Emerson Miciura’s parents, Kris and Sarah Miciura, believed that their kids should learn how to swim and be comfortable in the water. So they had Emerson join the Wildcats so he could learn how to swim. He did that, and apparently felt so comfortable in the water that he hasn’t gotten out in 12 years.

Miciura has become one of the best swimmers ever to splash it up with the Bears, and put a giant exclamation point on his career during the March 14-15 Division 2 MHSAA State Finals. The senior was the Downriver League Champion in two events – 200 IM and 100 breaststroke – and was a member of the winning 200 medley relay.

The team captain led the Bears in meet points this season, and swam to a 4.03 GPA in the classroom and is a member of the National Honors Society.

Miciura is certainly glad his parents had him try swimming.

“We have a family cottage on a lake and my parents wanted me and my siblings to know how to swim so if we fell off the dock we would know what to do,” he said. “I took swim lessons through the recreation department and then joined the Wyandotte Wildcats Swim Team. It was at my first swim meet where I got really interested in swimming.”

Miciura not only learned how to swim and got that competitive fire, but he quickly realized that being elite requires a high level of dedication and commitment. However, he was all in from the get go and even joined the prestigious Club Wolverine in Ann Arbor – one of the top clubs in the nation.

“They work hard and I loved it,” he said. “I qualified for Speedo Sectionals with them last year but I was coming off a slow high school season and I didn’t swim well. My younger brother (Brendan) decided he wanted to get into higher level club swimming, so we both joined the Saline Swim Team in the fall.”

It’s been quite the ride for Miciura with the Bears. After breaking the 200 IM freshman record as a ninth grader, he was a state qualifier in the 100 breast, 200 IM, and the two relays and finished 14th in the 100 breast and 200 free relay as a sophomore. Last year as a junior, Miciura was a state qualifier/ finalist in the 200 IM (11th place).

“We have always done well as a team at the league meet, especially considering we’re a small team,” he said. “We’ve sent several relay teams to the state meet. In the league, I was undefeated in the 100 breaststroke, even in dual meets, and was three-time league champion.”

His number one goal heading into this year’s D-2 state finals was to break the 200 IM varsity record, which was set 33 years ago by Wyandotte swimming legend Ken Johns. Swimming with the Wyandotte medley relay team in the prelims at Oakland University, Miciura swam the IM leg in 2:00.40, besting Johns by 0.8 seconds. The Bears (Brendan Miciura, Emerson Miciura, Keegan Simmons and Daniel Kulcsar) finished 16th in the relay. Miciura also placed 16th in the IM in 2:01.20.

This will probably be the last lap in the water for Miciura.

“I haven’t decided what university I’ll be attending in the fall but I plan to major in chemistry or biology and then go to medical school,” he said. “I had some offers to swim in college but I know that I will need to focus on academics to get into med school.”