Cox, Dy Aim To Bring Golf Fame Up North
October 14, 2016
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
TRAVERSE CITY – Maple City Glen Lake senior Nichole Cox will try to become just the third golfer to win three consecutive MHSAA Lower Peninsula individual golf championships when she tees off today in the Division 4 final at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West.
With a three-peat, Cox would equal the accomplishments of Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Katy Loy (1993-95) and Okemos’ Elle Nichols (2011-13).
But that’s not foremost on her mind this morning.
“I’m not focusing on that,” Cox said. “I’m focusing on striking the ball well, not making tactical errors, just going out and having fun in my last high school tournament.”
The 18-year-old is the only girl from northern Michigan to win a Lower Peninsula title since the MHSAA started offering a postseason tournament in 1973.
Her friend, Traverse City West sophomore Anika Dy, is hoping to become the second this weekend. Dy, the Division 1 runner-up last October, is leading the reigning champion Titans into play today at Forest Akers East.
“They are two of the best, if not the best, (girls) golfers to come out of this area – ever,” Glen Lake coach Paul Christiansen said. “And Anika is just a sophomore, which is amazing.”
Cox and Dy have played in numerous high school and junior tournaments together. They text frequently.
“They’re happy for each other’s success,” Christiansen said.
And when asked, they’re genuinely excited to talk about the other.
“She can hit the ball so far,” Dy said of Cox. “She eats the short courses alive. She’ll drive the green. She’s so long and powerful.”
“She’s very focused,” Cox said of Dy. “She doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. She might not hit it as far as me sometimes, but she makes up for it with a really good short game.”
That’s been evident this fall as Dy has lowered her 18-hole average nearly seven strokes, dropping from 77.1 to 70.5.
“I’m hitting the ball a little better, but it’s mostly been my putting,” she said. “Each course is different and you have to adapt to the greens. I think I’ve adapted better this year.”
West coach Kristen Nolan said Dy’s scores reflect a more consistent player.
“She’s been consistently in the low 70s, if not 60s,” she said. “She’s more focused on each shot, more focused on course management.”
Dy, who shattered the women’s course record at the Grayling Country Club with a 65 in August, agreed she’s keeping the ball in the fairway better, and it’s enabled her to “score well’ even when she’s not at the top of her game.
The 15-year-old won last Thursday’s Regional on The Meadows at Grand Valley State University with a 3-under 70. That was the same course where she fired a 79-77 in last year’s MHSAA Final.
“I had a pretty good day, but honestly it was not my best because I had a stretch where I struggled and bogeyed a couple holes,” she said. “I wasn’t hitting it as well. But my attitude and positive thinking kept me going. I kept it in the present and didn’t think about what happened because I knew I couldn’t change it.”
Dy’s round included an eagle.
“She missed another eagle when a 20-foot putt just lipped out,” Nolan said. “Overall, she played solid golf.”
So did her teammates. West shot a 309 and placed four golfers in the top six. Hunter Kehoe was second with a 76, Megan Jenkinson tied for fourth with an 81 and Grace Ellul tied for sixth with an 82.
“They were excited,” Nolan added. “When we looked back at our scores (at The Meadows) last year we knew we could do better. We wanted redemption.”
West shot team totals of 348 and 337 there a year ago. Kehoe had rounds of 87 and 80 in the Final.
“Hunter’s improved so much,” Nolan said. “Last year she had a few rounds in the 70s, but she was consistently in the low 80s. Now, she’s got into a streak of shooting in the 70s, and I’m excited for her.”
Dy said the Titans, who have won 12 tournaments in a row, celebrated after the Regional, but not like last year.
“I think we expected it,” she said. “We were super happy, but our focus now is on states. We know there will be a lot of good teams in the Finals. We just want to do our best.”
West is ranked No. 2 in Division 1 behind Rochester, which won its Regional with a 289. Rochester was led by Brooke Busse’s 69.
Cox, meanwhile, had to contend with windy conditions last Friday at Manistee Country Club to win her Division 4 Regional. She shot a 79 – her highest score of the season.
“I didn’t play as well as I would have liked,” she said, “but the conditions were by far the worst of any Regional.”
“We had sustained winds of 20 to 30 miles-per-hour,” Christiansen said. “Club selection was really difficult.”
It was the fourth consecutive Regional crown for Cox.
“Not too many kids are able to win a Regional event four years in a row – in any sport,” Christiansen said. “That, in itself, is a representation of how consistent she’s been over the years.”
Cox is averaging just over 74 a round, nearly the same average she sported a year ago. But her scores have been more consistent. A year ago, they ranged between 69 and 83. This season she’s been in the 70s every tournament.
