Miss Soccer Scores at Champion's Pace

January 22, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Saline’s run last spring to its first MHSAA girls soccer championship was keyed by a number of talented players – including a pair of all-staters with record book-caliber contributions.

Senior forward Taylor Mulder was named Miss Soccer after scoring 43 goals with 11 assists – her goals and 54 points made single-season records lists – and she finished her four-year varsity career with 80 goals. All-state keeper Sofia Sweier had 22 shutouts last season, tying for second-most in MHSAA history. She finished her four-year career with 42 shutouts, all coming over her final three years in net.

As a team, Saline gave up only four goals – tied for third fewest in MHSAA history – and had runs of 10 and nine consecutive shutouts. The nine straight began with the second-to-last regular-season game and included the entire Division 1 Tournament.

Mulder is currently playing at Siena Heights University, and Sweier played this fall at Grand Valley State University.

Click to see the girls soccer record book in full, and read on for more recent additions for other sports. (Click the sport headings to see those record lists.)

Girls Basketball

Sterling Heights’ Kendal Ring blocked 16 shots in her team’s 48-33 win over Macomb L’Anse Creuse North on Jan. 23, 2015, good to tie for sixth-most blocks in one game. The 5-foot-11 center is a senior this season.

Boys Soccer

Holland Christian’s run to the Division 2 Regional Semifinals in the fall including 15 shutouts in 24 games – and the team gave up only 11 goals all fall. Both milestones made the MHSAA records. Sophomore Nick VanderLaan had 11 shutouts and combined on four more.

Shelby made the team shutouts list with eight straight to start the 2015 season and also for giving up only 10 goals in 22 games. Keeper Jonah Kelley made the individual lists for consecutive shutouts and with 13 total for the season.

Softball

Rogers City’s outstanding run the last four seasons included two trips to the MHSAA Semifinals and a Division 4 title in 2014. A number of standouts played major parts, Logan Fleming among the stars. Fleming set an MHSAA single-season record for runs scored with 86 last spring, when she hit in all 39 games, and finished her four-season varsity career second all-time both with 264 runs and 304 hits; her 95 hits last spring also were second-most for one season. She also hit 25 doubles in 2015, third-most for one season, with her career total of 68 coming in sixth, and her .551 career batting average is 12th. Teammate Sarah Meredith is listed in the record book eight times, most notably for her .664 average in 2015. Kayla Rabeau and Kayla Fleury were among those entered for back-to-back home runs, while Nikkie Jo LaLonde was added for 34 career doubles from 2010-13 and Morgan Hall and Cassie Brege were among those added for RBI in one game. Rogers City as a team also earned a number of listings; its 42 runs in a game in 2014 were third most, and its 479 runs last season were second-most. The team’s 500 hits in 2015 ranked third and its 376 RBI and .449 team batting average also both ranked second. Meredith will be a senior this spring, and Fleming now plays at Ferris State.

Volleyball

A number of Rockford’s all-time leaders were added to the MHSAA listings, including a record-setter from the fall. Setter Hailey Delacher, a sophomore, set a rally-scoring era (2004-05 – present) record with 67 assists in a five-set match against Hudsonville on Nov. 10. Total, she made the single-match records five times for assists and also the single-season list with 1,310. She was joined by a number of her school’s previous setters including Halle Peterson, Abby Carlson (her 1,465 assists in 2013 rank fifth for a season), Kim Weaver, Debbie Nikodemski and Heather Gates. Andrea Kacsits was added for her career kills (1,831), aces (283) and blocks (631 – ranking third) among seven entries overall. Nikodemski also was added for 10 aces in a two-set match in 2007, and Weaver for her school-record 121 aces in 2008. Kacsits went on to play at Ohio State University, while Peterson just finished her career at Michigan State, Carlson plays at Cornerstone University and Weaver also played for the Golden Eagles, and Gates played at Bethel College in Indiana. Nikodemski played basketball at Olivet College. Also, coach Kelly Delacher, who has led teams at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, Grand Rapids Northview and now Rockford the last decade, was added to the career coaching wins list with a record of 848-385-32.

South Lyon senior Jessie Ignace had 38 of her team’s 53 kills in a 3-2 loss to Salem on Sept. 17. The 38 kills ties for eighth-most for one match during the rally scoring era.

North Adams-Jerome junior Holly Trujillo set a school record and finished eighth in MHSAA history with 206 blocks (including 148 solos) in helping her team to a District championship and state ranking in Class D.   

Sarah DeVries capped her Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian career this fall with her second entry for single-season kills and tied for 11th-most kills for a career in the rally scoring era. DeVries added 717 this season to 743 she had as a junior, and total finished with 1,964 over four seasons. She’ll play next season at Calvin College.

Brooke Beaubien capped her four-season Cheboygan career among the MHSAA career-best with 1,517 kills and 280 aces, and she also made the single-season aces list with 116 as a sophomore. Her teams finished a combined 151-69-18 and won two league championships. 

PHOTO: Saline's Taylor Mulder (7) works to get past a defender during last season's Division 1 Final against Grand Blanc. 

2-Time Champ Earns 1st Records Mention

May 10, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

This winter, sophomore Bree Salenbien registered the first of what no doubt will be a number of MHSAA record book entries during her Adrian Lenawee Christian basketball career.

The all-stater made 27 free throws – second-most for one game – against Ann Arbor Pioneer on Feb. 16. Meanwhile, junior teammate Libby Miller was added to the records for 69 3-pointers over 28 games this season as the team won its second straight MHSAA Finals championship, this time in Division 4.

See below for more recent record book additions in baseball, girls basketball, hockey, girls soccer and volleyball. Click on the headings to see those record books in full.

Baseball

A pair of Concord athletes joined the list of most frequently hit batsman. T.J. Stevens was hit by pitch 18 times as a senior in 2014 and 26 over 56 games and two seasons. Teammate Chevy Burk was hit 15 times also as a senior in 2014 and 24 times over 107 games and three seasons.

On April 23, 2001, Armada’s Steve Girodat hit three home runs during his team’s 10-3 win over Memphis, tying a long list for seventh-most homers in one game. Girodat went on to play at Adrian College.

On April 22, 1960, Morrice stole 26 bases in a game against Birch Run. Nearly 60 years later, that performance has been added as an MHSAA record for steals in a game. Jim Hursh also was added to the individual steals list after leading the way that day with six stolen bases.

Girls Basketball

Adrian Madison’s Laura Teunion-Smith has been a softball standout and will continue her career in that sport at Tiffin University. But she also contributed her athleticism to the basketball program, making the record book this winter with 304 rebounds over 25 games. She also was a standout in volleyball.

Hockey

Tawas goaltender Ethan Haire worked through some busy nights this season, tying the record for most saves in one game with 96 in a 9-3 loss to Walled Lake Northern on Dec. 21. He came back with 94 saves in an 8-1 loss to Fenton/Linden on Jan. 19. Haire was a junior this winter. 

There are not many recent entries for goals or assists in the MHSAA hockey record book, making Zach Robinson’s 135 assists over 107 games the last four seasons for Brownstown Woodhaven even more impressive. His total ranks 11th on the career assists list.

Girls Soccer

For the second season in a row last spring, Muskegon Mona Shores ran off 10 straight shutouts to make the MHSAA record book. The latest streak began April 11, 2018 against Spring Lake and concluded after a win over Muskegon on May 8.

A pair of Swartz Creek standouts graduating 17 years apart were added. Casey Allessie graduated in 2017 with 77 goals over four seasons, good for second-most in her school’s history. Just ahead of her was 2000 graduate Haley Henry at 83; she also was added for 26 assists her senior season, 184 career points from 1997-2000, and for 101 career assists that would’ve ranked second on the list at the time and now sit tied for third. Allessie is playing at Delta College.

Volleyball

Onaway added to its successful group of standouts in the record book from the last decade with career assist (3,328) and ace (296) totals for Taylor Ehrke, who played from 2013-16. Additionally, Lexi Szymoniak was added for 605 kills in 2014, and Calley Selke (120) and Mallorie Neelis (111) were added for aces this past fall. Szymoniak went on to play at Lawrence Tech University. Selke is a senior this year, and Neelis is a junior.

PHOTO: Adrian Lenawee Christian’s Bree Salenbien attempts a free throw during this season’s Division 4 Final at Calvin College.