K-Christian Aces Take Places in Records
August 22, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Kalamazoo Christian girls tennis team capped off this spring with a sixth-place team finish at the Lower Peninsula Division 4 Finals – led by a pair of singles players who enjoyed plenty of significant victories during their high school careers.
Seniors Lizzie Bauss and Audrey Bouma finished Finals flights runners-up at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively. Earlier in the season, Bouma (No. 2) experienced her first loss since 2013 after building the second-longest winning streak, of 78 straight matches, in MHSAA girls tennis history. She also made the record book as one of only a handful of standouts who won at least three Finals championships – she earned her titles at No. 3 singles as a freshman and sophomore and No. 2 as a junior. Bouma also graduated with 56 wins by a score of 6-0, 6-0.
Bauss, the No. 1 singles player this fall, made the record book with 31 matches won 6-0, 6-0. Bauss will continue her career at Indiana Wesleyan University.
Click to see where both rank in the MHSAA girls tennis record book and read on for more recent additions in girls basketball, girls soccer and softball. (Click the sport headings to see those record books in full.)
Girls Basketball
It’s never too late to update our records. Carrollton’s 1992 Class C champion team was added this week for combining with Merrill to score 164 points in a game (Carrollton won 118-46); the Cavaliers made an MHSAA-record 52 field goals in that game and also were added for 16 3-pointers in a 106-41 win over Bay City All Saints in 1993. The 164 points tied for seventh most in one game and the 16 3-pointers tied for sixth most.
Leland’s Eva Grobbel grabbed 20 or more rebounds three times during the 2015-16 season, including a personal-best and record book-making 25 on Jan. 4. Grobbel will play volleyball this fall at Alpena Community College.
Girls Soccer
Libby Munoz’ ascension to MHSAA all-time leading scorer was reported frequently this spring, and now it’s official. With the addition of the Leland star’s 64 goals this past season, she finished her high school career with 228 to break the previous record by 33. Munoz also finished this spring with 79 points total – and her career with 298, eight more than previous points record holder Laura Heyboer of Hudsonville Unity Christian. Munoz will continue her career at Kalamazoo College.
Hannah Davis became one of 11 players in MHSAA history to score 50 goals in a season when she netted that many in 26 games for Big Rapids this spring. She also had 43 goals in 2015 as a junior and graduated with 113 goals in 71 career varsity games. She will continue her career at Taylor University in Indiana.
Lansing Catholic’s Shannon Crilley finished up a fine career this spring as her school’s all-time leading goal-scorer – and her 71 goals over four seasons also make the MHSAA list. She played all four seasons on varsity and scored a personal season high of 28 as a junior.
Softball
Belding’s Greta Wilker – a member of the MHSAA Student Advisory Council – finished her career this spring on three MHSAA career records lists, for 20 home runs, a .538 batting average and 170 runs scored in 115 games over four seasons on varsity. Two more Belding standouts also were added to the records: pitcher Kyleigh Linebaugh for 35 wins – and 35 consecutive – in 2010 and 100 pitching wins total from 2009-12, and Brooke Linebaugh for six RBI in a game against Hastings on May 17, 2014. Wilker will continue her career at Emory University in Georgia, while Kyleigh Linebaugh played collegiately at Davenport University.
Gladwin’s Dayna Fennell capped her career this spring among Michigan’s top power hitters of all-time, knocking 19 home runs to place second on the single-season list and with 32 over her four-season varsity career to tie for 12th most. Teammate Lauren Mose also made the record book for the third time, with 73 hits this spring. Both were seniors. Fennell will continue her career this fall at Delta College.
Midland’s first trip to the MHSAA Semifinals since 1988 this spring included a number of impressive team-wide statistical accomplishments, keyed by a pair of standout juniors. The Chemics finished 36-8 to make the MHSAA list for most wins and had 454 hits, 104 doubles and 328 RBI – with the doubles second-most by a team in a single season. Junior pitcher Maya Kipfmiller hit .664, with her 83 hits this spring tying for seventh most in a season and her 23 doubles tying for eighth. She also had 20 strikeouts over seven innings in a game against Flint Carman-Ainsworth on May 19. Julia Gross, the junior shortstop, had 19 doubles this season and hit back-to-back home runs against Goodrich on May 24. Both Kipfmiller and Gross also made the career doubles list with a season to play. Kipmiller already has committed to continue her career at Boston University.
