Bush Awards Honor 4 for Dedication
June 19, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Three athletic directors who have provided decades of memory-making opportunities for student-athletes – East Lansing’s Tom Hunt, Troy’s Michael Jolly and Ann Arbor’s Meg Seng – and a member of the media, St. Ignace’s David Latva, who is beloved for documenting those moments, have been named recipients of the MHSAA’s Allen W. Bush Award for 2018.
Al Bush served as executive director of the MHSAA for 10 years. The award honors individuals for past and continuing service to prep athletics as a coach, administrator, official, trainer, doctor or member of the media. The award was developed to bring recognition to men and women who are giving and serving without a lot of attention. This is the 27th year of the award, with selections made by the MHSAA's Representative Council.
“A common theme tying together this class of honorees is how they’ve used various talents to enrich the experiences of Michigan student-athletes,” MHSAA Executive Director John E. “Jack” Roberts said. “All four have played roles in their own ways, and often without the fanfare their contributions deserve. It is our pleasure to recognize them with Bush Awards.”
Hunt recently announced his retirement after 20 years as an athletic administrator, the last 16 at East Lansing High School after serving at Perry for three years and Lansing Waverly for one. During his tenure, Trojans teams have had success at local and larger levels – the girls basketball, boys golf, boys soccer, boys tennis, and boys and girls track & field teams all won MHSAA Finals championships under his department leadership. In addition to his duties as East Lansing athletic & activities director, he served as the district’s Title IX coordinator.
East Lansing, Waverly and Perry all were frequent MHSAA Tournament hosts at the District, Regional and Semifinal levels under Hunt’s direction. He served on a variety of MHSAA committees, providing input on specific sports, officials, tournament site selection or selection of the MHSAA/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Awards. As part of the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) for two decades, Hunt was named Regional Athletic Director of the Year in 2011 and his region’s representative in 2013 and 2015. He also served terms as president of the Capital Area Activities Conference and former Ingham County League.
Hunt previously was a contributing member of the Michigan Recreation & Park Association (MRPA), having served as vice president and state conference chairperson in 1996 as well as athletic committee chairperson and basketball commissioner. Prior to beginning at Perry as athletic director in 1998, Hunt served as assistant director of parks & recreation in Howell, and he was the first boys soccer coach in Howell High School history and coached baseball there as well. He also coached baseball and was an assistant for hockey at East Lansing, and has volunteered over the years as a youth coach for soccer, hockey, softball and baseball. Hunt is a graduate of Michigan State University and Battle Creek St. Philip High School.
“Tom Hunt has set an example of prioritizing students, and not only for encouraging their athletic participation but their development as well-rounded athletes, academic achievers and citizens,” Roberts said. “He is a true professional who embodies the role of athletic director – he leads by this example, yet with many of his contributions unheralded while the programs under his guidance continue to succeed at the highest levels.”
Jolly also is retiring, with nearly three decades in administration. He took over as District Athletic Director in Troy in August 2004 after previously serving four years as assistant principal/athletic director and then four as principal at Boyd Arthurs Middle School in Trenton. He also taught and served as an assistant middle school principal for three years in the New Boston Huron district and taught and then added athletic director duties over two years at Hale. He coached during his first two stops, varsity basketball and softball at Hale and varsity football and track & field at New Boston Huron.
At Troy, Jolly has overseen staff and facilities for two high schools and four middle schools. During his tenure, Troy schools have added skiing and bowling programs as well as non-MHSAA rugby and figure skating, and kept gymnastics available by creating a cooperative program. Under his leadership, the district also has been a frequent host of MHSAA Tournament games at various levels, including Division 1 Football Semifinals 14 consecutive seasons. Jolly served as the chairperson of the Oakland Activities Association football committee for 12 years and as league president in 2008-09, and he was president of the Oakland County Athletic Directors Association in 2009-10 and was named its Athletic Director of the Year in 2012. He also served as director of the Troy district’s K-12 physical education and career technical education departments and as director of enrichment for the district. He served as president of the Oakland Career & Technical Educators Association in 2015-16.
