Performance of the Week: Ann Arbor Greenhills' Mia Melendez

October 13, 2022

Mia MelendezMia Melendez ♦ Ann Arbor Greenhills
Golf ♦ Sophomore

Melendez is following up on a stunning high school debut in 2021 with another championship pursuit as she heads into this weekend’s MHSAA Finals coming off a Lower Peninsula Division 4 Regional title last week. She shot an even-par 72 to earn the medalist honor by 15 strokes at Washtenaw Golf Club in Ypsilanti, and in doing so led Greenhills to a team score of 380 and an eight-stroke win ahead of runner-up Royal Oak Shrine Catholic. Her 72 was the lowest at any LPD4 Regional.

This weekend’s LPD4 Final will be played Friday and Saturday at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University. Melendez is the reigning champion after shooting an LPD4 Finals 36-hole record 143 a year ago at Michigan State’s Forest Akers East to clinch the title by a stroke ahead of Michigan Center’s Kamryn Shannon. Melendez’ first-round 72 and second-round 71 that weekend also rank tied for third and second all-time in LPD4, respectively. Melendez also plays soccer and runs track for Greenhills.

 

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MI Student Aid

Second Half’s "Performance of the Week" features are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. 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.

2022-23 Honorees

Oct. 6: Shawn Foster, Grand Ledge football - Report
Sept. 30:
Hannah Smith, Temperance Bedford swimming - Report
Sept. 22:
Helen Sachs, Holland West Ottawa cross country - Report
Sept. 15:
Nina Horning, Lake Orion volleyball - Report
Sept 8:
Arturo Romero, Muskegon Oakridge soccer - Report
Sept. 1:
Austin King, Midland Dow tennis - Report
Aug. 25:
Olivia Hemmila, Troy Athens golf - Report

(Photos courtesy of the Ann Arbor Greenhills girls golf program.)

Performance of the Week: Zeeland West's Rylee Smith

March 1, 2024

Rylee Smith headshotRylee Smith ♦ Zeeland West
Senior ♦ Bowling

Smith rolled a 300 – her first – in the final game of her Division 1 Regional last Friday to finish a championship run with a six-game total of 1,258 pins, 128 ahead of the field. Smith, a student at Zeeland West, also helped the Zeeland cooperative program to the Regional team championship at Revel & Roll in Kalamazoo, and will be competing in the Team Finals on Friday and Singles Finals on Saturday at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park.

With four more games topping 190 and all six rolling at least 184, Smith averaged a 210 over her Regional block to qualify for her fourth trip to the Singles Finals. She just missed making the Finals match play as a sophomore in 2022, when her sister Morgan was a senior on the team, and as an eighth grader in 2020 Rylee cheered Morgan and her teammates on as Zeeland won the Division 1 team championship. Rylee also is a talented golfer – she finished sixth overall at her Regional and one place short of qualifying for the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals as an individual – and she’ll continue her golf career at Trine University, where she intends to study physical therapy.

@mhsaasports 🎳POW: Rylee Smith #bowling #zeeland #west #letsgo #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA

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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.

Past 2023-24 Honorees

Feb. 22: Caleb Lewandowski, Traverse City West skiing - Report
Feb. 15:
Jadin Mix, Onaway basketball - Report
Feb. 8:
Onalee Wallis, Cadillac skiing - Report
Feb. 1:
Abbey DeGraw, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek competitive cheer - Report
Jan. 25:
Ewan Todd, Riverview swimming - Report
Jan. 18:
Ashley Weller, Jackson Northwest basketball - Report
Jan. 11:
Michael Baldwin, Saginaw Arthur Hill wrestling - Report
Dec. 15:
Jena Fijolek, Fenton bowling - Report
Dec. 8:
Sophia Wagner, Escanaba gymnastics - Report
Dec. 1:
Isaiah Marshall, Southfield Arts & Technology football - Report
Nov. 24:
Sarah Bradley, Clarkston Everest Collegiate volleyball - Report
Nov. 17:
Kalieb Osborne, Waterford Mott football - Report
Nov. 10:
Tekalegn Vlasma, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian soccer - Report
Nov. 3:
Colton Kinnie, Birmingham Seaholm football - Report
Oct. 27:
Lauren Timpf, Macomb Lutheran North golf - Report
Oct. 20:
Alena Li, Okemos golf - Report
Oct. 13:
Seth Norder, Grand Haven cross country - Report
Oct. 5:
Paige Anderson, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer golf - Report
Sept. 29:
MacKenzie Bisballe, Lake City volleyball - Report
Sept. 22:
Jhace Massey, Gladwin football - Report
Sept. 15:
Kaylee Draper, Sturgis swimming - Report
Sept. 8:
Owen Jackson, Traverse City St. Francis tennis - Report
Sept. 1:
Rachel Forsyth, Ann Arbor Pioneer cross country - Report

(Photos courtesy of the Zeeland girls bowling program.)