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
Lisa Katz
​Rochester, MI​
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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OPEN
Anytown, MI
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OPEN
Anytown, MI
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Stage 2: Whitefish Bay Crossing
Rachael Currie
Cobourg, ON CAN
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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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Lisa Kohler
Traverse City, MI
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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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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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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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Tammy Carruth
Montevideo, MN
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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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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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John Leitner
Grand Haven, MI
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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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VACANCY
Anytown, MI
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VACANCY
Anytown, MI
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Stage 12: Grindstone City - Harbor Beach
Emily Bruno
Kalamazoo, MI
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Dawn Hinz
South Haven, MI
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Kelly Conway
Kalamazoo, MI
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Ellen Tober
Paw Paw, MI
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Stage 13: Harbor Beach - Forester / Port Sanilac
Jacob Marsh
Dallas, TX
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Crystal Nipp
Cottage Grove, WI
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Ryanne Moroschan
New Baltimore, 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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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
Jenna Biewer
Saint Clair Shores, MI
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Leah Roberts
East China, 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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Melissa DeLuka
Westland, Mi
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Tracie Baker
Newberry, FL
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Maddie Diedo
Dearborn Heights, MI
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""Grateful, thankful, blessed."