High 5s - 2/7/12
February 6, 2012
Have a suggestion for a future High 5? Please offer your suggestions by e-mail to [email protected]. Candidates often will have accomplished great things on the field of play -- but also will be recognized for other less obvious contributions to their teams, schools or the mission of high school athletics as a whole. We also will honor one team each week.
Marissa Campbell
Brighton senior
Bowling
Campbell has posted some of the state’s top scores this season according to the Michigan High School Interscholastic Bowling Coaches Association. Her high game of 268 is tied for ninth this season, and her high series of 470 is tied for 20th. She’s averaging 197 pins per game and rolled a two-game 429 last week.
“I think so far I’ve done good. I’ve definitely had some off days, but lately I’m bowling well."
Up next: Campbell has signed to bowl next season with Alabama A&M. She plans to major in biology and minor in psychology. “I’m not really sure what I’ll do yet. But I really like forensics, like CSI. I could be a lab technician.”
My goal this season: "I want to average 200, at least. My high game this year is 268, and I want to (bowl) last year’s, 279. My dream goal is winning states."
My career highlight: "Number one on my list is when I got my high game of 279 when I was a junior. Another was when I made states sophomore year, which was really big because I was only a sophomore. Last year, I missed the state cut by 10 pins.”
I learned the most about bowling from: "My high school coach, Coach (Shawn) Kind, has taught me the most about bowling, as he was my first teacher. Coach Kind is an awesome coach and never yells at his players, but expects a lot out of us because he knows what we are capable of. In the process of teaching me the technical aspects of the game, I grew a passion for bowling. I can’t imagine my life without it.”
I look up to: “My coaches. My high school coach, Coach Kind, and my person coach Lou Marquez. I look up to them because I trust they only want the best for me, and they believe in me. They know my potential, and always push me to be a better bowler.”
Tim Lambert
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern senior
Wrestling
Lambert recently won the 200th match of his career, and now stands at 46-0 this season and 224-5 for his career. He won 61 as a junior and 62 as a sophomore, and sits atop the MHSAA record book with 124 three-point near falls totaled last season. He is seeking to win his first MHSAA championship. He finished Division 2 runner-up at 112 pounds as a sophomore. He’s wrestling at 125 this winter.
Up next: Lambert has signed to wrestle at Nebraska. He is undecided on what he will study. “I have a wide variety of interests though such as business, marketing, fisheries and wildlife, and sports recreation, etc. (I want to be) a good husband and father, and a successful man in whatever I choose to pursue.”
I learned the most about wrestling from: "I’d say learning a lot from my brother and father has influenced my skills. Training at the Olympic Training Center made a huge impact to my wrestling. I have had many coaches throughout my career and outside of high school that have made a big impact in my wrestling success. Craig Shutich and Ernie Gillem are personal coaches that have made major impacts in my success.
I love most about wrestling: “The challenge and the grind. I love being able to train all year mentally and physically to then step out on the mat and be able to see who the best wrestler is without any other variables.”
My pre-match routine is: "I like warming up early and getting a really good sweat or workout in. That way, I am not going into the match with muscles that are tight and not warmed up. And before finals matches I retie my shoes to make them tight, and it kind of refocuses me."
I look up to: "My whole family gives me inspiration and has supported me, and I look up to them. Also, great wrestlers like Jordan Burroughs give me inspiration."
Other sports: "Right now, I don't play any other sports, and I participate in wrestling for most of the year – although I enjoy playing all other sports like basketball, football, and my personal favorite, ultimate Frisbee."
Grand Ledge Gymnastics
The Comets pushed their four-year-plus winning streak to 69 straight meets and became favorites again to win the MHSAA team championship next month by claiming the Canton Invitational title with a score of 146.8, less than a tenth of a point better than runner-up Canton. The meet featured nine teams from last season's MHSAA Team Final, including the top five placers.
"We were behind after two events, and we're not used to that," Grand Ledge coach Duane Haring said. "When (we) came back to beam, the last event again, they went five for five. There aren't that many teams that can do that. We're one that can, thank goodness."
Grand Ledge's highlight easily was a 10.0 score by senior Christine Wilson on bars. Haring has been told its the first 10.0 in Michigan high school history, although he's continuing to investigate to find out if that is so. Wilson finished second all-around in Division 1, and teammate Lauren Clark won the Division 2 all-around competition.
"They just showed me so much drive and determination Saturday," Haring said. "It was incredible."
Preview: Returning Contenders Lead 2023 Championship Chase
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 10, 2023
Last season saw first-time MHSAA Gymnastics Finals individual champions in both divisions and a first-time-in-a-few-years team title winner – and several 2022 contenders will fill the field again this weekend at White Lake Lakeland.
Reigning team champion Rockford posted the state’s highest Regional score last weekend, and the top three Division 1 all-around finishers from last season’s Final also return along with the 2022 Division 2 runner-up .
Team competition begins at 4 p.m. today, with individual competition in both Divisions 1 and 2 beginning at noon Saturday. For information on purchasing tickets, Finals rotations for both days and Regional results, go to the Gymnastics page – and see below for some of the many contenders to watch:
Team
Hartland: The Eagles claimed their Regional last weekend with a 142.350 and are pursuing their first Finals championship since 1999, after finishing ninth last season. They placed five of the top nine in Division 1 all-around at the Regional, led by fourth-place Delaney Gomolka.
Howell: The Highlanders were runners-up to Hartland last weekend led by the second and third-place finishers in Division 1 all-around – Kayla Forsyth and Maria Petru, respectively, on the way to a score of 142.05. Howell is seeking its first Finals team title and didn’t qualify last season but finished ninth in 2021.
