Preview: Among Championship Drives, Spotlight to Shine on Historic Pursuit
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 17, 2024
Four seasons of excellence have put Ann Arbor Greenhills senior Mia Melendez in position to make MHSAA girls golf history this weekend.
By capping her high school career with one more Finals individual championship, she would become the first in Lower Peninsula history to finish with four titles – and the fourth statewide to accomplish the feat, joining Marquette’s Kendra Palmer (1996-99) and Carley Saint-Onge (2008-11) and Escanaba’s Paxton Johnson (2016-19).
Of course, she’s only one of several standouts playing across four sites this weekend, as all four 2023 team champions are back and ranked among the favorites in their respective divisions.
Play begins both Friday and Saturday at 10 a.m., and live scoring is available through iWanamaker. See the Girls Golf page for programs for all four divisions. Below is a glance at several team and individual contenders:
LP Division 1 at Katke at Ferris State
Top-ranked: 1. Northville, 2. Okemos, 3. Rochester Adams.
Rochester Adams has won the last two Division 1 championships, with Brighton (ranked No. 6 entering this Final) runner-up both years. Northville claimed four straight titles from 2018-21 and is expected back in the mix after finishing sixth a year ago, and Okemos is seeking its first championship coming off an eighth-place finish in 2023.
Northville: The Mustangs carded a 319 at Polo Fields in Ann Arbor last week to win their Regional by 39 strokes. They graduated three of last year’s lineup but have only one senior this time and added standout freshmen Cam Baker and McKenzie Stevens, who finished first and second, respectively, at the Regional. Senior Sanya Singhal and sophomore Naaz Gill are the two returning golfers from last year’s Final, and they tied for fifth at the Regional.
Okemos: The Wolves are coming off a runner-up Regional finish to league rival Grand Ledge, but carded a solid 329 at Michigan State’s Forest Akers East while led by senior medalist Alena Li and freshman co-runner-up Anika Srivastava. Li posted a 64 and has put up similarly eye-popping scores all season, and she enters having finished seventh at last year’s Final, tied for sixth in 2022 and tied for ninth in 2021. Li is the only senior but is joined by sophomore Emma O’Shea from last year’s lineup.
Rochester Adams: Led by junior medalist Hannah Wang, Adams also was a Regional runner-up last week, trailing No. 4 Clarkston at Prestwick Village in Highland Township. She is joined by senior Peyton Sage as returning golfers from last year’s championship lineup, and senior Alexa Camargo also has championship experience as she and Wang split rounds during the 2022 Final. Junior Brianna Park carded the Highlanders’ next-lowest score at the Regional, tying for eighth.
Individuals: Last season’s top five finishers graduated, but five of the next six from the top 10 (including a tie) will be back this weekend. Plymouth junior Annie Flavin is the highest returning placer after coming in sixth a year ago, when she was followed by Li, and Caledonia senior Coplin O’Krangley and Grand Ledge senior Isabel Kelly, who tied each other for 10th. Li, Northville’s Baker and Wang from Adams were joined last week among Regional champions by O’Krangley, Brownstown Woodhaven senior Adilynn Rushlow and Rochester senior Madison Yang. Kelly was co-runner-up behind Li at Forest Akers East.
LP Division 2 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State
Top-ranked: 1. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 2. Farmington Hills Mercy, 3. Dexter.
Mercy is coming off two straight championships and finished 17 strokes better than runner-up Cranbrook a year ago. The Cranes most recently were Division 3 champions in 2021, and they also finished Division 3 runners-up in 2022. Dexter’s three Finals championships all came within four seasons from 2004-Spring 2007, and the Dreadnaughts are coming of a seventh-place finish from last season.
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood: Despite graduating three starters from last year’s Finals top five, Cranbrook has risen to the challenge and won last week’s Regional at Farmington Hills Golf Club by three strokes ahead of Mercy – jumping the Cranes from No. 6 in the rankings to No. 1. Junior Sydney Behnke was Cranbrook’s low scorer at last year’s Final, tying for ninth, and she was the medalist at Farmington Hills GC. Junior Harriet Cortez also was part of last year’s Finals lineup and finished 15th at last week’s Regional.
Farmington Hills Mercy: The Marlins have been ranked as high as No. 2 this season with a lineup including four seniors and three who were part of last year’s championship five – Maeve Casey, Lila Polakowski and Macy Morphew. Casey and Polakowski were also part of the 2022 Finals lineup as Casey finished fourth individually for the team champ. Polakowski was fifth and Casey seventh to lead the Regional runner-up finish last week.
Dexter: The Dreadnaughts reached No. 1 in the Sept. 30 Division 2 rankings and then won their Regional at Coldwater Golf Course by 12 strokes ahead of No. 6 Mason. Junior Avery Manning led that effort finishing as medalist, with freshman Maddy Manning seventh and junior Millie Truesdell tied for eighth. Avery Manning was the Finals runner-up last season, four strokes back, and she and Truesdell also are joined by seniors Eleni Michos and Sophia Dettling from last year’s lineup.
Individuals: Only three from last season’s top 10 are back this weekend – Manning, Behnke and Richland Gull Lake junior Charlotte Boudeman, who tied for seventh in 2023. But also joining the field is Spring Lake senior Zoe Dull, who finished co-runner-up in Division 3 a year ago. Several more upperclassmen appear ready to contend as well. Joining Manning and Behnke as Regional champs were Cadillac senior Samantha VanBrocklin, Mattawan senior Charlotte Stenger (one stroke ahead of Boudeman), Dearborn Divine Child senior Erin McCormick and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern junior Chaille Payne.
