Preview: Next Wave of Champions
October 15, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
First-time champions are expected to dominate this weekend’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Girls Golf Finals.
East Kentwood, South Lyon, Spring Lake and Kalamazoo Hackett are ranked first in Divisions 1-4, respectively, by the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association. None has won an MHSAA team title.
Three divisions are guaranteed to crown first-time individual champions as well; Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood’s Cordelia Chan is back seeking a repeat in Division 3, but last season’s winners in the other three divisions all graduated.
See below for some details behind the favored teams in each division, plus other individuals who could make runs this weekend. Click for qualifiers and Regional results from all four divisions and Finals results as they are reported.
LP DIVISION 1 at Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley
Top-ranked: 1. East Kentwood, 2. Lake Orion, 3. Farmington Hills Mercy
Five teams posted Regional scores of 340 or lower, including the three above and with No. 4 Dearborn posting the lowest of last week at 334 despite playing only four golfers. Plymouth is the reigning back-to-back champion and ranked No. 9 despite four of its top five returning from last season’s winner. Troy and Davison also took turns among the top three this fall, Troy in the top spot for two weeks before moving to No. 5.
East Kentwood: The Falcons are favored to win their first MHSAA team championship with their top four back from last season’s team that finished sixth but only three strokes out of fourth place. Senior Sarah White and junior Mackenzie Keenoy finished first and second, respectively, at the Regional at Blythefield Country Club. White tied for sixth individually at last season’s LP Division 1 Final and also as a sophomore, and was Division 1 runner-up as a freshman individual qualifier.
Lake Orion: The Dragons own one MHSAA team title, from the 2007 spring season, and all five starters this weekend played on last season’s 10th-place finisher. Balance is a strength – juniors Lauren Danielson and Megan Miller were the team's highest Regional placers at Lapeer Country Club, tying for third, but two teammates tied for seventh and all five golfers shot 84-90 as Lake Orion won by 17 strokes.
Farmington Hills Mercy: The 2012 runner-up is seeking its first team title since 2001 after not qualifying for the Finals last season. Senior Erica Heath – a member of that 2012 lineup – did play at the 2013 Final as an individual qualifier and leads a team that stormed back into the final weekend with a 335 to win the Regional at Dunham Hills Golf Course. She and junior Julia Shaw tied for second at the Regional, while all five Mercy players shot 82-88 and finished among the top 12.
Other individuals of note: Last season’s Final runner-up Dearborn senior Elayna Bowser shot a 74 to win the Regional at Sanctuary Lake as her team posted that Division 1-best team score. Plymouth senior Sydney Murphy returns as the reigning champ’s top player after finishing ninth individually last season, and junior Samantha Kellstrom leads Saline after finishing 10th a year ago. Traverse City Central senior Amelia Pezzetti finished fourth in Division 2 in 2013. A handful of others broke 80 at their Regionals; senior Madison Renko with a 78 to follow teammate Bowser for Dearborn, Troy juniors Jennifer Cui (75) and Naomi Kim (79), Ann Arbor Skyline sophomore Jami Laude (79) and Brighton senior Jennica Long (79).
LP DIVISION 2 at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers West
Top-ranked: 1. South Lyon, 2. Midland Dow, 3. Birmingham Seaholm.
Seaholm won its third title in nine seasons in 2013, by a stroke over Okemos. With the Chieftains graduating individual champion Elle Nichols in the spring, last season’s third-place Dow and fourth-place South Lyon are expected to move up in the standings and challenge the Maples while both seeking their first MHSAA team championships.
South Lyon: Three starters return from last season’s fourth-place team, including senior Caroline Harding, who tied for eighth individually. She’s one of three sisters among the team’s top five; freshman Elizabeth carded the team’s low score of 83 to win the Regional at Pine View Golf Course, while Caroline was tied for second and junior Priscilla Harding tied with senior teammate Alex Bernas for fourth place overall.
Dow: The Chargers posted the low Regional score in Division 2, best by six strokes, and are keyed by sisters Stephanie and Alexis Carras, after Stephanie finished third at last season’s Final and teamed with now-graduated older sister Kharissa to lead Dow to a third-place team finish. Senior Madison Bowen, junior Alexie Flaminio and sophomore Caroline Szabo also rounded out last season’s lineup, and all five players finished among the top eight at the Regional at Flint Elks Golf Club – Stephanie Carras winning with a 76.
Seaholm: Senior Jamie Greene and juniors Allegra Cunningham and Jordan Michalak also scored at last season’s Final, with Greene tying for eighth among individuals and Cunningham and Michalak both finishing just a stroke outside the top 10. The Maples won their Regional at Edgewood Country Club by 23 strokes, with Michalak finishing first, Cunningham second and Greene fourth.
