#TBT: Before They Were Olympians
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 25, 2016
Michigan athletes enjoyed another banner showing at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro that wrapped up Sunday. We cheered for them all – but paid special attention to a handful who previously competed in MHSAA sports before achieving more at the international level.
Much of the following was taken from a recent series of MHSAA Instagram posts that highlighted our state’s Olympians with MHSAA ties. Athletes are listed with high school and graduation year.
Men’s Basketball
Draymond Green, Saginaw, 2008 – Green got a taste for championships in leading Saginaw to back-to-back Class A titles in 2007 and 2008 before starring for Michigan State University and now for the Golden State Warriors. He averaged nearly 10 minutes per game off the bench for the U.S. team, playing in all eight games during the undefeated gold medal march.
Women’s Swimming & Diving
Allison Schmitt, Canton, 2008 – Schmitt won the 200 and 500-yard freestyle championships at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals in both 2006 and 2007 and continues to hold the all-Finals records in both events; she then went on to shine at University of Georgia. She helped the U.S. 800-meter freestyle relay to gold and the 400 freestyle relay to silver, bringing her personal medal count to eight over the last three Olympics.
Women’s Crew
Grace Latz, Jackson Northwest, 2006 – Latz played volleyball during her high school career at Northwest. She took up rowing at University of Wisconsin and helped her quadruple sculls team to a fifth-place finish in Rio.
Grace Luczak, Ann Arbor Pioneer, 2007 – Luczak also was a high school volleyball player and rowed on Pioneer’s team (although crew is not an MHSAA-sponsored tournament sport, some schools have teams) before going on to University of Michigan and then Stanford University. She finished fourth in the pair at Rio.
Ellen Tomek, Flint Powers Catholic, 2002 – Tomek played basketball and softball for the Chargers and also made the Olympics in 2008 after taking up rowing at Michigan. She finished in sixth place this time in doubles sculls after finishing fifth in Beijing.
Men’s Track & Field - Discus
Andrew Evans, Portage Northern, 2009 – Evans played football, ice hockey and participated in track & field for the Huskies, winning discus at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals in 2008 and 2009. He finished 16th in qualifying at Rio, just missing the top 12 who advanced to the final competition.
Women’s Volleyball
Alisha Glass, Leland, 2007 – Glass remains arguably the top player in MHSAA volleyball history with records still for career kills, single-season aces and career aces (accomplished during the rally scoring era beginning in 2004). She led Leland to the Class D title in 2006 and then played at Penn State University – and this month set the U.S. team to a bronze medal in Rio.
Lauren Paolini, Saline, 2005 – Paolini was both a volleyball and basketball standout for Saline before moving on to the University of Texas. She served as an alternate for this Olympic team.
Additional Olympians with MHSAA ties
Cindy Ofili, Ann Arbor Huron, 2012, Great Britain – Ofili won three LP Division 1 championships and was on a winning relay in 2012 before going on to run at Michigan. She took fourth in the 100 hurdles in Rio.
Tiffany (Ofili) Porter, Ypsilanti, 2005, Great Britain – Porter still owns MHSAA LP Division 2 Finals records in the 100 and 300 hurdles and shares the record in long jump after winning six individual Finals championships over her four-year varsity career. Porter finished seventh in the 100 hurdles in Rio and also ran in the 2012 Olympics. She also attended Michigan.
Alex Rose, Ogemaw Heights, 2009, Samoa – Rose was the 2009 LP Division 2 champion in shot put before also competing at Central Michigan University. Like Evans, he also threw discus in Rio but did not qualify for the final with his top throw coming in 29th.
PHOTOS: (Clockwise from left): Allison Schmitt waves to the crowd during her last MHSAA Finals; Draymond Green is introduced before a Class A Final at the Breslin Center; Alisha Glass confers with a teammate during a Class D Volleyball Final; Portage Northern grad Andrew Evans.
Preview: Reigning Champs, Freshman Standouts Among Anticipated Pacesetters
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 21, 2024
Last season’s team champions are expected to continue building on their title streaks at this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming & Diving Finals.
Ann Arbor Pioneer is seeking a fifth-straight championship in Division 1, East Grand Rapids is seeking a second-straight in Division 3 but fourth consecutive overall, and Farmington Hills Mercy is favored to repeat in Division 2.
