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.
Hrynewich's Star Continuing to Rise with Olympic, Pro Sports Arrivals
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
June 30, 2022
Hailey Hrynewich is only 27, and she’s already worked as an on-camera reporter for NBC at the recent Winter Olympics and for The Golf Channel at last month’s Canadian Open.
Hrynewich, who goes by the name Hailey Hunter in her broadcasting career, gives much of the credit for her early success to her parents, her twin brother Reed, her teachers and her coaches.
But she learned even more from a game.
“I have learned so many life lessons from golf,” explained Hailey, who was an all-state golfer at Muskegon Mona Shores and led the Sailors to Lower Peninsula Division 2 championships all four years of high school, from 2009 to 2012.
“I learned how to prepare, to work hard, and I learned discipline. But I think the biggest thing golf taught me is how to be coachable and take criticism. I can honestly say that I love criticism. I need it to get better.”
Hrynewich, who also played soccer and ran track for one year at Mona Shores, grew up playing hockey on a homemade rink in her backyard and was a competitive figure skater. But it was golf that captured her heart.
Even though she is right-handed, she “wanted to play golf like my dad and brother,” who are both left-handed. So she started mimicking their swings, and not only got good at it, she became one of the top female left-handed golfers in the state.
In addition to the four team state titles, Hrynewich earned Division 2 all-state honors all four years and was a Super Team selection as a senior, given to the top eight golfers in the state, regardless of division.
But with her combination of smarts, a heavy dose of sports in her DNA and charismatic personality, Hrynewich was ready for her next challenge.
“I had a great high school experience,” said Hrynewich, who did journalism work and was a regular on Mona Shores morning announcements during the school days. “I learned so much and had so much fun. It made me want to learn more and go places.”
Golf & broadcasting
Hrynewich was one of those rare high school seniors who knew exactly what she wanted to do in college:
Play golf and study sports broadcasting.
With that in mind, she sat down during her senior year at Mona Shores with her father, Tim, who played nine years of professional hockey including two with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and did research to identify the top 10 sports broadcasting schools in the country.
That search led Hailey to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where she was a four-year standout for the Division I Bobcats and a two-time academic all-Mid-American Conference selection.
Reed, who was an all-state golfer and hockey player at Mona Shores, chose to stay in-state and play golf at University of Michigan. His success on and off the course mirrored his sister – and they remain each other’s biggest fans.
“So many people in that industry get in because of their family or who they know, but that wasn’t the case with Hailey,” said Reed, who is four minutes younger than his twin sister. “When she gets a freelance gig, she will study non-stop for days and days to be 100-percent prepared. She has gotten where she is through hard work.”
Hailey said she gets her analytical side from her dad. When she was 12, she memorized the statistics of the top 50 golfers and hockey players.
“I thought that was fun,” Hrynewich explained.
Her outgoing personality and courage in new situations come from her mother Susan – and those traits come in handy as she juggles freelance broadcasting opportunities from all over the world, including getting set in front of the camera earlier this month at the RBC Canadian Open with stars such as Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler.
“I watch her clips and I see her talking to these famous people, and she’s so comfortable,” said Tim Hrynewich, who now works in real estate in Muskegon. “That’s the most impressive part of it to me. Her confidence. I could never do that.”
Proving herself
After graduating from Ohio University in 2017, Hailey still had the same two passions as when she graduated from Mona Shores four years earlier – golf and sports broadcasting.
The only difference is that she was now at the point where she had to choose between the two.
Hailey, who played in the prestigious U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2015, moved to Florida after graduation and turned pro for a short period – even shooting a career-best 66 in her first professional tournament.
Ultimately, she decided that the time requirement and uncertainty of professional golf was too much, and she focused on broadcasting.
Her initial job was working for what is now Amalie Arena in Tampa, covering the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL and the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League.
That gave way to an internship with the LPGA Tour, which turned into a full-time job as a content producer and host, which she did for almost three years.
She estimates that during her time at the LPGA, her work was “30 percent on camera and 70 percent off camera.” Wanting more on-camera experience, she took a job as a sports reporter and weekend sports anchor at WJTV-12 in Jackson, Miss., where she learned a variety of skills necessary to put together a broadcast and covered SEC football and basketball.
Three weeks after she moved to Mississippi, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and she was quarantined in a city where she knew nobody.
Hrynewich describes her time as a small-town, Southern TV reporter as a “humbling grind” of shooting her own footage and even doing a live report from outside of the Alabama at Ole Miss football game during a tropical storm.
During this time, she made it a goal to work for an NHL team. After several near-misses, she landed a job with the New York Islanders as a team reporter and studio host, and in November of last year, she was off to Long Island.
“I went from one of the least-populated states in the country to one of the most populated – from Southern to big city,” Hrynewich said with a laugh. “But it was fun, and it was time.”
Just a couple of months into her gig with the Islanders, Hailey received a dream-come-true opportunity and set the stage for a crazy 2022 (which is only at the halfway point).
Olympics, PGA and beyond
The call came from Molly Solomon, who Hrynewich got to know when she was working for the LPGA Tour, and was now NBC’s Executive Producer for the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China, which started Feb. 4.
Basically, one week before the Games, one of the reporters dropped out, so Solomon asked Hrynewich if she would step in.
“Of course, I said yes,” said Hrynewich, who was granted a leave of absence by the Islanders to go to Beijing. “Then I stressed myself out getting over there and studying everything I possibly could about sports I knew nothing about.”
She was assigned as NBC’s on-site reporter for four sports – moguls, aerials, ski cross and snowboard cross – and, as fate would have it, she covered one of the most compelling stories of the entire Games. Hrynewich drew praise for her handling of an emotional interview with Nick Baumgartner of Iron River, who failed to make the finals in snowboard cross in his fifth Olympic Games. Then she was there two days later when he redeemed himself with a gold medal in the team competition.
“It was raw emotion,” Hrynewich recalled. “He went from low to high, but I had to stay in the middle. I will never forget that interview.”
Both of those clips, along with many other highlights of her young career, are featured on her web site – haileyhunter.com.
Since the Olympics, Hrynewich has been pin-balling all over North America. She covered track & field for NBC Sports, then did the ACC Track & Field Championships for the ACC Network, the U.S. Women’s Open for the USGA and the Canadian Open for The Golf Channel.
She is momentarily catching her breath at home in Jackson, Miss., and is looking forward to coming back to Muskegon to see family and friends for the Fourth of July.
But she doesn’t expect to be sitting still for too long, with several more exciting projects in the hopper.
“I can’t believe everything I’ve done already this year,” Hailey said. “I’m really thankful and blessed and can’t wait to see what’s around the corner. Golf has opened up so many doors for me.”
PHOTOS (Top) From left, Mona Shores' Hailey Hrynewich watches a drive during the 2012 MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final, and at right Hrynewich hosts during a PGA event. (2) Hrynewich skates as a child. (3) Hrynewich poses with the leaderboard after her team collects the 2021 championship trophy. (4) On set with the Islanders, Hrynewich provides her knowledge as a team reporter and studio host. (Photos provided by Hailey Hrynewich.)