She’s done that despite being sick a couple weeks.
In addition, Cox, who has committed to Bowling Green, reached the semifinal round in the 100th Michigan Women’s Amateur in August, losing to eventual champion Allyson Geer by a stroke on the final hole.
“When you count her summer and fall, she’s had an outstanding year,” Christiansen said.
Cox qualified for the MHSAA Finals as an individual, like last year, which means she will not play in the same group with any individual contenders whose teams qualified.
“It might hinder you a little, but at the same time I’m going to play my game,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who I’m playing with because I’m playing against the course.”
Cox shot rounds of 76-74 to win the Division 4 title by six shots last October.
Christiansen expects Cox to go into the Finals excited and confident. His only concern?
“I hope she doesn’t put too much pressure on herself to do well,” he said.
For one thing, Christiansen added, you can’t control what your competitors are doing.
“It’s not like basketball where you can play better defense and keep (opponents) from scoring,” he said. “You just have to go out, do your thing, do the best you can and what happens, happens.”
What Christiansen hopes happens is this: “That she ends (her high school career) with a third championship.”
Dennis Chase worked 32 years as a sportswriter at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, including as sports editor from 2000-14. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Maple City Glen Lake's Nichole Cox (left) hits an approach toward the green, and Traverse City West's Anika Dy watches one of her shots during their respective MHSAA Finals in 2015. (Middle) Cox (left) poses for photos with runner-up Meg Watkins of Frankenmuth after receiving last season's Division 4 championship medal. (Below) Dy (top row, far right) stands with her teammates and their Division 1 team championship trophy. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Finals Preview: All-Time Greats Guarantee Plenty of Anticipation
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 13, 2022
Last season saw some of finest performances in MHSAA Lower Peninsula Girls Golf Finals history. And with a number of standouts returning this weekend, we’re looking forward to the encore.
Macomb Lutheran North’s Lauren Timpf is a returning individual champion after her 139 last season was the second-lowest score in LPD3 Finals history and tied for third-lowest for any Class or Division, with her opening round 66 setting an all-Class/Division record. Ann Arbor Greenhills’ Mia Melendez set the LPD4 Finals record with a title-clinching 143 – and she’s back as just a sophomore.
South Lyon senior Gabriella Tapp is pursuing her third individual title after shooting a 144 in 2021 to tie for the fourth-lowest 36-hole score at an LPD2 Finals. Portage Northern’s KT Leinwand posted the 10th-lowest for that division all-time in finishing second at 148.
Meanwhile on the team side, Northville is in pursuit of a fifth-straight LPD1 championship – and coming off a two-day 615 last year that was the second-lowest in all-Class/Division Finals history.
Play both days this weekend begins at 10 a.m. See below for a number of teams and individuals who could be in contention, and check out the MHSAA Website for full lineups and more.
Rankings are by iWanamaker based on teams' 18-hole rounds through Regionals.
LP Division 1 at Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley
Top-ranked: 1. Northville, 2. Brighton, 3. Rochester Adams
This is a loaded top three. Northville has won the last four LP Division 1 championships and claimed the Kensington Lakes Activities Association Tournament title last week. Brighton defeated Northville earlier this season in match play to eventually end up the champion of the KLAA West. And Adams is just a few weeks removed from winning its first Oakland County championship. Brighton was fourth and Adams seventh last season, and Rockford is aiming to be another serious contender ranked No. 4 after finishing eighth a year ago.
Northville: Seniors Samantha Coleman and Avi Gill are the only returnees from last year’s Finals top five, but both bring plenty of high-level experience to this weekend. Coleman just missed placing among the top 10 individuals last year after tying for sixth as a sophomore and scoring for the Mustangs at the 2019 Final, while Gil tied for 14th in 2020. Northville won last week’s Regional at Washtenaw Golf Course by 36 strokes, shooting a 324, with senior Ally Zuidema finishing first individually, Coleman second and junior Meera Sankar tying for sixth.
Brighton: The Bulldogs have ascended from not qualifying as a team in 2019 to tying for sixth in 2020 and finishing fourth last fall. All five of last season’s starters are back this weekend, and junior Abbie Pietila missed placing in the top 10 last year by three strokes. Brighton shot a 310 at El Dorado in Mason to win last week’s Regional by 28 strokes, with senior Amelia Gatti third, junior Lauren Forcier tied for fourth, junior Madison Martens sixth and Pietila seventh. The Bulldogs are seeking their first Finals championship, having finished LPD1 runner-up in 2017.