Okemos’ Sally Patterson, a freshman this spring, also struck out 20 in a seven-inning game. She made the list in a 9-2 Chiefs win over Haslett on April 26, striking out the side in two innings.
PHOTO: Kalamazoo Christian's Audrey Bouma (left) and Lizzie Bauss connect on swings this season. (Photos courtesy of Kalamazoo Christian High School.)
Holmen Helps Pace Memorable Finals Run
April 8, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Nikoma Holmen played a major role as Grandville reached its first MHSAA softball championship game in 25 years in 2017 – and 15 record book entries are enduring proof of the impact she made on the program.
Holmen finished her four-season varsity run on four career lists. Over 126 games she accumulated 170 runs, 218 hits, 54 doubles and 33 home runs.
Her senior season, Grandville made its first Semifinal and then first Final, both since 1982, before falling to Macomb Dakota 4-3 in eight innings in the Division 1 championship game. Holmen now is a sophomore playing at Grand Valley State University.
See below for more recent record book additions in softball, football, boys lacrosse and boys soccer.
Football
Ottawa Lake Whiteford senior Hunter Lake became the first to be listed for interceptions in one quarter after snagging three during the first quarter of a 64-0 win over Stryker, Ohio, on Aug. 31. He tied the MHSAA single-quarter record by bringing two of those back for touchdowns and made the single-game list for interception return touchdowns and single-quarter list for total defensive touchdowns as well.
Led by a pair of 1,000-yard rushers, Edwardsburg finished this past fall 14-0 and as Division 4 champion. The Eddies also made the MHSAA records multiple times, with their 705 points ranking sixth all-time and their 50.4 per game making the list among highest averages. Edwardsburg also made the total yardage (5,886) and total touchdowns (97), and rushing attempts (578), yardage (5,232) and touchdowns (82) lists. The Eddies also became the first team to register more than 60 rushes in a game when they ran 63 times against Holland Christian on Nov. 10.
Boys Lacrosse
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central’s Micah Eby stopped 23 shots last May 12 against West Bloomfield. Eby, then a junior, tied for the 13th-most saves in one game.
Boys Soccer
Evan Veenhuis climbed the scoring lists one more time as a Comstock senior this fall. He added 34 goals and 35 points to finish with 121 career goals and 156 career points over four seasons.
Troy Athens carried a perfect record into the MHSAA Tournament this past fall and finished among the most impressive teams defensively of all-time. Athens became one of nine teams to give up seven or fewer goals over the course of a season and also made the season shutouts list with 16. Junior Jason Kemp was in net for all 16 to make the individual shutout list, and for six straight in September to earn another record book entry. Athens also was added for its 21 straight wins and 20 straight in 2013, when it gave up only 10 goals during the entirety of the fall.
Hudsonville Unity Christian had 18 shutouts and gave up only eight goals on the way to winning the Division 3 championship this past fall, making the team record book in both categories. Individually, junior Grant Balcer ranks tied for fourth with those 18 shutouts (including eight straight) and has 26 over his two-year varsity career.
Softball
A pair of Grosse Pointe South players were added for accomplishments last season. Julia O’Halla, now a senior, had home runs on two consecutive at bats and six RBI total in a win over Madison Heights Bishop Foley. Teammate Lauren Sancya, a senior in 2018, finished her four-year varsity career on the all-time doubles list with 48. Emma St. John was added for her 2014 performance when she became one of four to strike out 18 batters in a six-inning game, a 10-0 no-hitter against Center Line. St. John was a freshman that season and played two seasons for South and her final two for University Liggett.
Olivia Tomaszewski graduated from Frankfort last spring with 160 RBI over four varsity seasons, enough to make the MHSAA record book list in that category and come in second on the school’s all-time list to Katy McKay, who had 165 from 1996-99. Tomaszewski is playing at Cornerstone University. Junior Haley Myers also was added to the career home runs list after two seasons – she had 22 after hitting 13 last spring as a sophomore.
Allen Park Inter-City Baptist’s Brooke Myles last April 12 became the first since 2010 to strike out more than 15 batters in a five-inning game, tying for second on that record list with 16 Ks against Sterling Heights Parkway Christian in a 13-1 win. Myles is a senior this spring.
PHOTO: Grandville’s Nikoma Holmen gets ready to advance after reaching first base during the 2017 Division 1 Softball Final against Macomb Dakota.