As always, several standouts also will contend for individual titles, with seniors and juniors dominating those conversations in all three divisions – but a pair of freshmen in Division 2 making major waves as well.
Competition begins at noon for Friday’s preliminaries and Saturday’s championships. Friday’s action will begin with swimming, with divers taking the pool approximately 3:30 p.m. at all three sites. Tickets cost $11 both days, and all three Finals will be streamed live on MHSAA.tv both days. Click for information on purchasing tickets, plus schedules and qualifiers for all three meets.
Lower Peninsula Division 1 at Holland Aquatic Center
Reigning champion: Ann Arbor Pioneer
2023 runner-up: Grand Haven
2024 top-ranked: 1. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 2. Jenison, 3. Northville.
Ann Arbor Pioneer has won four straight Division 1 championships, and another would give this recent group the second-longest title streak in program history behind the 2000-08 teams that won nine consecutive. Pioneer has all three relays and an incredible 26 individual entries seeded to score (among the top 16 in their respective races), plus three divers competing – so another title wouldn’t stun anyone. Jenison has been rising – finishing runner-up in Division 2 in 2022 and third in Division 1 a year ago – and should make a run at the top spots again. Jenison has all three relays and 13 individual entries seeded to score. Northville, the runner-up in 2022 and seventh last year, has all three relays and 10 individual entries seeded to score, plus a diver.
Makenzie Baldwin, Holland West Ottawa senior: She finished fourth in the 100-yard backstroke and fifth in the 200 freestyle last season, and she’s seeking her first championship seeded seventh in the 200 free but first in the backstroke (56.48).
Elizabeth Eichbrecht, West Bloomfield junior: She’s claimed the 200 and 500 freestyle championships both of her first two seasons, and she’s seeded first in both in 1:50.67 and 4:51.29, respectively – with the 500 time more than 14 seconds faster than the field.
Cambell Quijano, Rockford senior: After finishing 10th in the 100 butterfly and 13th in the 200 free as a junior, she’s replaced the 200 with the 100 backstroke and is seeded first in the butterfly (56.59).
Bailey Robinson, Bloomfield Hills sophomore: She debuted last season finishing sixth in the 50 freestyle and fourth in the 500, and she’s seeded first in both sprints this weekend with a 23.07 in the 50 and 50.25 in the 100 freestyle – the latter by nearly a second.
Sophia Umstead, Jenison senior: She’ll look to cap her high school career by adding to her two-year totals of four individual and four relay championships – including titles in Division 1 last season in the butterfly and 100 breaststroke and as part of the 200 free and medley relays. She enters this weekend with the top seeds in the 200 individual medley by more than six seconds (1:59.72) and by two seconds in the breaststroke (1:00.68), and she’s likely to swim on the top-seeded 200 medley relay (1:44.59) and second-seeded 200 free relay (1:36.56).
Ann Arbor Pioneer 200 freestyle relay: The Pioneers – potentially of seniors Ursula Ott and Reese Heidenreich, junior Katelyn Van Ryn and sophomore Cecilia Walusek – could make a run at the meet record of 1:32.85 swam by Jenison just last year. The Pioneers’ seed time is 1:33.54.
Tristan Krajcarski, Oxford senior: After finishing third last season – a little more than 25 points off the lead – Krajcarski posted the top qualifying score at her Regional (462.55) by more than 117 points, and her score was 71 points higher than any others in all of Division 1.
Lower Peninsula Division 2 at Oakland University
Reigning champion: Farmington Hills Mercy
2023 runner-up: Birmingham Seaholm
2024 top-ranked: 1. Farmington Hills Mercy, 2. Grosse Pointe South, 3. Birmingham Seaholm.
Mercy won last season’s championship by nearly 130 points and enters this weekend with all three relays and 19 individuals seeded to score, and three divers competing. Grosse Pointe South is seeking to move up from fifth a year ago and could with three relays and 14 individual entries seeded among the top 16 in their respective races. Seaholm is seeking to climb the podium again after most recently winning three straight Finals from 2019-21. The Maples have three relays and 14 individuals seeded to score, two more just outside the top 16 seeds in their events, and a diver competing.
