ZEELAND — Katelyn Turner was looking forward to being able to swim one more season with her team.

The way 2020 has gone with COVID-19, however, the Zeeland senior wasn’t sure she was going to be able to have that chance.

It was a difficult year trying to train when pools weren’t open, but it just made Turner appreciate swimming and her team even more.

“This year, I am really just trying to enjoy it because when I think about things, I just get in my head and my times don’t turn out as well as I would like. But if I just enjoy swimming with my team the times follow,” Turner said.

That is the mantra of her senior year.

“I watched seniors in the past and some of their biggest regrets were not enjoying it,” she said.

Zeeland coach Marc VanSoest has seen that in seniors in the past and is watching Turner, who was voted a captain by her teammates, be a positive role model for her younger teammates.

“Katelyn Turner is a good flyer, but focusing on her as a swimmer is missing the big picture,” VanSoest said. “She is a true picture of what a student-athlete should be. She works at everything she does, and to top it all off, she is just a special kid.

“She had a role model in Taylor Hoeve. Taylor in her last 2-3 meets at Zeeland finally came through and realized how happy swimming made her and how much she enjoyed being here and relished the opportunity to wear a Zeeland cap the last couple of times. I think if Katelyn can take that page from Taylor, it is going to be a really special end to the year. Her legacy is not going to be swimming. It will be her leadership and being a tremendous role model in everything she does.”

The enjoyment of swimming is translating into the water as well. Turner won the 100-yard butterfly in 1 minute, 5.97 seconds, to lead Zeeland past Holland 106-69 on Tuesday.

“That was a pretty good race for being midseason. Before the race, we talked about I should enjoy swimming my best event. I don’t have many swims left in my senior year, so I really have been trying to have fun and enjoy it — and that was the most fun swim I have had yet,” Turner said.

Turner teamed with Elizabeth Brinks, Audra Eding and Kelsy Toth to won the 200 medley relay (1:57.34).

Karinda Meeuwsen won the 200 freestyle (1:59.16), going 1-2-3 with Chelsea Engelsman (2:02.13) and Katelyn Inman (2:02.52).

Eding led a close 1-2-3 finish in the 50 freestyle, finishing in 25.88, just ahead of Anna Sluiter (25.91) and Rylee Fowler (25.94). Fowler (55.35) and Toth (56.16) went 1-2 in the 100 freestyle. Fowler, Sluiter, Engelsman and Inman won the 200 freestyle relay (1:45.56).

Mia Grant won diving with 211.45 points, ahead of teammates Sadie Huizenga (197.25) and Carly Sleeman (190.60).

Inman won the 500 freestyle (5:26.97) ahead of Engelsman (5:28.47) just ahead of Holland’s Lourdes Manderfield (5:30.20). Holland’s Natalie Legg won the 200 IM (2:27.31).

Zeeland has a deep team with several already qualified for the Division 1 state meet where the team looks to improve upon last year’s 12th-place finish.

“I don’t even think we realize what potential we do have because we train together so much, and swimming that fast is normal. Last year was one of the best seasons we have had in in a while, and I think we can do even better,” Turner said.

Having a large group of seniors and many of them sprinters, has given Zeeland unprecedented depth. It makes everyone faster, especially when it comes to the four spots on the sprint relay.

“It is really hard to get relay spots but it is fun training-wise because it is easy to push yourself every day in practice,” Turner said. “Every day is a new challenge.”

— Follow Sports Editor Dan D’Addona on Twitter @DanDAddona and Facebook @Holland Sentinel Sports.