Preview: Legendary Opportunities Await
October 17, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
No doubt, this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Girls Golf Finals will provide unforgettable moments for everyone who takes part.
But there also are a number of storylines heading in that could prove memorable in statewide lore for seasons to come.
At least three reigning champions appear in the hunt to repeat – Traverse City West in Division 1, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern in Division 2 and Harbor Springs in Division 4. But West must fend off Northville – arguably the most impressive team this regular season in any division – while Forest Hills Northern just finished second at its Regional to Muskegon Reeths-Puffer and Harbor Springs faces a Division 4 field that includes reigning Division 3 champion Macomb Lutheran North.
For sure, we’ll say good-bye to two of the most accomplished individuals in state girls golf history. West’s Anika Dy and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep’s Danielle Staskowski will attempt to finish their high school careers with fourth MHSAA Finals individual championships – they’ve both won titles the last two years after Dy finished runner-up in Division 1 as a freshman and Staskowski began her prep run with a fourth place in Division 3 in 2015.
Only three others have won three Lower Peninsula championships since the first Finals in 1973 – Maple City Glen Lake’s Nichole Cox (2014-16), Okemos’ Elle Nichols (2011-13) and Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Kate Loy (1993-95).
Play begins at 10 a.m. both Friday and Saturday. See below for golfers to watch at all four Finals, and come back Saturday evening for coverage of all four championship tournaments on Second Half. Click for a list of all Finals qualifiers and Regional scores from last week.
LP Division 1 at Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley
Top-ranked: 1. Northville, 2. Bloomfield Hills, 3. Traverse City West.
The Division 1 field is loaded with talented teams, especially representing the southeastern part of the state – 13 of 18 qualifiers are from Livingston, Oakland, Macomb or Wayne counties. But Traverse City West is the reigning Finals champion – and has won two of the last three seasons.
Northville: The Mustangs are undefeated this season playing many of the best teams in Division 1, with an incredible 291 in August setting a program scoring record. All five starters for this weekend were part of last season’s fourth-place Finals finish. Northville tied Hartland with the lowest Regional score in LPD1 last week, shooting a 326 at Travis Pointe in Saline to finish 21 strokes ahead of runner-up and No. 5-ranked Plymouth. Mariella Simoncini is the only senior among the top five, and she was the Regional individual runner-up.
Bloomfield Hills: The Black Hawks finished second by two strokes to No. 8 Clarkston at the Regional at Clarkston’s Pine Knob, shooting a 336, and remain No. 2 in the rankings. They won their second straight Oakland County Division 1 championship earlier this fall and bring back this weekend the four scorers from last season’s seventh-place finisher. Senior Mikaela Schulz was fourth individually a year ago and won the Regional title last week with a 74, four strokes ahead of sophomore teammate and runner-up Sanju Swamy.
Traverse City West: Senior Anika Dy will lead the Titans into this weekend seeking a third straight individual championship to go with a third team title. She won last year’s Final by eight strokes, while now-sophomore sister Anci Dy tied for sixth. Senior Jillian Ellul also returns from last year’s top five, and together they finished first, second and third, respectively as West shot a 335 to win last week’s Regional at The Meadows by 23 strokes.
Other individuals of note: Seven of last season’s top 10 are back this weekend. Rochester junior Savannah Haque was last year’s runner-up and also a key contributor when her team won Division 1 in 2016. Utica Eisenhower sophomore Ariel Chang tied Anci Dy for sixth last season, and Brighton senior Annie Pietila came in eighth and will play at the Finals for the fourth time. Ann Arbor Pioneer sophomore Amaya Melendez also had a big debut in 2017, tying for ninth. She joined Anika Dy and Schulz among Regional champs last week, along with Hartland senior Sydney Bradford, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek senior Domitille Chambon and Grosse Pointe South sophomore Audrey Becker. Brighton sophomore Maggie Pietila came in second to Bradford at Hartland Glen, with her 75 one of the lowest Regional scores division-wide as well.
LP Division 2 at Michigan State's Forest Akers West
Top-ranked: 1. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer, 2. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, 3. Bloomfield Hills Marian.
Forest Hills Northern won its first championship last fall since 1982 and was ranked No. 1 all this season until Monday. Reeths-Puffer is shooting not only for its first championship, but first top-two finish after missing the latter by just a stroke a year ago. Marian was last season’s runner-up, achieving its first top-two finish, and could take another step this weekend as well.
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer: Karina VanDuinen was third at last year’s Final and Avery Howard was sixth, and they with also-returning senior Emma Veihl and junior Abby Fansler give the Rockets one of the most tournament-tested teams in the field. Scarier yet, freshman Karlie VanDuinen led the way at the Regional with her winning 70 the second-lowest score last week in the entire division as the team shot a 310 to best Forest Hills Northern. Older sister Karina won the Division 2 individual championship as a freshman in 2015, and Howard also placed as a sophomore in 2016.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern: Senior Kay Zubkus and sophomores Lilia Henkel and Anna Fay are back from the team that won last season’s championship by 13 strokes – Henkel finishing seventh and Zubkus tying for 10th individually. The Huskies finished seventh strokes back of Reeths-Puffer last week at Grand Rapids’ Thornapple Pointe, with Zubkus second, Henkel third and Fay tied for sixth. Zubkus’ 72 was the third-lowest Regional score division-wide.
Bloomfield Hills Marian: Reigning Finals individual champion Shannon Kennedy leads four players back from last season’s second-place finisher as they look to make program history. She shot a two-round 146 last season as a freshman to clear the field by three strokes, and she was the Regional medalist at Huron Meadows in Brighton last week by two strokes with a 77. Zink, a senior, and Hudson, a junior, took fifth and tied for sixth, respectively, at the Regional, and sophomore Lauren Sass had the second-best score among the team’s returnees at last year’s Final.
