Performance of the Week: Grand Rapids West Catholic's Oliver Caldwell
November 1, 2024
Oliver Caldwell ♦ Grand Rapids West Catholic
Freshman ♦ Tennis
Caldwell became the fourth Grand Rapids West Catholic tennis standout – and second from his family in three seasons – to win a Finals championship at No. 1 singles when he claimed the Lower Peninsula Division 4 top-flight title at Midland Tennis Center with a 6-2, 6-3, victory over Traverse City St. Francis' Owen Jackson. Caldwell followed his older brother Simon, who won No. 1 singles in LPD4 in 2022.
After entering the Finals as the top seed at No. 1 singles, Oliver Caldwell won all four of his matches in straight sets, including over fifth-seeded Luke Zhang of Plymouth Christian Academy and the second-seeded Jackson. West Catholic placed sixth as a team at the Final. Caldwell finished this fall 33-1, his only loss to Jackson on Aug. 22 and all 33 wins coming in straight sets.
@mhsaasports 🎾POW: Oliver Caldwell #tennis #GRWestCatholic #final #champion #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
@mhsaasports 🎾POW: Oliver Caldwell #tiktalk #questiontime #strangerthings #emoji #superspeed #xbox #happygilmore #bestfriend #part2 #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
Follow the MHSAA on TikTok.
MHSAA.com's "Performance of the Week" features are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
Previous 2024-25 honorees
Oct. 18: Alex Graham, Detroit Cass Tech football - Report
Oct. 11: Victoria Garces, Midland Dow cross country - Report
Oct. 4: Asher Clark, Bay City John Glenn soccer - Report
Sept. 26: Campbell Flynn, Farmington Hills Mercy volleyball - Report
Sept. 19: TJ Hansen, Freeland cross country - Report
Sept. 12: Jordan Peters, Grayling soccer - Report
Sept. 6: Gabe Litzner, Sault Ste. Marie cross country - Report
Aug. 30: Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report
(Top photo by High School Sports Scene; headshot courtesy of the Caldwell family.)
Performance of the Week: Midland Dow's Victoria Garces
October 11, 2024
Victoria Garces ♦ Midland Dow
Senior ♦ Cross Country
The two-time MHSAA Finals top-five placer is undefeated in three races this season after winning last weekend's Saginaw Heritage Hawks Invitational by nearly 14 seconds with a time of 18:08.47. She opened her season Sept. 21 with a personal-record 17:17 to win the Gold championship at Cadillac's Veterans Serving Veterans Invitational, and that time remains the second-fastest in Lower Peninsula Division 1 this season.
Garces finished fifth at the LPD1 Finals at Michigan International Speedway as both a junior and sophomore, and she placed ninth in Wisconsin's Division 1 championship race as a freshman. She finished second in the 3,200 (10:21.85) and third in the 1,600 (4:51.28) at this past spring's LPD1 Girls Track & Field Finals, and she will continue her career next fall at Duke.
@mhsaasports 🏃♂️POW: Victoria Garces #crosscountry #HHDow #chargers #run #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
@mhsaasports 🏃♂️POW: Victoria Garces #tiktalk #questiontime #qdoba #hearthands #emoji #gummyclusters #hawaiian #part2 #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
Follow the MHSAA on TikTok.
MHSAA.com's "Performance of the Week" features are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
Previous 2024-25 honorees
Oct. 4: Asher Clark, Bay City John Glenn soccer - Report
Sept. 26: Campbell Flynn, Farmington Hills Mercy volleyball - Report
Sept. 19: TJ Hansen, Freeland cross country - Report
Sept. 12: Jordan Peters, Grayling soccer - Report
Sept. 6: Gabe Litzner, Sault Ste. Marie cross country - Report
Aug. 30: Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report
(Photos courtesy of the Midland Dow girls cross country program.)