Norris Spikes Way to All-Time Greatness

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

May 25, 2017

Corunna’s Meredith Norris ended a celebrated career in the fall by winning the Miss Volleyball Award – and delivering the last of 18 entries in the MHSAA record book.

For this past fall, the senior hitter made the records for kills in a season for the fourth time (839) – while also finishing second all-time for a career in that category since the start of rally scoring in 2004-05. Norris’ 3,126 career kills rank second only to eventual U.S. Olympian Alisha Glass’ 3,584 from 2003-06.

Norris – who will continue her career at Michigan State University – also added a 43-kill match (fourth all-time) to her record 56 set in 2015. The 839 kills this past fall were her most for one season. In addition, Cavaliers teammate Lexi Mort, a sophomore, made the single-match assists list three times with a high of 64 in four games against Goodrich.

See below for more recent record book entries in baseball, boys and girls basketball, football, softball, tennis and wrestling, and click on the sport headings to see those record books in full.

Baseball

Maple City Glen Lake has established itself as a regular contender in Division 4, and with a number of performances that have qualified the last few seasons for record book consideration. Among them, Travis Moore’s 188 career hits from 2013-16, 160 career RBI, .465 career batting average and 33 times hit by pitches during his career all were added. So too was Austin Odziana for 45 career doubles from 2012-15), 18 times hit by a pitch as a junior and 46 times hit by pitches (sixth all-time) for his career; Thomas Waning (2011-14) eight times including for 176 strikeouts and three no-hitters in 2014, Zach Cooper (2013-16) six times including for 11 career shutouts, and Matt Schweikart four times including for career ERA (0.73, fifth all-time) and seven shutouts last spring. A number of others from Glen Lake teams past were added in various categories: Brian Maurer (193 career runs from 1995-98 rank eighth; he set the season record of 84 in 1999), Curtis Bunek (2010-13), Zack Buchan (1999-2002), Weston Buchan (2004-07), Mike Baker (1998-2001), Steve Walker (1999-2002), Art Harland (1979-82), Andy Bunting (1997-2000), Scott Bunting (1994-97), Karl Malcolm (1999-2002), Joel Pierson (2000-03) and Corey Flaska for a single-season accomplishment in 1998. As teams, the 1978 Glen Lake squad hit 21 triples, second all-time, while the 2015 and 2016 teams both set MHSAA records being hit by pitches 78 times. The 2014 team ranks fifth with 326 strikeouts, and the 2015 team ninth with a 1.31 ERA.

Boys Basketball

North Adams-Jerome’s Stone Arnold finished a solid four-season career by playing himself into the MHSAA records with his defense. Arnold had 96 steals this past season to finish his career with 261, which rank 13th all-time. Arnold, a point guard, also became the first player in his school’s history to score 1,000 career points.

Girls Basketball

Marine City’s Karyssa Austin added 57 3-pointers this winter as a senior to finish her four-season varsity career with 213 – 11th in MHSAA history. She previously made the single-season list with 71 as a junior. She has signed to continue her career at Northwood University.

Football

Royal Oak’s Bobby Green and Darryl Davenport became the 10th pass-catching pair to be added to the MHSAA record book for longest pass with a 99-yarder launched by Green during a 35-0 win over Pontiac last Sept. 9. Davenport will continue his career this fall at Concordia University-Ann Arbor.

Powers North Central standout running back Bobby Kleiman added to his scoring entries with 200 points this past fall as a senior. He finished his career with 552 points over his junior and senior seasons of 8-player football – the only entry in a category where the minimum is 400. He’s also the first to be listed for career touchdowns, with 77 with at least one coming six ways – rushing, receiving, fumble return, interception return, punt return or kick return. He will play baseball at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

Softball

Former Greenville standout Nikota Howe was placed in the records for a number of accomplishments, most notably as a senior in 2014 and over her four-year varsity career. Her 79 hits in 2014 are tied for 19th most in one season, and her .699 batting average that spring ranks eighth all-time. Her .563 career average ranks 10th in that category, and she also made lists with 206 career hits, 47 career doubles, 22 career home runs, 116 career RBI and for seasons of 18 and 16 doubles. She went on to play at Lake Erie College in Ohio.

Boys Tennis

Midland Dow senior Varun Shanker finished his high school career in the fall as the state’s Mr. Tennis, making the single-season wins list for the second time at 32-1 and the career wins list at 115-19 over the last four seasons. Teammate Tyler Conrad also made the single single-season list with a team-high 34 victories, and Saketh Kamaraju made the single-season list with 33 wins and the consecutive wins list with those 33 before falling in the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final at No. 4 singles to finish his freshman campaign. A number of Dow doubles players also were added for wins in 2016 – Aditya Middha, Noah Nichols, Sagar Kamaraju and Ryan Killmaster all with 30; and J.J. Kirkman, Gopal Parthasarathy and Daniel Zhang all with 28. Sagar Kamaraju capped his career with 84 doubles wins, and Kirkman finished his with 69. Shanker at No. 1 singles, Conrad at No. 3, Kirkman and Middha at No. 1 doubles and Zhang and Parthasarathy at No. 3 all won Finals flight championships in the fall as Dow won the team title. Shanker will continue his career at the California Institute of Technology.

