Preview: One More Swing at History
October 17, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A year ago, many eyes turned to the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final as Muskegon Mona Shores attempted, and completed, a quest to become the first in Lower Peninsula history to win four straight girls golf team championships.
Many will be watching Division 2 again this weekend as Okemos' Elle Nichols attempts to become only the second in the Lower Peninsula to win three consecutive individual titles.
That's obviously one of the most significant storylines heading into this weekend, but every Final has more than a few. Below are contenders to watch and the stories behind their successes so far. Play begins Friday morning and finishes Saturday afternoon. Click for more information including all qualifiers and Regional results.
Division 1 at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West
Top ranked: No.1 Troy, No. 2 Plymouth, No. 3 Saline.
Plymouth won its first MHSAA team championship in 2012; could this weekend be Troy’s turn to do the same? The Colts have been in the hunt before but never finished among the top two at a Final. Saline’s best player now was its third-best in 2010 when her team won its most recent of three MHSAA titles.
Troy: The Colts are favored to win their first MHSAA championship after missing the Finals completely a year ago – although senior Amanda McCafferty played on the team that finished fifth in Division 1 in 2011. She and all four teammates shot 90 or better and posted the best Regional score (333 at Dearborn Country Club) in Division 1, with sophomore Naomi Kim (78) placing fifth and sophomore Jennifer Cui (79) sixth individually.
Plymouth: The reigning champ comes into the weekend with three of its top five from last season’s championship run – junior Sydney Murphy, sophomore Katie Chipman and senior Kayla Whatley – and all three finished among the top eight individuals at the Regional at the University of Michigan. The Wildcats were ranked 10th only two weeks ago, but shot the second-lowest Regional score (335) in Division 1.
Saline: The Hornets finished second to Plymouth at the U-M Regional, but by only four strokes and should be similarly dangerous this weekend. Regional medalist Emily White, a senior, tied for sixth at last season’s Finals in leading Saline to a seventh-place team finish. Sophomore Samantha Kellstrom and senior Stacy Cruze followed White as the next best shooters during that Finals run, and they finished third and 18th, respectively, at last week’s Regional.
Other individuals of note: Holt’s Pader Her finished just four strokes off the individual lead at last season's Final. She shot a 69 at her Regional last week at East Kentwood to win by seven strokes over the Falcons’ Sarah White, who tied with Saline’s White and Grosse Pointe South’s Lily Pendy for sixth at last season’s Final. Grosse Pointe South certainly could be in the hunt as a team, led by seniors Pendy and Tenley Shield, who finished first and tied for third, respectively, at the Dearborn Regional; Shield finished fifth at last season’s Final. Troy Athens senior Jennifer Yang, Ann Arbor Skyline freshman Jamie Laude and Dearborn junior Elayna Bowser joined all of those players in shooting 76 or better at Regionals.
Division 2 at Michigan State’s Forest Akers East
Top ranked: No. 1 Birmingham Seaholm, No. 2 South Lyon, No. 3 Okemos.
Seaholm was the last team to win a Division 2 title before Mona Shores won the last four keyed by an incredible class that graduated in the spring. South Lyon and Okemos are ranked next, and both are seeking their first finishes among the top two at an MHSAA Final.
Reigning individual champion: Elle Nichols, Okemos.
Birmingham Seaholm: Strength throughout the lineup and consistency make Seaholm tough to catch off its game; the Maples finished fourth at the 2012 Final despite no individuals among the top 10, and four of those players will be starting again this weekend. All five from this season’s lineup finished among the top 11 at the Regional at Holly’s Heather Highlands, led by senior Megan Lam and sophomore Jordan Michalak shooting 80 and tying for third. Lam missed the individual top 10 at last season’s Final by only four strokes.
South Lyon: Two starters are back from last season’s team that tied for fifth at the Final, and they were two of the team’s top shooters as it carded a 329 to win the Regional at Ypsilanti’s Pine View Golf Course by 51 strokes. Three-year starters Caroline Harding (a junior) and Allison Ranusch (a senior) finished first and fourth, respectively, individually at the Regional, and all five in the lineup finished among the top eight (sophomore Priscilla Harding followed Caroline among the team’s best, in third place).