Other individuals of note: Okemos junior Jessica Kim was the team’s second-lowest scorer at the 2013 Final, where she finished sixth overall. A number of others who played at last season’s Final impressed at Regionals and should contend for a top-10 spot; among a few to consider are Flushing junior Brooke Thomas, Detroit Renaissance junior Nia Little, St. Joseph senior Hannah Grall, Auburn Hills Avondale senior Mackenzie Blomberg and Muskegon Mona Shores senior Rylee George. George was a sophomore on Mona Shores’ 2012 championship team.
LP DIVISION 3 at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers East
Top-ranked: 1. Spring Lake, 2. Detroit Country Day, 3. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood.
Country Day won its first MHSAA girls golf championship in 2013 on a tie-breaker ahead of Cranbrook-Kingswood, which finished runner-up for the second straight season and last won a team title in 2006. But expected to finish ahead of both is Spring Lake, which is seeking its first MHSAA championship but finished third in 2013. Many will be rooting on Grand Rapids South Christian, which posted the third-lowest LP Division 3 Regional score (357) a day after the unexpected death of coach Rod VanDyke (click for more from the Grand Rapids Press). And last season’s Division 4 champion, Grosse Ile, is in Division 3 this weekend with three starters from last season’s title winner.
Spring Lake: The Lakers return four of their five from last season’s Final; sophomore Anna Kramer finished fourth individually in her first MHSAA championship tournament, and senior Ginnie Olszewski was three strokes shy of the top 10. Spring Lake dominated its Regional at Katke Golf Course, finishing 29 strokes ahead of the field with Kramer taking individual honors with a 77. All five players finished among the top 10.
Country Day: The Yellowjackets return three of last season’s top five, and senior Nicole Junn finished three strokes outside the top 10 individuals last season. Country Day finished ahead of No. 9 Warren Regina but second and just a stroke behind Cranbrook-Kingswood at their Regional at The Emerald. Junn was third at the Regional, leading four players who finished among the top seven places while all shooting 87-92.
Cranbrook-Kingswood: Three of the Cranes’ top five from last season also are back, led by individual champion Chan, who added last week’s Regional title to her achievements by shooting a 79. Junior Molly Wiener and senior Gabby Shuert also started at last season’s Final and finished ninth and 10th, respectively, at the Emerald as all five Cranbrook-Kingswood players scored among the top 20.
Other individuals of note: In addition to Chan and Kramer, three more from last season’s Final top 10 will play this weekend – Ada Forest Hills Eastern senior Henna Singh (tied for sixth in 2013), Lake Odessa Lakewood junior Emily Barker (ninth) and Wayland junior Ali Martus (tied for 10th). Carleton Airport sophomore Olivia Reed missed the top 10 last season by two strokes but last week shot an 82 to win the Regional at West Shore Country Club. Regina junior Lucy Cornwell shot an 81 to finish second to Chan at The Emerald.
LP DIVISION 4 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University
Top-ranked: 1. Kalamazoo Hackett, 2. Macomb Lutheran North, 3. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian.
Division 4 was added in the Lower Peninsula six seasons ago, and Grosse Ile and Lansing Catholic have combined to win the first five titles – but neither will be playing at this tournament this weekend. NorthPointe Christian was the runner-up a year ago, finishing two strokes back of Grosse Ile, while Hackett was fifth after finishing second in 2012. No. 6 Flint Powers Catholic and unranked Jackson Lumen Christi are the only teams in the field that have won MHSAA titles in any division or class of girls golf. No. 4 Harbor Springs shot a Division 4-low Regional score of 352, and No. 5 Grand Rapids West Catholic also was impressive at 366.
Hackett: The Fighting Irish return five starters from last season’s Final, where now-junior Lizzie Stull tied for seventh individually. Senior Carrie Radomsky also was on the 2012 team that finished third. Stull finished second at the Regional at Silver Lake Country Club with a 79, and junior Rebecca Radomsky was sixth as all five Hackett players finished among the top 13 places and the team edged No. 5 West Catholic and No. 3 NorthPointe Christian.
Lutheran North: Four of its Regional starters last week helped last year’s Mustangs to an eighth-place finish, and all five finished among the top nine at the Stoney Creek Golf Course Regional. Senior Katie Humphreys was first, sophomore Sydney Martens was second and freshman Serena Nguyen came in third as the team won by 29 strokes.
NorthPointe Christian: Last season’s Final individual runner-up Monica Koert graduated, but NorthPointe is back with three of the golfers who filled last season’s lineup behind her, led by senior Molly Antor – who won the Silver Lake individual championship with a 73. Senior Allison Starr was third at the Regional, and with junior Jessica Zylstra also bring last season’s championship tournament experience to this lineup.
Other individuals of note: Four more of last season’s individual top 10 also will play, topped by 2013 third-placer Nichole Cox (77); the Maple City Glen Lake sophomore last week won the Regional at Mistwood. Farwell senior Bria Colosky was second at that Regional (80) and tied for 10th at last season’s Final, as did Hillsdale Academy junior Madi Reed, the Regional champion last week at Calderone Golf Club. Frankenmuth sophomore Meg Watkins (87) won the Regional at Twin Brooks Golf Course after two playoff holes and coming off a sixth-place Final finish in 2013; she defeated Freeland Tori Argyle in the playoff. Harbor Springs’ Regional-best team score was keyed by an 81 by senior Abbey Detmar, who finished third individually at Mistwood and was her team's second-lowest shooter last season when the Rams finished sixth at the Final.