Caroline Bryan, Grosse Pointe South freshman: She’ll make her Finals debut seeded first in the butterfly (55.47), second in the backstroke (57.29) and likely to swim on the second-seeded 400 freestyle (3:35.5) and 200 medley (1:47.98) relays.
Tess Heavner, Fenton senior: After winning the backstroke and IM last season, she’ll attempt to cap her high school career with two more titles seeded first in those races in 55.90 and 2:05.32, respectively.
Amelia Malarz, Midland Dow freshman: Another standout freshman, she’s seeded first in the breaststroke (1:04.24) by more than a second, third in the IM (2:08.13) and is likely to swim on two top-six relays.
Vera Roberson, Midland Dow sophomore: She debuted last year by finishing sixth in the 50 and eighth in the 100 freestyle and is expected to take a sizable jump, seeded first in both the 50 (23.70) and 100 (51.78) and also likely to swim on two top-six relays.
Adrienne Schadler, Ann Arbor Skyline sophomore: She seeded first in the 200 freestyle (1:48.61) by more than six seconds after winning the race last season as a freshman, and also seeded first in the 500 (4:53.63) by more than 14 seconds after finishing runner-up in that race a year ago.
Avery Tack, Farmington Hills Mercy sophomore: Her first Finals in 2023 saw her finish third in the 100 and 200 freestyles and swim on the winning 200 free relay and runner-up 400 free. She’s seeded second this time in the IM to Heavner (2:07.98) and in the butterfly to Bryan (56.26) and likely to swim on top-seeded 200 free (1:36.31) and 400 free (3:32.01) relays.
Bronwyn Minnick, East Lansing senior: She placed 10th last season but posted a 395.75 to win her Regional qualifier by 24.3 points with the highest score in all of Division 2.
Lower Peninsula Division 3 at Eastern Michigan University
Reigning champion: East Grand Rapids
2023 runner-up: Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
2024 top-ranked: 1. East Grand Rapids, 2. Holland Christian, 3. Bloomfield Hills Marian.
East Grand Rapids has won three straight Finals championships – in Division 3 last year and 2021, and in Division 2 in 2022 – and enters this weekend with three relays and 19 individuals seeded to score, and two divers competing. All three relays are seeded first, as are four of those individual race entries. Holland Christian finished fifth last season after placing second two years ago, and will hope to move back up with three relays and six individual entries seeded to score and three divers. Marian won Division 3 in 2022 and finished third a year ago, and will attempt to make its move with three relays and eight individuals seeded to score, plus a pair of divers.
Ellery Chandler, East Grand Rapids junior: She added the breaststroke championship and two relay wins last season to her Division 2 relay title from 2022, and is seeded first this time in the breaststroke (1:04.91) and butterfly (57.33) and slated to swim on the top-seeded 200 medley (1:48.29) and 200 freestyle (1:37.73) relays.
Ella Dziobak, Dearborn Divine Child junior: She’s the two-time reigning champion in the 500 and seeded first in that race in 5:08.30, and also seeded third in the 200 free (1:56.76) after finishing third in that race a year ago.
Scarlet Maison, Standish-Sterling senior: She placed third in the IM and fifth in the breaststroke last season and will enter this weekend seeded first in the IM (2:08.53) and fifth in the breaststroke as she attempts to add to her championship in the IM won in 2021.
Camryn Siegers, Holland Christian sophomore: The reigning champion in the backstroke and runner-up in the 100 freestyle is seeded this time first in both the 50 (23.58) and backstroke (56.40).
Kate Simon, East Grand Rapids senior: She’s won a combined two individual and five relay championships over her first three seasons and is the reigning title winner in the 100 and 200 freestyles. She’s seeded first in both by significant margins, at 50.92 in the 100 and 1:49.24 in the 200, and she’s also expected to swim on the 200 and 400 free relays.
Laney Woof, Wayland junior: She’s seeded second in the 50 (24.03) and third in the 100 freestyle (54.01) after winning the 50 last season and finishing third in the 100.
Anna McAllister, Chelsea sophomore: Last season’s fourth-place finisher scored a 379.80 to win her Regional qualifier by 41.3 points and outpace the field in all of Division 3 by 12.25 points.
PHOTO Fenton’s Tess Heavner swims to the championship in the 200 individual medley during last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)