More individuals of note: St. Joseph senior Cailey Rooker finished ninth last season and fourth as a sophomore, and won last week’s Regional at Coldwater Golf Course by seven strokes shooting an 80. Okemos freshman Allison Cui is shooting under par for the season and won last week’s Regional at The Emerald in St. Johns with a 69, 13 strokes ahead of the field. Petoskey junior Ashley Lamb and South Lyon senior Julia Vess also earned Regional championships.
LP Division 3 at Michigan State’s Forest Akers East
Top-ranked: 1. Flint Powers Catholic, 2. Grand Rapids South Christian, 3. Freeland.
Powers is playing for its first championship since 2008, South Christian for its first since 2009, and Freeland for its first title and first top-two finish ever. Last season’s champion, Macomb Lutheran North, is in Division 4 this fall after finishing three strokes better than the Sailors in 2017. Unranked Spring Lake – third last season but champion for three straight from 2014-16 – shot the division’s lowest Regional score last week, 356.
Flint Powers Catholic: The Chargers finished third in 2016 and fifth last season, and return this weekend with four of their top five from a year ago plus a standout freshman. Sophomore Jolie Brochu tied for eighth at last season’s final and junior Maggie Knight missed the individual top 10 by a stroke in 2016. They led Powers to last week’s Regional title at Owosso Country Club, won with a tie-breaker against Freeland. Brochu finished first individually, Knight was third, with senior Gina Canavesio seventh, freshman Allie Sexton ninth and junior Olivia Canaday 10th.
Grand Rapids South Christian: The Sailors are headed to the Finals for the 23rd straight season and just missed another title a year ago as now-senior Natalie Samdal finished fourth individually to lead the way. Junior Maddie Wieringa and senior Ashley Keen also were part of that runner-up Finals effort, and all three finished among the top 10 as South Christian won last week’s Regional at Pigeon Creek in West Olive with a 363.
Freeland: Senior Olivia Pumford took 10th at last season’s Final as an individual qualifier and will be joined this weekend by the rest of the Falcons, who just missed winning the Regional (see above) but still shot what tied for the second-lowest score in the division last week. Pumford took first at the Regional as all five Freeland golfers finished among the top 12; senior Alyssa Argyle was fifth, senior Lily Beyer sixth and sophomore Lydia Beck eighth.
Other individuals of note: Pontiac Notre Dame Prep senior Danielle Staskowski has won the last two Division 3 championships, by eight strokes last fall and in a playoff hole as a sophomore. She shot a 75 last week at Pontiac Country Club to win her Regional by a stroke over Goodrich senior Elizabeth Gibbs. Senior Hannah Klein tied for sixth at the Final last season in leading Spring Lake to its third-place team finish, and she tied for 10th as a sophomore in 2016. She too was a Regional champion last week, as was Hastings junior Rayna Honsowitz, Marshall junior Karlee Malone and Carleton Airport sophomore Kristen Reed.
LP Division 4 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State
Top-ranked: 1. North Muskegon, 2. Harbor Springs, 3. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian.
Harbor Springs is coming off last season’s first MHSAA girls golf championship, an 11-stroke victory. North Muskegon and NorthPointe Christian both are playing for their first titles – NorthPointe finished runner-up in 2013, while North Muskegon is seeking to place among the top two for the first time. Macomb Lutheran North is unranked but won in 2016 and then took first in 2017 in Division 3 – with three players from that team coming back this weekend.
North Muskegon: The Norsemen finished sixth in 2015, 11th in 2016 and fourth a year ago, and will go after their first title with all five scorers back from last season’s team. Senior Abby Grevel tied for eighth individually at the 2017 Final, and she’s joined by three more seniors and a sophomore. They won last week’s Regional at The Mines in Grand Rapids with a 344, 11 strokes better than the field, with Grevel second, senior Lindsay Bliss third and sophomore Georgie Kersman seventh.
Harbor Springs: Four of last season’s top five are back seeking a repeat run, with senior Madi Bezilla leading after tying for third individually a year ago. The team’s top four last season all shot within 10 strokes of one another at the Final, and that balance reigns as the Rams shot the division’s lowest Regional score last week, 353, with all four scorers between 80-90. Bezilla was first, junior Evie Garver was second, sophomore Jacque O’Neill was third and senior Callie O’Neill came in eighth.
Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian: The Mustangs are looking to make a jump from 13th last season and third at last week’s Regional, which also included No. 5 Kalamazoo Hackett in the runner-up spot after North Muskegon. Three of last season’s top five lead the way, with sophomore Sabrina Langerak coming in fourth and junior Lauren Slottke fifth at the Regional.
Other individuals of note: Six of last season’s top 10 will be back this weekend, led by reigning champion Alissa Fish of Brooklyn Columbia Central. She won by two strokes last year as a junior, and claimed last week’s Regional title at Concord Hills by eight strokes. Jackson Lumen Christi senior Hillary Ziemba tied for third last year, Shepherd senior Morgan Yates tied for sixth, and Kalamazoo Hackett senior Emily Stull was 10th. All three won Regional titles last week, as did Macomb Lutheran North senior Kaity Rittner – who finished fifth in LPD3 in 2017.
PHOTOS: (Top) Traverse City West’s Anika Dy unloads a drive during last season’s LPD1 Final. (Middle) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep’s Danielle Staskowski stands at the front of the line of top individual finishers in LPD3 in 2017. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
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.)