MN
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​Hi my name is Emilia Larson, I am a registered nurse, wife, and mom of two beautiful kids. I was born and raised in Duluth, MN.
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Ellen Tober
Paw Paw, MI
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I've always loved the water, especially open water swimming.
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Stage 13: Harbor Beach - Forester / Port Sanilac
Jacob Marsh
Dallas, TX​​
Ryanne Moroschan
New Baltimore, MI
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I've been swimming in the Great Lakes as long as I can remember,
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Brittnie Mroueh
Brighton, MI
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Therese Weir
Imlay City, MI
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Stage 14: Forester / Port Sanilac - Lexington
Cristy LaDuke
Holland, MI
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Gillian McNeal
Duluth, MN
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​After an ominous entry to swimming by nearly drowning at Disneyland,
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Kathleen Lawrence
North Fort Myers, FL
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Jennifer Sierra
Holland, MI
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Stage 15: Lexington - Port Huron
Marilyn Baldwin-Marvell
Ridgetown, ON CAN
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Lisa Pickering
Cobourg, ON CAN
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Lisa Boggs
West Bloomfield, MI
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Sandra Stassen
Westland, MI
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Stage 16: St. Clair River
Ed Shumaker
Port Huron, MI
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Sally Steinborn
Port Huron, MI
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Sheila Fitzgerald
London, GBN
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Chris Totten
Fort Gratiot, MI
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Stage 17: Lake St. Clair Crossing
Barry Alper
Toronto, ON CAN
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Tracie Baker
Newberry, FL
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Growing up in Ohio, Tracie started competitive swimming at the age of 2 and went on to be a Division I swimmer at Cleveland State University and academic all-star.
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Melissa DeLuka
Westland, Mi
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Maddie Diedo
Dearborn Heights, MI
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""Grateful, thankful, blessed."