PHOTO: Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood’s Cordelia Chan attempts to sink a putt on the way to winning last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 individual championship.
Mustangs Complete Championship Climb
October 15, 2016
By Tom Kendra
Special for Second Half
EAST LANSING – Macomb Lutheran North’s route to an MHSAA championship seemed like a simple 3, 2, 1 countdown.
The Mustangs, who finished third at the Lower Peninsula Girls Golf Division 4 tournament in 2014 and second last year, broke through with a 36-stroke victory over second-place Livonia Ladywood on Saturday at Forest Akers West in East Lansing.
But for veteran Lutheran North coach Lori Gill, the road to the title started much more than three years ago – last century, actually.
“This was 19 years in the making,” said an emotional Gill after leading Lutheran North to not only its first-ever girls golf championship, but also the first MHSAA girls golf title for any Macomb County school.
“You are looking at one happy, happy coach. This is a really special group of girls. They are fun, and they are committed.”
Lutheran North took command of the two-day event with a solid team effort on Friday, building up a 16-stroke lead, then came back with an even better team score Saturday to zap any potential drama out of the team competition. Kalamazoo Hackett, the two-time reigning champion, placed third.
Junior Serena Nguyen led three Mustangs among the top 10 individuals with back-to-back 79s, good for fourth overall on the long and challenging Forest Akers West course. Senior Sydney Martens (85-79-164) took sixth and sophomore Kaity Rittner (82-84-166) was eighth.
Lutheran North’s fourth counted score on each day was an 89 – from senior Madison Mohr on Friday and junior Grace Farquhar on Saturday – as the Mustangs were the only team in the field to not count a score in the 90s or higher either of the two days.
“The best part is that it was a total team effort, and we all came through for our coach,” said Martens while cradling the championship trophy in her arms. “Each year we were getting closer and closer. It’s just so nice that we took that final step.”
The battle for individual medalist honors was closer than the team competition, but the experience – and power – of senior individual qualifier Nichole Cox of Maple City Glen Lake was too much for the rest of the field.
Cox capped off a stellar four-year career by winning her third consecutive Finals medalist honor, to go along with a fourth-place finish as a freshman. Cox fired an even-par 72 in Friday’s opening round and overcame a couple of bad holes on Saturday to finish with a 78 for a two-day total of 150 and a four-shot edge.
Frankenmuth senior Megan Watkins and Kalamazoo Hackett senior Naomi Keyte shot identical rounds of 78-76-154 to tie for second in the individual competition.
“I hit my driver great both days – almost all of them were straight with a little draw,” said Cox, who blasted a 280-yard drive on Saturday on the 407-yard, par-5 second hole. “I’m proud of myself because I had two double-bogeys today, but I hung in there.”
Cox, who will play golf at Bowling Green, had three birdies in Friday’s opening round and none on Saturday. She shook off a four-putt, double-bogey on No. 5, her second hole Saturday morning, then started racking up pars en route to her “three-peat.” She became only the ninth girl in MHSAA history to win at least three Finals individual championships.
The closest pursuer to Lutheran North in the team race turned out to be Livonia Ladywood, which improved on its fourth-place Finals finish one year ago. The Blazers captured the second-place trophy behind the big three of junior Gabriella Scopone (83-83-166), who placed ninth, senior Lydia Cranmer (86-81-167), who was 10th, and senior Jordyn Rioux (85-87-172).
But this was Lutheran North’s time for a title.
Martens, the senior leader for the Mustangs who will play golf at Oakland University next year, said the team talked about staying aggressive in spite of its 16-stroke lead after Friday’s opening round.
“Sixteen strokes sounds like a lot, but it’s only four strokes for each girl,” said Martens, whose older sister, Samantha Martens, was also a standout for Gill at Lutheran North. “We are a long-hitting team, and we wanted to keep playing our game and try to extend the lead.”
Gill, whose team was playing in the Finals for the sixth straight year, said another key to the Mustangs’ terrific run over the past three has been playing top-flight competition from Division 1 and other larger schools throughout the regular season. Lutheran North made a statement way back in August by winning the 15-school Flint Powers Invitational, then provided the other bookend to its spectacular season Saturday with a 36-stroke runaway.
“We got a taste of that top three (the last two years) and then winning the title became an obsession,” said Gill. “The girls knew what they wanted to do and they did it. What can I say? They are an amazing group of girls and an amazing group of golfers.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Macomb Lutheran North’s Serena Nguyen fires out of a bunker during Saturday’s final round of the Division 3 Final. (Middle) Maple City Glen Lake’s Nichole Cox holes a putt en route to her third straight individual title. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)