Four Selected for MHSAA Bush Awards
June 14, 2012
Four athletic administrators who additionally have made significant contributions at the league, state and MHSAA tournament levels – Robin Dilday of Utica, Robert Dowd of Troy, Curt Ellis of Saline and Greg Lattig of Mason – have been named the recipients of the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Allen W. Bush Award for 2012.
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 21st year of the award, with the selections being made by the MHSAA's Representative Council.
Dilday has been a leader not only in his home school district of Utica, but as a voice throughout Macomb Country. A graduate of Utica High School, Dilday has worked in education 38 years and for Utica Community Schools for the last 28, including the past 18 as District Athletic Director.
He’s taken a leadership role in numerous projects starting with the expansion of athletic program offerings and the development of a coaches handbook and student-athlete code of conduct for his schools. He’s also worked at the forefront of efforts to construct gymnasiums, stadiums and other athletic venues, hosted various MHSAA tournaments and served on several MHSAA committees.
Dilday is in his 18th year as president of the Macomb County Athletic Directors Association and also works with the Macomb County Special Olympics and as community fundraising chair for his district’s middle school sports programs. He was named to the Utica High School Hall of Fame in 2011. Dilday earned his bachelor’s degree in radio and television communications from Michigan State, received teaching certification in social studies from Central Michigan University and then his master’s degree in educational leadership from Wayne State University.
“Robin Dilday has provided stable leadership through the changes and challenges high school athletics have faced during his nearly four decades of service,” said John E. “Jack” Roberts, executive director of the MHSAA. “He has experienced high school athletics from a variety of perspectives – athlete, coach and administrator – and worked to provide the best for those in every position. He has done so while managing multiple schools in a large district. We are pleased to honor Robin Dilday with the Bush Award.”
Dowd might be known best in Oakland County for his contributions to lacrosse dating back more than two decades. But as an assistant principal and the athletic director at Troy Athens High School the past 16 years, Dowd also has hosted MHSAA Finals in five sports and a variety of tournaments at the District, Regional and Semifinal levels.
He served as president of the Michigan Scholastic Lacrosse Association from 1990-94 and then as executive director from 1996-2004. Dowd was named the Michigan High School Lacrosse Coaches Association Man of the Year in 2006 and was selected for the MHSLCA Hall of Fame in 2011.
Dowd has served on the MHSAA’s lacrosse committee, as well as those for soccer officials, gymnastics, tennis and hockey. He’s the committee chair for the Oakland Activities Association boys and girls lacrosse committee and previously served as chair of the football and soccer committees. He was named Oakland County Athletic Director of the Year in 2009. Dowd earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary social studies and a master’s in history from the State University of New York at Cortland. He also earned a master’s in K-12 administration from Michigan State University.
“Robert Dowd’s contributions – particularly as a Finals host – have been invaluable to the MHSAA,” Roberts said. “He is a passionate supporter of high school athletics. That is evident in how he is always a reliable source both of input and assistance. All make him a worthy recipient of the Bush Award.”
Ellis served as an athletic administrator in Michigan for 16 years, including the last eight at Novi High School before leaving the district in the fall to become Executive Director of Human Resources for Saline Area Schools. His Novi athletic program was a recipient of the Exemplary Athletic Program Award from the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.
He’s served as a tournament manager for multiple MHSAA ice hockey and soccer Finals over the last decade and for more than 125 District and Regional tournaments since 1997. He’s also served on the ice hockey, volleyball, officials and site selection committees, among others.
Additionally, Ellis has served in various leadership roles statewide. He was president of the Oakland County Athletic Administrators Association in 2002-03 and joined the MIAAA executive board in 2008. He was named OCAAA Athletic Director of the Year in 2007 and MIAAA Region 11 Athletic Director of the Year in 2007, and is a regular speaker at the MIAAA’s Mid-Winter Conference. Ellis earned his bachelor’s degree in organizational communication from Eastern Michigan University and is pursuing his master’s in educational leadership also at EMU.
“Curt Ellis has been a consistent source of leadership and a true advocate of high school athletics,” Roberts said. “He has brought great perspective to those working with him both locally and through the MIAAA, and been of great assistance in his work as an MHSAA tournament host. We’re pleased to honor him with the Bush Award.”
Lattig has served four school districts – Mason, Eaton Rapids, Leslie and Lansing Christian – as a coach or administrator. Also a host of numerous MHSAA tournaments and member of various committees, Lattig twice served as president of the Capital Area Activities Conference and previously was secretary of the Capital Circuit league.