Rochester Adams: The Highlanders also are seeking their first Finals championship, having finished runners-up in 1999 and 2020. Adams was seventh last season with just one senior in the lineup, and junior Laura Liu is back after tying for fourth individually last year and just missing the top 10 as a freshman. Senior Grace Wang also returns after tying for ninth individually in 2020. Adams won its Regional at Metamora Country Club with a 315, 17 strokes lower than No. 5 Rochester High. Junior Katie Fodale tied for individual runner-up, with Wang fifth and Liu sixth.
More individuals of note: Grand Blanc senior Kate Brody has been one of the state’s most dominant golfers during her four seasons, winning the LPD1 individual championship in 2020, tying for fourth last year placing third as a freshman. Troy Athens senior Olivia Hemmila also has been driving toward a high finish after tying for ninth last year and qualifying for the Finals her first two seasons as well. They and Liu are the only top-10 returnees from 2021, although Troy senior Riley Hayden was 11th and should contend again. Brody shot a 65 to win the El Dorado Regional, and Hemmila won at Stoney Creek Metropark last week. Also claiming Regional titles were Rockford junior Jessica Jolly – with a 64 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State – Farmington junior Venetia Chap and Rochester sophomore Madison Yang.
LP Division 2 at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers West
Top-ranked: 1. South Lyon, 2. Farmington Hills Mercy, 3. Byron Center
South Lyon won its first championship in 2020, after finishing runner-up in 2019, and the Lions placed third last season. Mercy is seeking its first top-two Finals finish since placing runner-up in LPD1 in 2012; the Marlins won LPD1 titles in 1999 and 2001. Byron Center is seeking its first championship but coming off its highest Finals finish, runner-up last year to a first-time champion in Dearborn Divine Child. South Lyon shot a 321 to edge Mercy by seven strokes and win last week’s Regional at Farmington Hills Golf Club.
South Lyon: Senior Gabriella Tapp is finishing up another of the most illustrious careers in MHSAA history, seeking to add a third championship to her Finals titles in 2019 and 2021 and tie for sixth place in 2020. Senior Ellen Albert joined her in last season’s lineup, and sophomore Kaylyn Wisniewski tied Tapp – and then defeated her in the tie-breaker – to win the medalist honor at last week’s Regional, where Albert placed fourth.
Farmington Hills Mercy: The Marlins finished fourth at last season’s Final with six players figuring into the lineup – and none a senior. Five of those six are slated to play this weekend, and all five placed among the top 15 at the aforementioned Regional at Farmington Hills GC. Sophomore Maeve Casey was third, junior Abbey Slankster fifth, sophomore Lisa Polakowski sixth and senior Chloe Vig seventh. Vig was the team’s low scorer at last season’s Final and also scored for the team that finished fourth when she was a freshman in 2019.
Byron Center: The Bulldogs also made their run at the championship last season with a younger group, graduating only one from the five that finished nine strokes back. Junior Macie Elzinga finished third individually last season, and she was the Regional runner-up at Yankee Springs in Wayland last week as Byron Center won the team title by 22 strokes. Seniors Jayda Kerns (seventh) and McKenna Turnbull (tied for ninth) also placed among the top 10 at the Regional.
More individuals of note: The top four and six of the top 11 individual finishers from last season are back. Portage Northern junior KT Leinwand was runner-up in 2021, four strokes back of Tapp and four ahead of Elzinga, and Coopersville junior Lauren Davis was one of three players to tie for fourth last season. Zeeland West junior Rylee Smith tied for ninth, and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern senior Ashleigh Duflo was 11th and just a stroke out of ninth. Leinwand edged Elzinga by a stroke to win last week at Yankee Springs, and Davis was the Regional champion at Arrowhead in Lowell. Midland Dow freshman Sophia Lee, Dexter freshman Avery Manning and Ypsilanti Lincoln junior Madison Cowhy also won Regional titles.
LP Division 3 at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers East
Top-ranked: 1. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 2. Macomb Lutheran North, 3. Grosse Ile
Cranbrook Kingswood is the reigning champion after edging Grosse Ile by six strokes a year ago, with that title the Cranes’ first since 2001. Grosse Ile would love to similarly add to its proud history this weekend, with its most recent championship in 2011. Lutheran North also is a regular near the top, finishing sixth last season with its most recent Finals title in 2017.
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood: The Cranes graduated three from last season’s championship team, but junior Sienna Ilitch will be playing in her third Final and junior teammate Mackenzie Behnke also was a starter last year. Cranbrook’s 334 at Flint Elks Club last week was second at that Regional but also second-lowest among all LPD3 scores. Behnke was third, Ilitch fourth, sophomore Sophia Kouza fifth and junior Anya Samsonov tied for sixth with scores of 82, 83, 84 and 85, respectively.
