Lancers Creuse with Record Hitting
August 17, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A pair of powerful hitters led Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse into the MHSAA softball record book this spring in a number of offensive categories – and with a junior slugger is on the verge of another milestone with a season to play.
As a team, the Lancers had 384 hits, 79 doubles, 49 home runs and 274 RBI over 37 games – the home runs tied for third most all-time. Junior Brooke Nadolny continued her chase of MHSAA single-season and career home run records – her 26 homers this season tied 26 by Schoolcraft’s Lydia Goble, also this spring, to set the single-season record, and Nadolny’s three homers in consecutive at bats against Grosse Pointe South on April 26 tied for third on that list. She’s up to 54 home runs after her first three seasons and will enter next spring needing just one more to tie the career record in that category.
Meanwhile, senior teammate Sammi Mills – who will continue her career next season at Central Michigan University – was added for 227 career hits, 20 doubles this season and 61 for career, and 22 career home runs.
Nadolny also ranks on the career doubles list with 39 and was added for 15 strikeouts pitching in a five-inning game against Roseville on June 1. Sophomore Cynthia Galvan was added for back-to-back home runs in her final at bat against Roseville and first against St. Clair Shores Lake Shore, both June 1, and Abby Rusek, a 2015 graduate, was added for 19 doubles in 2014.
Click to see the softball record book in full, and read on for more recent record book additions in girls and boys basketball, football, boys lacrosse, boys soccer and volleyball.
Girls Basketball
Grand Haven’s run to consecutive Class A championships in 2012 and 2013 were part of an overall three-season run of 81-2 – made possible by a talented roster including a pair of record-smashing standouts. Abby Cole was a Miss Basketball Award finalist as a senior in 2013 and graduated with 11 entries among the individual record book lists – her 17 blocks in a 2012-13 game against Holland Christian are tied for fourth most in a game, her 233 that season rank third on that list and her 536 over four seasons (but playing only three varsity games as a freshman) are fifth most for a career. Alex Law, a four-season player who finished in 2012, earned entries for 65 3-pointers as a senior, 207 for her career, an .882 free-throw percentage (tied for seventh highest) as a sophomore and a career .845 (third highest) free-throw percentage over 98 games. Cole went on to play volleyball at University of Michigan, and Law played basketball at Davenport University. As a team, Grand Haven owns the eighth-longest winning streak of all-time at 57 games, from Dec. 30, 2011, through Jan. 3, 2014.
Boys Basketball
Indian River Inland Lakes clinched a Class C District title on March 9 with a 70-60 victory over Harbor Springs – aided by making 35 of 39 free-throw attempts. Those 35 free throws made rank 15th for most by one team in a single game.
Malik Ellison gave the crowd at Flint Beecher one more thrill in his final home game Feb. 28, 2017, setting a Flint-area record with 63 points in a 108-104 loss to New Haven. Ellison’s total is tied for 14th on the single-game scoring list. He plays now at Eastern Michigan University.
Football
Grosse Pointe South kicker Cameron Shook contributed to an all-state campaign last season with a 54-yard field goal Aug. 31 against Utica. He is continuing his football career this fall for Navy.
Boys Lacrosse
Tecumseh’s first trip to the MHSAA Quarterfinals – and a 20-1 record – understandably were keyed by a number of contributors offensively and in goal. The Indians set an MHSAA team record with 366 goals as Dylan Day scored 104, second all-time, with his 163 total points ranking third. Senior Drake Ringer had 125 points, 11th most all-time, including 72 assists (second) with a record 11 assists in a win over Temperance Bedford on May 14. Dylan Day’s 59 assists rank sixth and freshman Blake Day’s 54 assists sit 10th on that single-season list. With a season to play, Day sits second on the career lists for goals (252) and overall points (383). Junior goalie Kobe Jennings also added to his list of record book entries, including with four more shutouts to tie his record set in 2017. His eight career shutouts over two seasons also is a record.
Brothers Garnet Potter and Reece Potter led Hartland’s offensive efforts the last two seasons in record book fashion. Garnet was added for 64 goals and 97 points as a senior in 2017, and Reese was added for 57 assists and 115 points this spring as a junior in addition to 80 points in 2017 as a sophomore. Reece’s assists this spring rank seventh all-time. Hartland scored 317 goals in 2018 and 337 in 2017.
Then-senior Joey Billette scored a career-high nine goals April 16, 2015, in Bay City Western’s 14-2 win over Saginaw Heritage. That total remains tied for seventh on the single-game scoring list.
Boys Soccer
Aidan Day set an Alpena record and made the MHSAA list as well with six goals (and an assist) in his team’s 8-0 win over Oscoda last Aug. 28. Day is a senior this fall.
Volleyball
Kayla Sauers’ back-to-back record-book setting performances helped Lake Odessa Lakewood into the Class B championship match last November. Sauers, then a senior, had 60 assists in a five-game Quarterfinal match win over Niles – those 60 tied for 10th most in a match since the start of rally scoring in 2004-05. She then followed with 47 assists in a four-game Semifinal win over Livonia Ladywood. She’s continuing her career at Cornerstone University.
PHOTO: L’Anse Creuse’s Sammi Mills begins her move toward the plate. (Photo courtesy of C&G Newspapers.)
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.)