A Certified Master Athletic Administrator, Lattig also has served on various MIAAA committees —including as co-chair of the scholarship committee – and as a regional representative to that body. He has guided the athletic department at Mason the last four years after nine at Eaton Rapids. He coached varsity track at Leslie and middle school basketball at Lansing Christian.
Lattig earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management and communications from the University of Michigan and his master’s in athletic administration from Michigan State University.
“Greg Lattig has provided a significant voice during the evolution of the Capital Area Activities Conference over the last decade, and is a helpful source of input both to the MIAAA and MHSAA,” Roberts said. “His understanding of the complex lives of students and desire to help them achieve are admirable traits that make him an excellent choice for the Bush Award.”
2018 Scholar-Athlete Finalists Announced
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 19, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The 120 finalists for the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Scholar-Athlete Awards for the 2017-18 school year, presented by Farm Bureau Insurance, have been announced.
The program, in its 29th year, has recognized student-athletes since the 1989-90 school year and again this winter will honor 32 individuals from MHSAA member schools who participate in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament.
Farm Bureau Insurance underwrites the Scholar-Athlete Awards and will present a $1,000 scholarship to each recipient. Since the beginning of the program, 736 scholarships have been awarded.
Scholarships will be presented proportionately by school classification, with 12 scholarships to be awarded to Class A student-athletes, six female and six male; eight scholarships will be awarded to Class B student-athletes, four female and four male; six scholarships will be awarded to Class C student-athletes, three female and three male; and four scholarships will be awarded to Class D student-athletes, two female and two male. In addition, two scholarships will be awarded at-large to minority recipients, regardless of school size.
Every MHSAA member high school could submit as many applications as there are scholarships available in its classification, and could have more than one finalist. Saline has four finalists this year, while Negaunee, Rochester and Saginaw Swan Valley each have three. Seventeen schools each have two finalists: Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, Chelsea, East Grand Rapids, Ferndale, Grand Rapids Christian, Harbor Springs, Kingsford, Ludington, Marshall, Northville, Okemos, Paw Paw, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, Saranac, Sault Ste. Marie and Troy.
Multiple-sport participation remains the norm among applicants. The average sport participation rate of the finalists is 2.63, while the average of the application pool was 2.20. There are 65 three-plus sport participants in the finalists field, and all but two of the 28 sports in which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments are represented.
Of 396 schools which submitted applicants, 39 submitted the maximum allowed. This year, 1,422 applications were received. All applicants will be presented with certificates commemorating their achievement. Additional Scholar-Athlete information, including a complete list of scholarship nominees, can be found on the MHSAA Website.
The applications were judged by a 64-member committee of school coaches, counselors, faculty members, administrators and board members from MHSAA member schools. Selection of the 32 scholarship recipients will take place in early February. Class C and D scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 6, Class B scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 13 and Class A scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 20. All announcements will be made on the MHSAA Website.
To honor the 32 Scholar-Athlete Award recipients, a ceremony will take place during halftime of the Class C Boys Basketball Final, March 24, at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing.
To be eligible for the award, students must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale) and previously have won a varsity letter in at least one sport in which the MHSAA sponsors a postseason tournament. Students also were asked to respond to a series of short essay questions, submit two letters of recommendation and a 500-word essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.
Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan was founded in 1949 by Michigan farmers who wanted an insurance company that worked as hard as they did. Those values still guide the company today and are a big reason why it is known as Michigan’s Insurance Company, dedicated to protecting the farms, families, and businesses of this great state. Farm Bureau Insurance agents across Michigan provide a full range of insurance services—life, home, auto, farm, business, retirement, Lake Estate®, and more — protecting nearly 500,000 Michigan policyholders
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 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.