Jackson Area: The 2021 champion finished eighth last season but should be in contention again after placing second to Rockford at last week’s Regional with a 143.525 – the third-highest team Regional score overall. The team placed the second, third and fourth-place Division 1 all-around finishers last week and the runner-up in Division 2.
Farmington United: Farmington is seeking its first team championship since winning back-to-back in 2018 and 2019, and finished 10th last season. The team won its Regional last week with a score of 142.400 and placed the top two in Division 2 all-around, plus received Division 2 wins on vault from Elena Anzivino and balance beam from all-around champ Grace Spencer and placed the top three on uneven parallel bars led by Bella Thibodeau.
Rockford: The Rams emerged from runner-up in 2021 to champion last season and have remained the team to chase with wins at every event this season including the Canton Invitational, which often serves as something of a preview of the Finals. They won their Regional last week by more than three points with a 146.675 led by Division 1 all-around champion Lacey Scheid and Division 2 all-around winner Hailey Hill, who topped a group of five who finished among the top nine in that division.
Salem: The Rocks are seeking a first team championship since 1993 and won their Regional last weekend with a 144.950 – 3½ points better than the field and four points higher than when they placed fifth at last season’s Final. Salem put 13 gymnasts in events last weekend and placed Katie Stewart and Emma Stewart first and second all-around, respectively, in Division 1 and Anna Barczyk second in Division 2.
Division 1
Alyssa Budd, Jackson Area senior: After earning two top-10 Finals event places as a sophomore, she finished 10th all-around in Division 1 last season and should climb again after taking second at last week’s Regional with a 36.650 with second places on all four apparatus.
Kayla Forsyth, Howell senior: She’s an all-around contender after finishing second at her Regional with a 37.125, only 0.375 of a point off the lead and while winning bars (9.45) and tying for first on vault (9.625).
Allie Mattes, Grosse Pointe United sophomore: She debuted at the Finals last season with a 22nd-place all-around finish in Division 1, and she’s set to make a move after winning her Regional last week with a 34.250.
Maria Petru Howell junior: After competing in two events and winning the Division 2 championship on bars last season, Petru moved up to Division 1 and placed third at her Regional last week with a 36.950 that included a first place on beam (9.30).
Lia Pinkosky, Canton junior: She also competed in Division 2 last season, finishing 16th all-around and then making the jump this winter. She finished fourth all-around at her Regional last week at 36.275, keyed by a second place on beam.
Morgan Ruffing, Livonia Red senior: The reigning Division 1 all-around champion truly was an all-around standout at the 2022 Finals with a best event finish of second but top-five places in all four. She finished third at her Regional last week at 36.550 with firsts on floor exercise (9.60), vault (9.675) and bars (9.40).
Lacey Scheid, Rockford senior: She finished second all-around as a sophomore and third last season with first places on beam and floor. She’ll make another run at the championship after winning her Regional with a 38.100 and firsts on all four apparatus – vault (9.60), bars (9.55), beam (9.325) and floor (9.625).
Emma Stewart, Salem senior: She posted a seventh-place all-around finish last winter, and finished second at a loaded Regional last week at 36.600 and with a win on beam (9.375).
Katie Stewart, Salem junior: She finished a place ahead of her sister Emma to win last week’s Regional with a 37.150 and finished a place behind Emma at last year’s Final, eighth all-around.
Alaina Yaney, Grand Ledge senior: Last season’s Division 1 runner-up finished a half point behind Ruffing and won vault. She’ll pursue the championship again coming off a Regional title (37.550) with firsts on floor (9.60) and vault (9.625).
Division 2
Lydia Beaton, Grand Ledge junior: Last season’s Division 2 all-around runner-up missed out on the championship by just 0.175 of a point after winning floor and vault. She won her Regional this time with a 35.700 including first places on bars (8.65), vault (9.15) and floor (9.25).
Charlotte Calhoun, Coldwater junior: She placed 15th all-around in 2022 and enters this weekend off a fifth place and 35.625 from the highest-scoring Regional in Division 2 – where she also won bars (9.325) by nearly half a point.
Alex Cinzori, Plymouth junior: After making the Finals last season on bars and finishing 15th, she advanced this time as a Regional all-around champion with a score of 35.350 and first place on floor (9.625).
Elena Hale, Huron Valley United junior: She also was a single-event qualifier last season, on floor, but will return this weekend competing all-around after a third-place Regional finish with a score of 35.225 and first place on floor (9.425).
Hailey Hill, Rockford junior: She posted the highest Regional all-around score in Division 2 last week at 36.000 with sixth places or higher on every apparatus. She competed at last year’s Finals on floor (tied for 13th), bars and vault.
Ivy McDonald, Lowell senior: She finished 11th all-around as a sophomore and tied for 11th last season, and was fourth all-around at her Regional last week at 35.675 with a co-championship on beam (9.30).
Addi Richmond, Jackson area junior: She tied for ninth all-around as a sophomore and finished 10th last winter, and returns having finished runner-up to Hill at their Regional with a 35.850 and first place on floor (9.55).
Grace Spencer, Farmington United senior: She’ll be in the mix again after tying for eighth all-around last season and coming off a second-straight Regional championship (36.200) that included a first on beam (9.55).
Bella Thibodeau, Farmington United sophomore: She finished second to Spencer at their Regional with an all-around 35.300 and first place on bars (8.75) after competing in that event at last year’s Finals.
Katie Tracey, Rockford sophomore: She finished 18th all-around last season and could move up substantially after placing third at last week’s Regional with a 35.825 and sharing a balance beam championship with McDonald (9.300).
PHOTO From left, Rockford’s Lacey Scheid, Livonia Red’s Morgan Ruffing and Grand Ledge’s Alaina Yaney finished third, first and second, respectively, at last season’s Division 1 all-around competition. All three will compete again this weekend. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)