The Houghton Gremlins swim teams lost this week in Marquette on Thursday, but bounced back on Saturday with wins in a tri-meet with Sault Ste. Marie and Rudyard.

Against Marquette, the girls lost 134-52 and the boys fell 118-63.

The girls had two swimmers qualify for U.P. finals as Kayleigh Carlson earned a spot in the 200-yard individual medley and Alaina Eles earned one in the 500-yard freestyle.

Meg Ruohonen won the diving contest, while Naomi Frahm earned a third-place finish, setting a new personal best score in the process.

The boys got wins from Collin Raasio in the 500-yard freestyle and Beau Haataja in the 100-yard backstroke.

“The teams combined for 47 best times against a really strong team,” said coach Erik Johnson. “They battled hard, raced hard, and left everything they had in the pool. They should be proud of their efforts. I know I am.”

Saturday, the girls finished with 99 points, topping the Soo with 84 and Rudyard with 47. The boys finished with 103 points, while holding the Soo to 72 and Rudyard to 49.

In the girls’ competition, Carlson was again strong. She won the 200-yard freestyle. Ruohonen also finished on top, winning the diving event.

Two of the three relay teams also earned wins.

On the boys’ side, Raasio won the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard butterfly. Baha Saleem won the diving event. Haataja won the 100-yard backstroke, and Anderson Limkemann won the 100-yard breaststroke.

The relay teams also won two out of the three races as well.

“Today was about grit, and we showed a lot of that,” said Johnson. “After an early morning, and a long bus ride, the kids battled hard in each and every race while supporting each other throughout the meet. Thirty-two best times and great sportsmanship were the highlight of the day for me.”

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The Gremlins return to the pool Thursday at Kingsford.