LP Division 3 at Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley
Top-ranked: 1. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 2. Goodrich, 3. Grand Rapids Christian.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central won its first Finals championship in this sport last season, and now the Cougars are expected to extend their streak to two – or at least be the start of a trend. Goodrich is expected to be in the mix for what would be a first championship in this sport; its best Finals finish was second place in Division 3 in 2015. Those two teams have held down the top two spots in the rankings all season. Grand Rapids Christian missed qualifying for the Final by placing fourth at its Regional, but No. 4 Williamston did advance and also is seeking its first championship in this sport – and finished runner-up a year ago.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central: The Cougars carded a 317 at Pigeon Creek in West Olive to win their Regional by 34 strokes. They graduated only one golfer from last season’s Finals lineup, and the four returnees were joined by senior Claire Sullivan at the Regional as all five finished among the top seven – Sullivan and juniors Kelsey Preston and Margaret Deimel all tied for second, junior Sofia Piccione tied for fifth and senior Ava Wisinski finished seventh. Wisinski tied for sixth and Preston tied for eighth at last season’s Final
Goodrich: The Martians are hoping to take a jump from eighth place last season and return their top four golfers from last year’s Finals lineup. They won their Regional at Heather Hills in Romeo by 10 strokes with those four from last season the low scorers – senior Sanora Kochan placed second, junior Madilyn Sheerin third, sophomore Brooklyn Webb seventh and junior Hailey Madill 11th. Kochan missed the top 10 at last year’s Final by one stroke.
Williamston: The Hornets actually carded the low score of the second round at last year’s Final to pull within 12 strokes of catching Catholic Central, cutting 19 from their Friday total. They made it back to championship weekend thanks to four top-20 Regional performances and three among the top 14 by golfers from last season’s lineup – sophomore Paige Radebach was the medalist at Wolf Creek in Adrian, while senior Nicole Schafer was co-runner-up and senior Athena Hart tied for 14th. Schafer was fourth individually at last year’s Final.
Individuals: Six of last season’s top 10 are back, led by Grand Rapids Christian junior Lillian O’Grady, who tied for second in 2023 and won the Regional at Pigeon Creek last week with a 72. In addition to her, Schafer, Wisinski and Preston, Dowagiac senior Rebecca Guernsey tied for eighth and Macomb Lutheran North senior Saige Rothey placed 10th last season. Guernsey and Rothey also won their Regionals last week, as did Ada Forest Hills Eastern junior Stella Bernhardt and Freeland sophomore Alexis Heinz.
LP Division 4 at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West
Top-ranked: 1. Kalamazoo Christian, 2. Lansing Catholic, 3. Ann Arbor Greenhills.
Kalamazoo Christian and Lansing Catholic decided last season’s championship, with Lansing Catholic taking its first Finals title since 2012. The runner-up finish was Christian’s highest, and if rankings hold true they’ll take the next step this weekend. Greenhills finished fourth last season and also is seeking its first team championship. The Gryphons’ best Finals finish in girls golf was runner-up in Division 3 in 2006.
Kalamazoo Christian: The Comets cut 17 strokes between Rounds 1 and 2 last season to finish 26 behind Lansing Catholic but one ahead of third-place Brooklyn Columbia Central. Now-senior Jordyn Bonnema finished sixth individually as one of four juniors who posted scores for K-Christian that weekend, and those four were the team’s scorers again at last week’s Regional at Heritage Glen in Paw Paw as the Comets outpaced Lansing Catholic by 14 strokes. Senior Scarlett Hindbaugh was the medalist, Bonnema was one stroke back, senior Kennedy Gernaat was two strokes back in third, and senior Ella Adams placed 14th.
Lansing Catholic: As noted just above, Lansing Catholic finished second last week to Kalamazoo Christian at their Regional, with senior Brynn Anderson fourth, senior Julia Sambaer seventh and junior Addi Rule eighth and all five golfers among the top 15. Those three all carded scores at last year’s Final as well, led by Anderson finishing 12th individually.
Ann Arbor Greenhills: Most eyes will be on Melendez and her pursuit of individual and team history. But she will hardly be alone in that latter effort. The Gryphons also return senior Hannah Lee and sophomore Kayla Young from last season’s fourth-place Finals lineup, and those two finished 11th and tied for 16th, respectively, at the Regional at Links of Novi as Melendez was medalist with a 64. Lee was 11th at the Final last year as well.
Individuals: If Melendez is to win a fourth championship, she’ll have to overcome the strongest returning field of this weekend’s tournaments as six of last year’s top eight in this division are back. Brooklyn Columbia Central senior Logan Bentley finished runner-up and only two strokes off the lead last year and is coming off a Regional title at Cascades in Jackson, and Traverse City St. Francis’ Grace Slocum was fourth last season and won her Regional last week by 14 strokes. Bath senior Anna Schaibly was second at Links of Novi to Melendez and placed eighth at last year’s Final, and Wixom St. Catherine senior Rachel Fay was third at the same Regional and fifth at last year’s Final. Saginaw Valley Lutheran senior Murphy Linehan and Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian senior Ava McConnon both were Regional champions as well.
PHOTO Ann Arbor Greenhills' Mia Melendez follows an approach shot during last season's Lower Peninsula Division 4 Final. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
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.)