Okemos: With another individual win this weekend, senior Elle Nichols can join Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Katie Loy (1993-95) as the only three-time Finals champions in Lower Peninsula girls golf history. Nichols won a three-player tie-breaker to claim the title last year, when she led the Chieftains to third place as a team along with returnees Sydney Williams and Jessica Kim among others. All five of this season's starters finished among the top 20 at the Regional at Mason’s El Dorado, with champion Nichols followed by tied-for-sixth senior Carly Bullock.
Other individuals of note: One more from last season’s top 10 also will play this weekend; Fenton senior Samantha Moss finished fourth at the Final and is coming off the Regional title at Heather Highlands. Midland Dow senior Kharissa Carras shot a 75 to win her Regional at Midland’s Currie West, and Traverse City Central junior Amelia Pazetti finished only one stroke back at that tournament.
Division 3 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State
Top ranked: No. 1 Detroit Country Day, No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood, No. 3 Grand Rapids South Christian.
Given its prowess in other sports, it might surprise to find out Country Day has never won an MHSAA girls golf championship – although the Yellowjackets, in tying for third, came within four strokes of earning their first last season. Runner-up Cranbrook-Kingswood was only two strokes back of champion Forest Hills Eastern, and South Christian usually is in the hunt – the Sailors have finished first or second in five of the last seven Division 3 Finals.
Detroit Country Day: The top three and fifth shooter from last season’s close Finals call all are back in the lineup this weekend, led by senior Ellie Miller – who tied for seventh individually and was runner-up at last week’s Regional at Pontiac’s Fieldstone. The other three returnees from 2012 – senior Monika Hedni, junior Nicole Junn and sophomore Simran Brar – all finished among the top 11 at the Regional as Country Day edged Cranbrook-Kingswood by a stroke.
Cranbrook-Kingswood: The Cranes obviously hope to reverse that Regional finish and also return to the Final with heavy hitters in senior Greer Clausen and junior Cordelia Chan – Chan tied for second individually last season and Clausen was sixth. Chan won the Regional at Fieldstone and Clausen was third, with all five in the lineup tying for 21st or better.
Grand Rapids South Christian: Only one starter is back from the team that finished sixth in Division 3 in 2012. But senior Megan Wierenga was the team’s low scorer last season and also was a starter on the runner-up team in 2011. She won the Regional at Byron Center’s Railside Country Club by a stroke, with senior Grace Elenbaas tying for seventh and sophomore Nicole Hoekwater tying for ninth.
Others individuals of note: Forest Hills Eastern junior Henna Singh is the lone holdover from last season’s MHSAA champion team, and she was the leader of that group coming in fifth individually. She won the Regional at Cedar Springs’ Cedar Chase by four strokes last week. Hastings senior Kylie Nemetz tied for seventh individually at the 2012 Final and is back as an individual qualifier. She and senior teammate Katie Brown both finished among the top seven at Railside.
Division 4 at Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley
Top ranked: No. 1 Flint Powers Catholic, No. 2 Grosse Ile, No. 3 Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian.
After failing to make the Finals last season, Flint Powers is the favorite to unseat three-time reigning champion Lansing Catholic, to which the Chargers finished runner-up in 2011. Grosse Ile is playing for its third title in five seasons – the Red Devils won Division 4 in 2009 and Division 3 in 2011 – and NorthPointe is seeking its first top-two Finals finish after missing second place by three strokes last season.
Flint Powers: Senior Kristen Wolfe did make last season’s Final as an individual qualifier and missed the top 10 by two strokes. She finished second at the Regional at Bay City Country Club, with senior Morgan Zloto third and junior Reanna Barth tied for sixth. Zloto joined Wolfe in scoring for the 2011 team that finished second at the Final.
Grosse Ile: Back in Division 4 after also tying for third in Division 3 a year ago, Grosse Ile can boast three of its top five from that contender led by seniors Emily Bargardi and Katherine Kuzmiak. Bargardi finished second at the Regional at Grosse Ile’s West Shore Country Club, and Kuzmiak – who tied for seventh individually at the 2012 Division 3 Final – finished third at the Regional as all five Red Devils placed among the top eight.
Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian: Monica Koert finished seventh individually at last season’s Division 4 Final and leads three returning starters. She finished first and juniors Molly Antor and Allison Starr finished third and seventh, respectively, at the Regional at Eastern Hills in Kalamazoo as the team beat last season’s Finals runner-up Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Central by 11 strokes.
Other individuals of note: Lansing Catholic senior Jacqueline Setas will close out a career that’s included three team championships and three individual finishes of fourth or higher. She faced Muskegon Catholic Central’s Aya Johnson in a tie-breaker for first last season before finishing runner-up, and will be the heavy favorite to end her high school career with a medalist honor. Farwell junior Bria Colosky and Hanover-Horton senior Megan Klintworth were two of three who tied for ninth individually at last season’s Final, and both are coming off strong Regional finishes; Klintworth won at Jackson’s Cacades Golf Course, and Colosky finished runner-up at Manistee National to Maple City Glen Lake freshman Nicole Cox.
PHOTO: Okemos’ Elle Nichols poses with an MHSAA trophy after winning the individual championship at the 2011 Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final. She finished first in Division 2 last season as well. (Click to see more from High School Sports Scene.)
St. Francis Sophomore Building Up to Possible Multi-Sport Championship Story
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
October 7, 2022
Although there are plenty of races run on golf courses across the state, it is unlikely anyone would win both high school golf and cross country events on the same golf course.
The odds aren’t very good either that an athlete will capture an MHSAA Finals championship in both sports.
The chances must be even slimmer still for that athlete’s teams to sweep both titles in the same season.
Meet Grace Slocum, a golf and cross country standout at Traverse City St. Francis High School. Don’t bet against her work ethic and talent. Her coaches say both are second to none.
The odds of her capturing golf and cross country first place on the same golf course, winning an individual state championship in both golf and cross country in the same season and helping – if not leading – the Gladiators to team state titles in the same season cannot be calculated.
There might not be a need to do any speculating. Her coaches and teammates can’t wait to see what she accomplishes yet this season and throughout her career. Slocum is only a sophomore.
Her school is undergoing some re-modeling right now. A bigger trophy case perhaps should be under consideration.
She’s been accumulating hardware at golf events away from her high school team for some time. Now, she’s winning high school championships. This week, she won a golf Regional title and led her team to a second-place finish qualifying the Glads for the Lower Peninsula Division 4 Final to be played Oct. 14-15 at Grand Valley State University. St. Francis shot a 400 to trail only champion Harbor Springs – one of the strongest golf programs in the state – which finished with a 383.
Slocum finished ninth at the Finals last year as a freshman, and the Glads wound up 13th. Craig Ardery, who is in his 20th season as the St. Francis girls golf coach, is hoping his team cracks the top 10 this time.
When the Golf Finals are over, veteran St. Francis cross country coach Julie Duffing will have Slocum dedicated to running – and the Glads have their eyes on a team championship again after winning LPD3 titles in 2015 and 2016. They were third last year and have ridden consecutive conference and Regional successes to the Finals every year since 2015 – the year Duffing became head coach.
That was also the year her daughter, Katelyn, was a freshman on the Glads team. Julie Duffing's role didn’t change a whole lot with the new title. Prior to joining St. Francis as an assistant track coach in 2013, she had coached at Kingsley for 17 years. The Stags regularly finished among the top 10 in boys and girls cross country during her tenure.
The last year the Glads girls did not qualify as a team for the Finals was 2014 – also the year Holly Bullough won the first of her two individual Finals championships.
Today, the Glads are still feeling some sting from missing out on second place last year by just a few points to Kent City.
“The plan was to come back with a vengeance this year,“ said Duffing, who enjoyed a prep running career herself at Tawas and competed in track & field and cross country at Saginaw Valley State University. “Last year being third, and only two points separated second and third, was a little bitter.”
Slocum’ s twin brother, Josh, also plays golf for the Glads and runs cross country. He’s recovering from a summer injury but ran a personal record last week in his first race of the season. He was the top finisher too for the team ranked second in LPD3.
The St. Francis girls, ranked number one in LPD3, will soon have Slocum dedicated to cross country. She’ll be with the Glads for their last three scheduled meets including the Regional in East Jordan and the Final on Nov. 5 at Michigan International Speedway.
