Performance of the Week: Pinckney's Tyler Ray
January 28, 2022
Tyler Ray ♦ Pinckney
Swimming ♦ Senior
One of the state’s elite swimmers, Ray won the 50-yard freestyle and 100 butterfly in leading Pinckney to last weekend’s Dexter Invitational junior-senior championship. Those performances were just the latest of a run this winter that has him ranking among the fastest statewide in nearly every individual event. Last season’s 100-yard butterfly champion and 100 backstroke runner-up at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals also has the Pirates up to No. 4 in the latest LPD3 team rankings.
Ray’s top performances this season include the fastest statewide in the 100 freestyle (46.67 seconds) and 100 butterfly (49.30), the second-fastest in the 50 freestyle (20.90), and the third-fastest in the 100 backstroke (51.14) and 200 individual medley (1:54.75). He also ranks among the top 45 in the 200 and 500 freestyles and 100 breaststroke. He has signed to continue at University of Michigan.
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2021-22 Honorees
Jan. 21: Elle Craven, Traverse City Central skiing - Report
Jan. 14: Nevaeh Williams, Mount Clemens basketball - Report
Dec. 2: Lucas Dunn, Chelsea football - Report
Nov. 25: Riley Nugent, Plainwell swimming - Report
Nov. 18: Harper Murray, Ann Arbor Skyline volleyball - Report
Nov. 11: Abby VanderKooi, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian cross country - Report
Nov. 4: Arianne Olson, Holland West Ottawa cross country - Report
Oct. 28: Jack Guggemos, Okemos soccer - Report
Oct. 21: Sachiv Kumar, Northville tennis - Report
Oct. 14: Kate Brody, Grand Blanc golf - Report
Oct. 7: Lilly Nelson, Negaunee tennis - Report
Sept. 30: Stella Chapman, Ann Arbor Pioneer swimming - Report
Sept. 23: Riley Hough, Hartland cross country - Report
Sept. 16: Josie Bloom, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball - Report
PHOTOS courtesy of the Pinckney boys swimming & diving program.
Flashback 100: Youngquist's Times Still Among MHSAA's Fastest
March 28, 2025
As a freshman on the 2008 Battle Creek Lakeview boys swimming & diving team, Clay Youngquist made an immediate impact at his first Finals, finishing second in the 500-yard freestyle and fifth in the 200-yard freestyle – key performances that helped Lakeview secure the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 team championship.
By his junior and senior years, Youngquist wasn’t just competing in those events – he was dominating them. He set blistering times that remain untouched to this day. His 500-yard freestyle time of 4:20.71 as a junior and his 1:34.28 in the 200-yard freestyle as a senior still stand as MHSAA all-Class/Division Finals records.
The Division 2 record books are filled with Youngquist’s name. He holds the fastest times in the 50-yard freestyle (20.09), 100-yard butterfly (47.51) and 100-yard freestyle (43.73).
Following his standout high school career, Youngquist continued to shine at the University of Texas. There, he became a two-time NCAA champion, earned 11 All-America honors, captured eight Big 12 titles, and was selected for the 2014-15 USA Swimming national team.
Internationally, he claimed three gold medals at the 2010 Junior Pan Pacific Championships – in the 200-meter freestyle, the 400-meter freestyle relay, and the 400-meter medley relay – and added two golds and a silver at the 2015 World University Games.
Previous "Flashback 100" Features
March 18: After 40 Years, Coles' Shot Remains Among Century's Most Famous - Read
March 7: Walled Lake Northern's Hellebuyck Reigns as NHL's Elite Netminder - Read
Feb. 27: Zeerip's Mat Stats Remain Rarely-Challenged Chart Toppers - Read
Feb. 21: Before TV Stardom, Kerwin Excelled as All-State Skier - Read
Feb. 14: Detroit Central Star Voted into Pro Football Hall of Fame - Read
Feb. 6: Multi-Sport Star Look Becomes Super Bowl Officiating Legend - Read
Jan. 31: Johnson Family Put Magical Stamp on Michigan High School Hoops - Read
Jan. 24: Future Hall of Famers Face Off First in MHSAA Class A Final - Read
Jan. 17: First-Ever WNBA Draft Pick Rocked at Salem, Won Titles at Tennessee - Read
Jan. 10: Despite Launching Before 3-Point Line, Smith Still Tops Scoring List - Read
Jan. 3: Edison's Jackson Earns Place Among State's All-Time Elite - Read
Dec. 20: Future Olympian Piper Leads Grosse Pointe North to Historic Heights - Read
Dec. 13: The Other Mr. Forsythe in Michigan School Sports - Read
Dec. 6: Coleman's Legendary Heroics Carry Harrison Through Repeat - Read
Nov. 29: Harbaugh Brothers' Football Roots Planted in Part at Pioneer - Read
Nov. 22: 8-Player Football Finals Right at Home at Superior Dome - Read
Nov. 15: Leland Career Helps Set Stage for Glass' International Stardom - Read
Nov. 8: Future Baseball Pro Led Escanaba's Legendary Football Title Run - Read
Nov. 1: Michigan High School Baseball Trio Provide World Series Voices - Read
Oct. 25: Before Leading Free World, Ford Starred for Champion GR South - Read
Oct. 18: Mercy Links Legend Becomes World Golf Hall of Famer - Read
Oct. 11: Fisher Races to Finals Stardom on Way to U.S. Olympic First - Read
Oct. 4: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch - Read
Sept. 27: Tamer's History-Making Run Starts in Dexter, Continues to Paris - Read
Sept. 20: Todd Martin’s Road to Greatness Starts at East Lansing - Read
Sept. 13: James Earl Jones, Dickson High Hoops to Hollywood Legend - Read
Sept. 6: Pioneers' Unstoppable Streak Stretches 9 Seasons - Read
Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read