Macomb Lutheran North: The Mustangs were the team to best Cranbrook at Flint Elks and statewide last week, led by junior medalist Lauren Timpf, runner-up sophomore Saige Rothey, another sixth-place finisher in senior Aileen Cosentino and 10th-place freshman Gabby Cardenas. Timpf is the reigning LPD3 Final champion after besting the field by 14 strokes last season, and Cosentino, Rothey and senior Mia Roe also were part of the 2021 lineup.
Grosse Ile: The Red Devils graduated two of their top four from last season’s runner-up team, but return the third-place individual finisher and another who just missed making the top 10. Senior Lily Bargamian, junior Hanna Hargrove and senior Sydney Botten all are back and were the team’s top three scorers at last week’s Regional at Huron Meadows in Brighton. Bargamian – the third-place Finals finisher in 2021 – won last week’s Regional, with Hargrove fourth after finishing three strokes outside the Finals top 10 a year ago.
More individuals of note: The medalist race should be interesting with Timpf back off that big win but likely to be challenged by five more returnees from last season’s top 10. Joining her and Bargamian are Grand Rapids South Christian junior Ashley Thomasma (fourth), Freeland sophomore Averie Pumford (fifth), Grand Rapids Catholic Central sophomore Ava Wisinski (tied for seventh) and Ada Forest Hills Eastern junior Sophie Skoog (10th). Timpf and Bargamian won Regional titles last week. Williamston sophomore Nicole Schafer edged Pumford by a stroke at nearby Wheatfield Valley, and Grand Rapids Christian freshman Lillian O’Grady bested a field at Willow Wood in Portland that included Wisinski and Thomasma tying for second. Ludington junior Emma McKinley and Charlotte senior Hannah Robinson also won Regional titles.
LP Division 4 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University
Top-ranked: 1. Jackson Lumen Christi, 2. Adrian Lenawee Christian, 3. Kalamazoo Christian
Two-time reigning champion Montague just missed advancing to this year’s Finals, but Lansing Catholic is in the field after finishing second both of those seasons. Lumen Christi was third last season and is seeking its first championship since 2004. Lenawee Christian was fourth in 2021 and Kalamazoo Christian was sixth, and both are seeking their first top-two finishes.
Jackson Lumen Christi: All five starters are seniors after four started as juniors a year ago and three as sophomores in 2020. Senior Ashley Hilderley missed the top 10 at last year’s Final by a stroke, and she was the medalist at last week’s Regional at Pine Hills in Laingsburg as the Titans finished 13 strokes better than runner-up Lansing Catholic. Michaela Hauer tied for third, Alexa Spencer placed sixth and Anna McClure ninth at Pine Hills, with Hauer and McClure joining Hilderley as three-year anchors in the lineup.
Adrian Lenawee Christian: The Cougars have built from 17th in 2019 to tied for ninth in 2020 to fourth last season, when senior Lauren Swiggum also tied for fourth individually. Lenawee Christian returns all five starters from last year’s Finals lineup, and all five placed in the top 10 last week at Hills of Lenawee in a 59-stroke Regional win. Senior Morgan Bell was the runner-up, Swiggum was fourth, junior Yuki Nakamura fifth, senior Avery Sluss sixth and senior Madalyn Shaw tied for 10th.
Kalamazoo Christian: Although three seniors graduated off last year’s team, now-senior Kylie Gernaat and now-sophomore Jordyn Bonnema were the team’s low scorers at last fall’s Final. They are joined this time by another senior and two more sophomores, and that group won last week’s Regional at Moss Ridge in Ravenna by 43 strokes against a field that also included No. 4 Montague, No. 5 Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep and No. 6 Grandville Calvin Christian. Gernaat was second individually, sophomore Scarlett Hindbaugh was fourth and Bonnema finished fifth.
More individuals of note: Only three of last season’s top 10 are back, and four of the top 12. But Ann Arbor Greenhills’ sophomore Mia Melendez is the reigning champion and coming off a 15-stroke Regional win at Washtenaw Golf Club. Traverse City St. Francis sophomore Grace Slocum was eighth at the Final last season, and Brooklyn Columbia Central sophomore Logan Bentley was ninth – making for some possibly intriguing Finals for the Class of 2025 over the next few seasons. Bentley and Slocum joined Melendez and Hilderley as Regional champions last week, as did Grandville Calvin Christian senior Andrea Diemer and Remus Chippewa Hills sophomore Madison Allen.
PHOTO Macomb Lutheran North's Lauren Timpf watches one of her drives during last season's Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)