After graduating from Southgate Aquinas High School, Jolly earned his bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan and a master’s from Central Michigan University. He played football for the Wolverines and then for four seasons for the Green Bay Packers. He is a member of both the MIAAA and National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).
“From his contributions in athletics to his many outside of athletics as well, Mike Jolly continuously has shown himself to be an advocate for students and their education,” Roberts said. “His various duties alone are evidence of that commitment – as are the extra steps he’s always quick to take when needed and the mentorship he’s provided to those who are following in his path.”
Seng completed her 28th year at Greenhills School and has served as the athletic director the last 15 after 13 teaching physical education and health. She has hosted MHSAA tournament events in various sports at various levels and served on a variety of MHSAA committees and the Multi-Sport Participation Task Force. She also is an instructor for the MHSAA Coaches Advancement Program and has served as part of the MIAAA’s Leadership Academy faculty since 2011, and on the NIAAA’s certification committee since 2014. She completed a term as the MIAAA’s Executive Board president in 2013-14.
After graduating from Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Ill., Seng played both volleyball and softball at Indiana University and then coached at the college level before taking over the Ann Arbor Huron volleyball program in 1985. Over 12 seasons stretching two tenures, Seng led her team to five league titles and a District championship in 1993. She also served as Huron's co-head varsity softball coach from 1986-90. Seng completed her teacher certification at Eastern Michigan University in 1990 and began teaching at Greenhills that year, later coaching that school’s varsity volleyball team from 1993-2000.
Seng received the MIAAA Jack Johnson Distinguished Service Award in 2012 and her region’s Athletic Director of the Year Award in 2008. She also received the Pathfinder Award in 2004 from the National Association for Girls and Women in Sports (NAGWS), and under her leadership Greenhills received the Exemplary Athletic Program Award from the MIAAA in 2017. She was honored with the Girl Scouts’ Leaders and Best Award in 2005 and most recently selected for the MHSAA’s 31st Women In Sports Leadership Award this past February.
“Meg Seng understands the needs at every level of sport, having participated as a successful athlete, coach and now administrator,” Roberts said. “It is impossible to not admire her vision as she not only leads the Greenhills athletic department but teaches her peers how to recognize and provide for those needs.”
Retired journalist David Latva dedicated 30 years to chronicling the achievements of high school athletes. A St. Ignace graduate, Latva went on to report as the lead sportswriter for the St. Ignace News from 1987-2016 covering communities in the eastern Upper Peninsula. He was a member of the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association from 1989-2017 and served on the board of the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame from 2008-16. He also was a frequent Upper Peninsula representative on The Associated Press’ all-state selection committees.
Latva’s contributions to schools reached past sports writing. He was a registered MHSAA official for basketball (19 seasons), football (18) and track & field (18) during the 1970s and 1980s, and served eight years on the St. Ignace Area Schools Board of Education. He also coached the St. Ignace golf team for three years.
Latva was named to the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan media Hall of Honor in 2005 and received a Distinguished Service Award from the St. Ignace LaSalle High School Hall of Fame in 2012. He received a key to the city from the St. Ignace City Council in 2016 and has been recognized in various ways by other communities in his paper’s coverage area.
“Many who have played school sports in the eastern Upper Peninsula have been impacted by David Latva because of the importance he placed on his local athletes’ achievements, both great and small,” Roberts said. “As the chronicler of those achievements, David has cemented a permanent place in favorite memories for many whose stories he told over the years, and he earned a significant role in those communities by sharing that gift.”
Scholars and Athletes 2016: Class C, D
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 1, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Michigan High School Athletic Association has selected 10 student-athletes from Class C and D member schools to receive scholarships through the Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award program.
Farm Bureau Insurance, in its 27th year of sponsoring the award, will give $1,000 college scholarships to 32 individuals who represent their member schools in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament. The first 30 scholarships are awarded proportionately by school classification and the number of student-athletes involved in those classes; also, there are two at-large honorees which can come from any classification.
Students applying for the Scholar-Athlete Award must be carrying at least a 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) grade-point average and have previously won a letter in a varsity sport in which the Michigan High School Athletic Association sponsors a postseason tournament. Other requirements for the applicants were to show active participation in other school and community activities and produce an essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.