2017-18 Scholar-Athlete Award Finalists
BOYS CLASS A
Kobie Mueller, Ann Arbor Huron
Adam Good, Auburn Hills Avondale
Jacob Willemsen, Byron Center
William Marano, Dearborn Edsel Ford
Anthony Joseph, DeWitt
Ben Forstner, East Grand Rapids
Anthony Kim, Grand Blanc
Nicholas Weigle, Grandville
Yzrael Silguero, Holland
Danny deForest, Holland West Ottawa
Joseph Corner, Holt
Luke Rambo, Marquette
Aditya Middha, Midland Dow
Paul Cheng McKinley, Okemos
David Paquette, Petoskey
Michael Robert Melaragni, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek
Cole Johnson, Rockford
Anthony G. DeKraker, Saline
Aidan Delfuoco, Saline
Reagan Miller, Saline
Emmett Turner, Saline
Hunter Gandee, Temperance Bedford
Nathan Frazier, Warren Cousino
Nick Seidel, West Bloomfield
GIRLS CLASS A
Maggie Wood, Battle Creek Lakeview
Emily Rooney, Birmingham Seaholm
Susannah Deems, East Grand Rapids
Kelly Ann Giles, East Kentwood
Olivia Perkins, Farmington Hills Harrison
Maria Poortenga, Grand Rapids Christian
Sarah Van Dyke, Grand Rapids Christian
Breanna Probst, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central
Lauren Sickmiller, Grosse Pointe North
Samantha Hild, Holly
Talia Naomi Edmonds, Kalamazoo Central
Tess Scheidel, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg
Grace VanArendonk, Muskegon Mona Shores
Kendall Dillon, Northville
Roan Haines, Northville
Anushka Murthy, Okemos
Hallie C. Roman, Port Huron Northern
Kendall Jordan, Rochester
Karlyn Kelley, Rochester
Jenna Norgrove, Rochester
Anna Fischer, St. Joseph
Meghan Monaghan, Troy
Megan Worrel, Troy
Julie Smith, Walled Lake Northern
BOYS CLASS B
Jackson Lund, Big Rapids
Lucas Misra, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Patrick J. Bertoni, Chelsea
Justin A. Lyle, Dowagiac
Jacob Keener, Ferndale
John Stellard, Ferndale
Vincent Goyette, Flint Powers Catholic
Anthony Harris, Frankenmuth
David Ameriguian, Grosse Ile
Sawyer Perpich, Kingsford
Caleb Schoon, Ludington
William Rayner, Marshall
Thomas Otten, Paw Paw
Anthony Reo, Paw Paw
Hunter Goldensoph, Saginaw Swan Valley
Troy Joseph Distelrath, St. Clair
GIRLS CLASS B
Kate Cao, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Caroline Hirth, Chelsea
Hannah Shorkey, Essexville Garber
Katelyn Brown, Jonesville
Jordyn Kriegl, Kingsford
Mackenzie Luce, Ludington
Mackenzie Horn, Marshall
Grace VerHage, Otsego
Celia C. Gaynor, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
Lauren Neiheisel, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
Megan Brooks, Saginaw Swan Valley
Emily Buska, Saginaw Swan Valley
Valeta A. Gage, Sault Ste. Marie
Mackenzie M. Kalchik, Sault Ste. Marie
Izabella Marie Taylor, Three Rivers
MacKenzie Desloover, Yale
BOYS CLASS C
Jack Avery Harris, Ann Arbor Greenhills
Parker Hayes, Beaverton
Matthew Harazin, Bridgman
Ilhan Onder, Calumet
Joseph R. Claramunt, Harbor Springs
Thomas Kelbel, Harbor Springs
Evans Brown, Kalamazoo Hackett
Eric Vandefifer, Montrose
Luke Skewis, Negaunee
Colton Yesney, Negaunee
Ben Hogan, North Muskegon
Bryant Kieft, Watervliet
GIRLS CLASS C
Shelby Trevino, Beal City
Kendall Gassman, Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart
Kelleigh Keating, Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart
Ellen Charlotte Laurenz, Breckenridge
Rachel Nesburg, Charlevoix
Morgan Hartline, Marcellus
Clara Johnson, Negaunee
Emily Spitzley, Pewamo-Westphalia
Halie Robinson, Royal Oak Shrine Catholic
Kendahl Grace Overbeck, Saranac
Emma Pachulski, Saranac
Melody Antel, Saugatuck
BOYS CLASS D
Nicholas Burlingame, Ashley
Brendan Delaney, Gaylord St. Mary
Peter Kalthoff, Hillsdale Academy
Andrew Pechette, Kinde-North Huron
Andrew Hager, Mio
Jeremiah Torrey, Onekama
Aaron Jacob Fahrner, Owendale-Gagetown
Thomas Hursey, Suttons Bay
GIRLS CLASS D
Katelyn Smith, Akron-Fairgrove
Corra Hamilton, Athens
Madison Kadlec, Bellaire
Ciera Weber, Fowler
Laura Lyons, Lake Linden-Hubbell
Stephanie Schuman, Lawrence
Ellie Haan, McBain Northern Michigan Christian
Sophie Ruggles, Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart