Esman's Career Among All-Time Best

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

August 14, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Richland Gull Lake’s Lauren Esman was named Miss Softball Pitcher of the Year as a senior in 2019.

But her MHSAA record book legacy all was built at the plate, as she graduated with 19 entries.

Esman ranks on career lists with 216 runs scored (tied for 20th), 225 hits, a .580 batting average (10th), 108 walks (11th), 44 home runs (13th) and 211 RBI (also 13th). She’s playing at University of Michigan. 

See below for more recent record book additions in baseball, girls lacrosse, girls soccer and softball, and click on the sport headings to see those record books in full.

Baseball

Former East Grand Rapids standout Ryan Eible has been added in a number of categories for accomplishments over 137 games from 2008-11 before going on to play at Miami of Ohio. His 15 career triples are tied for 11th all-time, and his 176 career runs are tied for 15th. He also was added for a .451 career batting average and twice for being hit by pitches – 15 times as a senior and 35 times over his career.

Cam Schuelke missed out on the opportunity to finish his Byron Center career this spring, but earned a record book entry as a junior with a 0.70 ERA over 69 2/3 innings pitched in going 8-2 on the mound. Schuelke will continue his career at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Girls Lacrosse

Julia Brown took on a significant role for Grand Rapids Forest Hills United as a freshman in 2019, scoring 53 goals. She also made the record book with eight goals in a May 24 game that season against Hudsonville.

A pair of DeWitt standouts both joined the highest scorers all-time during the 2019 season. Then-sophomore Kerrigan Brown finished with 52 goals and 86 points, and then-junior Alexa Beyer scored 57 goals as the Panthers as a team scored 279 over 21 games. DeWitt also was added to the records for 239 goals in 2018 and 264 in 2016. Beyer will continue her career at Youngstown State in Ohio.

Girls Soccer

Ashley Beck set a Charlotte school record and made the MHSAA record book with 30 goals as a senior in 2019. She finished just shy of making the career goals list, ending her four seasons with 65.

Despite playing only three high school varsity seasons, New Baltimore Anchor Bay keeper Ally Gaunt finished with 41 career shutouts to make that record list after adding 11 shutouts as a senior in 2019. She’s currently playing at Saginaw Valley State University.

Longtime St. Clair Shores South Lake coach Marty Shearer was added to the career victories list with a 324-146-48 record from 1990-2017. He led the program to 10 league and seven District championships, and a Regional title in 2000.

Kevin Fiebernitz has coached both girls and boys varsity teams for three decades, and was added to the career wins lists for both. He’s 421-160-61 on the boys side after leading Flint Powers Catholic from 1989-2002 and Linden from 2003-19. He’s 328-162-55 on the girls side after leading Flint Southwestern Academy from 1990-95 and Linden from 1999-2019. He remains coach of both Linden teams, and led the Powers boys to the Class B title in 1996.

Softball

St. Joseph hit 53 home runs in 2019, tied for fourth-most in MHSAA history. Leading the way were then-senior Courtney Farrish with 17 and then-junior Taylor Garey with 12 – both made the single-season individual home run list. Farrish is playing at Western Michigan University, and Garey has signed to join her.  

Madelin Skene capped her high school career at Hartland in 2018 with 14 record book listings, including for 239 hits, 63 doubles, 41 home runs and 219 RBI over 143 games and four seasons. The RBI are tied for ninth-most all-time, while the doubles are tied for 13th and the homers rank 16th. Skene is playing at University of Michigan-Dearborn. Additionally, then-senior Brooke Cowan was added to the records for 16 doubles and then-sophomore Delaney Robeson for 11 home runs during the 2019 season. Cowan plays at Davenport University and Robeson has committed to sign with Kent State.

PHOTO: Gull Lake's Lauren Esman readies for a pitch during a 2018 game. (Photo courtesy of JoeInsider.com.)

Coleman Scores Records Recognition

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

August 21, 2020

With Jaden Berthume playing a leading role, Coleman made three straight Division 4 Semifinals trips in softball from 2017-19 – and her work has resulted in her ranking among the best in multiple MHSAA record book categories.

Berthume has entries for 189 runs, 257 hits (tied for 12th all-time) and 175 RBI over 166 games and four seasons before graduating in 2019. Coleman as a team was added to the records for winning 35 games both in 2017 and 2019 and for a variety of other stat totals over her career.

Additionally, teammate Faith Barden was added for striking out 14 Ashley batters in a five-inning game in 2018 and driving in six runs in a 2019 win over Morrice, and Liz Dana was added for six RBI in a 2017 win over Carson City-Crystal.

Berthume plays at Northwood University, and Barden plays at Lawrence Tech. Barden graduated in 2018, and Dana graduated in 2017.

Click to see the softball record book, in full and check out below more recent record book additions in girls basketball, hockey, boys soccer, boys tennis and volleyball.

Girls Basketball

Stephenson’s Tori Wangerin had one of the most prolific rebounding games in MHSAA history Feb. 3, 2015 against West Iron County. Wangerin grabbed 28 rebounds in the 51-28 win. She went on to play at University of Wisconsin at Marinette.

Plymouth was added to the team record book for attempting 482 3-pointers and making 155 over 23 games last season, led by then-junior Ella Riley’s 75 3-pointers to make the individual record list. She had seven as Plymouth made the single-game list with 14 3-pointers in a Jan. 17 win over Salem.

Hockey

Nicklas Lockhart became the second player in the category for two goals scored during the shortest amount of time. He tallied two over six seconds for Caledonia/Lowell against East Kentwood on Feb. 8, at 13:19 and 13:13 to play in the second period, as his team went on to a 7-2 victory. 

Boys Soccer

Zachary Cepo completed one of the most notable high school careers in Michigan history last fall, finishing his fourth varsity season at Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central with 41 goals, 33 assists and 74 points. All three made record book lists, as did his career numbers of 102 goals, 146 assists and 248 points. The career assists extended the MHSAA record he reached as a junior; he also owns the single-season assists record set as both a sophomore and junior. His career points rank third all-time.

Boys Tennis

The No. 2 pair of Trevor Teunis and Jared Berghorst and No. 4 of Chad Koenig and Josh Sommers were among strong doubles that helped Hudsonville qualify for last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals. Teunis and Berghorst made the record book finishing 28-6, as did Koenig and Sommers finishing 31-5. Both No. 2 players were seniors last fall, and both No. 4 players were sophomores.

Volleyball

Spring Lake setter Kyla Kobylak finished her sophomore year last fall with an MHSAA record after tallying 71 assists over five games against Grand Rapids Catholic Central on Oct. 8. Spring Lake won 25-27, 31-29, 25-23, 21-25 and 15-11.

Melina Robertson just missed making the single-season assists list as both a junior in 2018 and a senior last fall, when she totaled a career-high 1,054 for Sault Ste. Marie. But with those four seasons together, Robertson ranks 21st with 3,730 career assists.

Hopkins senior Brianna Miller will be working to move up the MHSAA career lists in kills and aces this fall after reaching both as a junior. She has 1,435 kills and 289 aces over 405 games and three seasons with one to play, and she also was added for 675 kills last year. Teammate Ashley Bultema also was added to the records last fall as a senior with 11 aces during a two-game win over Grand Rapids Union on Oct. 12.

Makenzie Bonnell finished her Marshall four-season varsity career last fall with the ninth-most assists in rally scoring history, 4,225, and three listings on the single-season assists list. Her single-season high came as a senior, with 1,293, and she also topped 1,200 as both a sophomore and junior.

PHOTO: Coleman’s Jaden Berthume crosses the plate during a 2019 Division 4 Semifinal at Secchia Stadium.