Each of the scholarship recipients will be honored at halftime ceremonies of the Class C Boys Basketball Final game March 26 at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing. Commemorative medallions will be given to the finalists in recognition of their accomplishments.
The Class C Scholar-Athlete Award honorees are: Michael Klettner, Traverse City St. Francis; Spencer Graham Knizacky, Mason County Central, Daniel R. McMichael, Bronson; Alexa Ratkowski, Bronson; Mallory Raven, Morley Stanwood; and Hannah Steffke, Beal City.
The Class D Scholar-Athlete Award recipients are: Daniel Good, Owendale-Gagetown; Nathaniel Jones, Muskegon Catholic Central; Elizabeth Munoz, Leland; and Averi Rachelle Munro, Morrice.
Overviews of the scholarship recipients of the Class C Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay also is included:
Alexa Ratkowski, Bronson
Played four seasons of varsity volleyball and three of varsity basketball, and helped her volleyball team to the Class C championship in the fall. Set MHSAA record for career assists and also sits among all-time leaders for career aces. Earned all-state volleyball recognition all four seasons, making the first team as a senior, and earned all-league basketball honors as a junior. Served as volleyball captain three seasons and is her basketball team’s captain this winter. Serving fourth year as class treasurer and first as student council treasurer, and also serving as National Honor Society president. Participated in Make a Difference committee three years and 4-H all four of high school, earning multiple awards for crafts and showmanship. Volunteers as instructor and referee for youth volleyball and basketball programs, at her church and as a classroom mentor to middle and elementary school students. Will attend either Central Michigan University or Grand Valley State University and study elementary education.
Essay Quote: “Soon it became evident to me that what was important wasn’t how far we went in the tournament, but that fellow athletes, coaches and rival communities were coming together as one athletic unit to show genuine concern and support for our coach in the most significant battle of her life. That’s what true sportsmanship is all about!”
Mallory Raven, Morley Stanwood
Played two years of varsity volleyball, playing fourth of varsity basketball and will play her fourth of varsity softball in the spring. Helped volleyball team to three District championships, basketball team to one and softball team to two District titles. Earned all-state honorable mention in softball and all-conference honors in softball and basketball; served as captain of both basketball and softball teams. Has served as student council co-president, National Honor Society vice president and twice as class president. Also has served four years on the Mecosta County Youth Advisory Council and three as part of Project Outreach. Earned 33 college credits through dual enrollment at Ferris State University and Mid Michigan Community College. Volunteered as part of Big Brothers/Big Sisters Lunch Buddy program and Salvation Army, and attended Michigan Youth Leadership and Women in Sports Leadership programs. Will attend University of Michigan and study biomedical engineering.
Essay Quote: “Sportsmanship is the character that teaches us lessons when wins and losses fail to do so. It is universal and unbending, and it has made me a better person through the sports that I have played, the teammates I hold dear and the opponents that are not so unfamiliar to me anymore.”
Hannah Steffke, Beal City
Ran four seasons of varsity cross country and will participate in her fourth of varsity track and field. Helped her cross country team to MHSAA championships in 2010 and 2011 while setting the school individual race record, and was part of an MHSAA title-winning 3,200-meter relay team; she also holds school records as part of that relay and in the individual 3,200. Earned all-state honors in cross country all four seasons and track and field the last two, and academic all-state honors in cross country the last three seasons and track and field as a sophomore and junior. Served as cross country team captain the last two years. Serving fourth year on student council and as vice president, and also as National Honor Society service vice president. Participating in fourth years of concert, marching and jazz bands and as drum major for second year. Served in Youth in Government four years. Is undecided where she’ll attend college and on her planned course of study.
Essay Quote: “To me, the cliché saying, ‘I didn’t come here to make friends’ is completely backward. … In fact, those girls who are my fiercest competitors are often those who I have become the best friends with, and the meets where I’m racing my friends are always the most enjoyable.”