Hart won the LPD3 girls championship last year and is currently ranked fourth. The Glads have run against the Pirates twice this season, winning one of the matchups.
Last year as a freshman, Slocum missed several cross country races but finished 29th at the Final. Sophia Rhein, despite running injured, finished 31st. Betsy Skendzel, 10th, was the Glads’ top finisher. Reilly Duffing was 52nd, Mary Masserant was 62nd and Maddie Gallagher was 84th.
Rhein is the only senior this year among the six returnees. Add stellar freshman Paige Ritchie, and the Glads are ready to contend. Other members of the team looking to compete are senior Cora Garrey, junior Margot Haggerty, sophomores Katie Harrand and Maya Padisak, and freshmen Lucy Noggle, Olivia Padisak and Sarah Trojanowski.
“We did beat Hart at Benzie, and everybody was super excited about that,” Duffing noted. “And then we lost to them this last weekend.
“We didn’t have Grace this last weekend,” she continued. “We just didn’t have a great weekend.”
The loss to Hart can only help the Glads as they prepare for the postseason.
“I told the girls it’s OK. … Let’s have our bad races now,” Duffing said. “Let’s get them out now, and then we don’t have to worry about having another one.”
Slocum, whose favorite sport is golf, considered focusing exclusively on golf this fall. The pressures of two sports at one time with homework demands and school absences were weighing on her as the fall season began.
Duffing was prepared as the possibility was contemplated, having known Slocum for some time through her daughter’s close friendship and all the years they played hockey together. At the top of Duffing’s mind was – and is – Slocum’s happiness.
Duffing came up with a convenient plan for Slocum to follow and participate in cross country. The running Glads were thrilled with it. As a smaller school, the coach knew the importance of flexibility for student-athletes.
“I just looked at her and said, ‘You have a spot on the team no matter what,’” Duffing said. “‘You come when you can – we’ll work with you.’
“‘You don’t golf on Saturdays,’” Duffing recalled telling Slocum. “‘So race on Saturdays, and when you can get some runs in (during) the week, great.”
Knowing Slocum would be in the Glads’ top five whether she practiced regularly or not, the team set its sights on repeating as conference champs and moving through the Regional to the Final.
“I think our job with Grace was to keep the pressure off her and keep her happy,” Duffing noted. “I want her smiling, and I want her to have fun.
“It’s a team sport with a lot of really high goals, and she is part of those,” Duffing continued. “I just want her to be a part of it.”
The two worked out a schedule for training that focused on Sunday running as all the other pieces fell in place. They lost a few Saturdays so Slocum could golf on the courses where the Regional and Final were scheduled.
Slocum will wrap up her golf season next Friday and Saturday in Allendale. She’ll then run Oct. 22 in the Northern Michigan Cross Country Championship at Gaylord – on a golf course at the Otsego Club – and then is expected to help the Glads at the Regional on Oct. 29 before going after the Finals championship.
As she moves through her high school career, Slocum likely will shatter every single golf record at her school — if she hasn’t already. She’s been the team’s top golfer since joining the program a year ago. Before her victory Tuesday, only one other St. Francis golfer had won a girls golf Regional title.
“She’s the number one golfer in my history of girls golf,” Ardery said. “She’s hitting a bar that will be difficult for other golfers to meet.
“The girls before her know about her, and they are very pleased to have their records broken,” he continued. “It’s pretty impressive what she’s been able to do.”
Slocum is nearing the mid-point of her high school career. It would be difficult to bet against her possibly winning golf and cross country races on the same course – or team and individual Finals championships during the same season.
“She has the lowest scoring average of any golfer I’ve coached, and she’s only a sophomore,” Ardery said. “It’s real early in the story.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Grace Slocum (908) and Traverse City St. Francis teammate Grace Skendzel round a corner during a race this fall. (Middle) Slocum stands next to a flag during last season’s MHSAA Girls Golf Finals. (Below) Slocum and twin bother Josh, left, are both golfing and running cross country for the Gladiators this fall. (Top two photos courtesy of Jessica Slocum; bottom photo by Tom Spencer.)