Michael Klettner, Traverse City St. Francis
Played four seasons of varsity soccer, leading the team in goals as a senior and making the all-state third team in Division 3. Also earned all-District honors three times. Participated as part of his school’s cross country ski team four seasons and earned awards as its “outstanding skier” and for highest grade-point average as a junior. Served as boys soccer team and cross country ski team captain the last two seasons. Participating in fourth year as part of school’s marching and concert bands and also as part of its general and ensemble choirs. Has earned superior ratings at the band state festival and excellent ratings for solo and ensemble choir. Participated in Boy Scouts three years of high school, attaining Eagle Scout as a freshman, and is in his second year of National Honor Society serving as an officer this school year. Will attend University of Michigan and study computer science engineering.
Essay Quote: “Throughout my high school career, among the multiple soccer games and ski races, it never fails to amaze me how common sportsmanship is, especially during the most heated battles between rival schools. Athletics is just a game, but with sportsmanship, it has the ability to be so much more.”
Spencer Graham Knizacky, Mason County Central
Played three seasons of varsity football, is competing in fourth season of varsity wrestling and will play his fourth season of varsity baseball this spring. Earned all-conference honors in football and baseball and is a two-time MHSAA Finals placer in wrestling. Served or is serving as captain of all three of his high school teams. Earned academic all-state in wrestling and all-District in both football and baseball. Volunteered as a member of both the baseball and wrestling programs in local construction and yard work projects. Also volunteers as part of his local Pop Warner league, youth wrestling program and as an athletic concessions worker, and is in third year as part of National Honor Society. Will attend Ferris State University and study mechanical engineering technology.
Essay Quote: “Sportsmanship isn’t all about being respectful and playing fair during the game. How a player reacts after a game is important too. Whining after a loss is wrong, just like bragging after a win. You need to be able to win and stay humble, or lose with grace. Even in adulthood, you need to be able to move on after something goes wrong, or stay modest after you’ve made a huge accomplishment.”
Daniel R. McMichael, Bronson
Played four seasons of varsity football and basketball and will play his fourth of varsity baseball this spring. Earned all-conference recognition in baseball and football and served as team captain for both teams. Participating in National Honor Society for second year and is vice president this school year, and also is a member of the National Technical Honor Society. Participating in second year of local Family, Career and Community Leaders of America chapter and as vice president this school year. Serving in his fourth year of student government and currently as secretary, and has been a class officer all four years of high school and currently is vice president. Serves as a student advisor for Bronson’s Education Academy Advisory Committee and has volunteered as part of a local kids day and rocket football programs. Will attend Adrian College and study secondary education.
Essay Quote: “Knowing that they were there watching my every move made me realize that there are always opportunities to show the next generation of athletes the right way to act both on and off the field. … I know that I have tried to pass along to those that follow behind me a lesson of good sportsmanship, leadership and a good worth ethic.”
Other Class C girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Molly Lynch, Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart; Kelsey Engstrom, Charlevoix; Ellen Doyle, Gobles; Hanna Angst, Laingsburg; Julia Angst, Laingsburg; Bailee Kimbel, Manton; Jordyn Sanders, Mason County Central; Shelby Vincke, New Lothrop; and Christiana M. Jones, White Cloud.
Other Class C boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Joseph Comstock, Addison; Quentin E. Millette, Ann Arbor Greenhills; Sawyer Cuthrell, Cass City; Anthony Hoholik, Manistique; Cameron Brayman, Montague; Broc Roberts, Petersburg-Summerfield; Trenden Peacock, Sand Creek; Dylan Marshall, St Ignace; and Bowman Seabrook, White Cloud.
Overviews of the scholarship recipients of the Class D Scholar-Athlete Award follow. A quote from each recipient's essay also is included:
Elizabeth Munoz, Leland
Playing her fourth season of varsity basketball and will play her fourth season of varsity soccer this spring. Scored her 1,000th career point in basketball as a junior and holds the MHSAA single-season girls soccer record with 84 points; she also ranks second for single-season goals with 64 she scored as a sophomore. Earned all-state honors in both sports, making the first team in soccer twice and basketball last season. Served as basketball captain last season and again this winter, and will serve as soccer captain this spring. Serving as class president for fourth year and participating in third year of National Honor Society and fourth year of Natural Helpers. Participating in school choir for first time and also assists in her family’s business. Will attend Kalamazoo College and study biology with a focus on pre-medicine.
Essay Quote: “Though many high schoolers may not know it, the ‘big kids’ are role models for the elementary students, especially at a small school. They quickly pick up on reactions to certain situations. As they grow, children slowly mold into who they see their role models to be based on what they have seen watching them play their favorite sports.”
Averi Rachelle Munro, Morrice
Played four seasons of varsity volleyball and basketball and will play her fourth of varsity softball in the spring. Owns Morrice school records for career home runs, career runs batted in and career hits and has played on four District championship teams – one in volleyball, two in softball and one in basketball. Earned all-state recognition in softball twice, once at catcher and once at shortstop; all-state honorable mention in basketball and all-league honors in volleyball. Participated in volunteer projects as part of her school’s National Honor Society chapter and softball program, and also organized fundraisers to assist school’s Field of Dreams committee and a teacher receiving chemotherapy. Served as class president last five years and as her student council’s president. Will attend Alma College and study physics.
Essay Quote: “I work very hard on both the field and the courts, not just playing my game, but also by always doing my best to set an example of true sportsmanship. By doing this I honor myself, my team, my coach, my school and my family. As I have learned from high school sports, my behavior is a direct reflection of me and, as my grandfather taught me, there is no looking back and no changing what has been done.”
Daniel Good, Owendale-Gagetown
Played four seasons of varsity football, three of basketball and will play fourth season of varsity baseball and second of varsity golf this spring. Helped football team to undefeated regular season in the fall and earned all-league honors in that sport the last two seasons; also earned all-league recognition in baseball and golf and served as captain of the basketball and football teams. Serving in student government for fourth year, this year as vice-president after two as class president. Playing in school band for fourth year and third year as part of the Lions of Michigan All State Band. Participating in National Honor Society for third year and on yearbook staff for second. Will attend Michigan State University and study mechanical engineering.
Essay Quote: “One of the schools in our league is the Flint-located Michigan School for the Deaf. The players and the coaches on my school’s team look at our games with MSD as a great opportunity for both teams to have fun playing football and to learn about each other. … My connection with MSD has helped shape me into a hard-working, more understanding athlete and student. From this unique experience in sportsmanship, I’ve learned amazing things from diverse people and their lives.”
Nathaniel Jones, Muskegon Catholic Central
Played four seasons of varsity football, three of varsity basketball, will play his third of varsity baseball this spring and also swam as a freshman and sophomore. Played on four MHSAA championship teams, three for football and one for baseball, and all three of his teams won league titles in 2014-15. Earned all-state honors in football in the fall and honorable mention as a junior, and helped all four of his high school teams to academic all-state honors. Served as football captain in the fall and basketball captain this winter. Participating in student government and National Honor Society for third year each and is ranked number one academically in his class. Playing fourth year with school’s jazz/symphonic band and has volunteered as part of Muskegon Public Schools' summer school program, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the American Red Cross. Received the Kettering University Science and Technology Award and Rotary Life Leadership Award. Will attend Hillsdale College and study aerospace engineering and physics.
Essay Quote: “As athletes, we strive to better ourselves each day with self-discipline, hard work, passion and unwavering effort. Educational athletics provide the foreground for a mutual appreciation for these values between athletes, coaches and fans. Through healthy competition, we bring out the best in each other, thus propelling each other to grow as athletes and individuals.”
Other Class D girls finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Lindsay Lampman, Bellaire; Chloe Niepoth, Bellaire; Maria Stankewicz, Crystal Falls Forest Park; Abby Sutherland, Lake Linden-Hubbell; Natalie Frances Beaulieu, Newberry; and Paige Blake, Ontonagon.
Other Class D boys finalists for the Scholar-Athlete Award were: Garrett Kraatz, Allen Park Inter-City Baptist; Joshua Robert Riggs, Brethren; Matthew Gratowski, DeTour; Gregory Scott Seppanen, Eben Junction Superior Central; Jayvin Wolfe, Fulton-Middleton; and Benjamin Turner, Sterling Heights Parkway Christian.
The Class B scholarship award recipients will be announced Feb. 9, and the Class A honorees will be announced Feb. 16.
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The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,400 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.