Volleyball

Samantha Stark served her way into the record book during a Class D District Semifinal win in 2015. The then-senior at Pellston had 11 aces in a three-set sweep of Alanson.

Wrestling

Westland John Glenn 2013 graduate Kyle Gillies is among the elite who finished their high school careers with more than 200 wins, ending at 204-34 after four varsity seasons. He went 55-1 as a senior, losing only to Davison’s Lincoln Olson in the 2013 Division 1 championship match at 112 pounds. Gillies went on to wrestle at Olivet College.

PHOTO: Corunna’s Meredith Norris serves during her team’s Class B Quarterfinal against Cadillac. (Click for more from Varsity Monthly.)

Heivilin Caps Three Rivers Career in Powerful Fashion

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

August 11, 2021

Kali Heivilin graduated from Three Rivers this spring with 20 record book entries and as one of the most accomplished hitters in state softball history – despite not being able to play as a junior because the season was canceled due to COVID-19.

She tied her single-season runs record with 88 and set the single-season home runs record with 29, to go with a number of single-game and career accomplishments as well. She ended her prep career with 238 runs (10th all-time), 201 hits, 66 home runs (second), 208 RBI (15th), a .568 batting average (14th) and 86 walks, all over 118 games and three varsity seasons.

Her senior teammate Shantel Blyly also was added to the record book five times for achievements this season, including finishing a three-year career with 33 doubles and hitting 19 this spring, and sophomore Ava Forman was added for her 17 doubles this season. Three Rivers as a team was added for 447 hits, 73 doubles, five homers in a game May 7 and 48 total, and 308 RBI this season over 39 games.

Heivilin is continuing her career at Alabama, and Blyly will play at Calvin.

See below for more recent additions to the softball record book.

Otsego’s Kendra VanderLugt closed her varsity career this spring among the most accomplished run producers in MHSAA history – and despite also not getting to play a junior season because of COVID-19. Over three seasons and 108 games she scored 173 runs, hit 43 doubles, 49 home runs (tied for fourth all-time) and drove in 229 runs (tied for seventh on that career list). Her 26 home runs last season broke the previous record and are now tied for second all-time for one spring. Additionally, Otsego junior Jada Bolhuis added two more record entries with 82 hits and 79 runs, the latter tying for seventh-most in one season. VanderLugt will continue at University of Toledo.

Novi picked up a pair of record book entries early this season. Sophomore Reganne Bennett struck out 14 in a five-inning no-hitter against Livonia Churchill on April 16, making the list for most strikeouts in a five-inning game. Junior Ally Sharnowski make the single-game home run list with three in an April 15 game against Livonia Franklin. 

Junior Haley Scott and freshman Julia Babcock became the latest from Niles Brandywine to earn record book entries, both doing so with six RBI in a game this spring. Scott drove in six runs during a win over St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic on May 5, with a grand slam part of her total. Babcock’s against Cassopolis on May 19 included a three-run walk-off homer.

Kamryn Troyer earned four record book entries with a powerful performance against Brandywine on May 7. The Centreville junior hit two first-inning home runs, tying a state record, and then a third in her third at bat of the game to make two more lists. She also made the single-game RBI list with six total in the victory.

A pair of Warren Fitzgerald standouts also earned single-game entries this spring. Sophomore Clarice Chapaton tied the record with four triples during an April 19 win over Clinton Township Clintondale, and junior Alexis Lesh drove in seven runs during her team’s May 5 win over Warren Lincoln.

Center Line teammates Emma Hastings and Harley Limberger had a pair of matching accomplishments during an April 26 win over Madison Heights Lamphere. Both drove in eight runs – Hastings on a pair of home runs and Limberger on three hits including two homers. Hastings was a senior this spring and will continue at Ohio Christian University, while Limberger was a sophomore.

Liberti Fair also tied the single-game record for triples this season, hitting four in four at bats (and scoring three runs with four RBI) in Clinton’s win over Hillsdale on May 18. A senior this spring, she’ll continue her career at Grand Valley State.

Sophomore Madison Jamrog was near-perfect in making the MHSAA record book with 14 strikeouts in Hamilton’s five-inning win over Holland Christian on May 17. She allowed just two hits.

Recent Napoleon grad Becca Daoust had to miss out on her junior season as well, but she made the most of the rest and landed on two record book career lists – with 27 triples over her other three seasons, and a .619 average that ranks sixth all-time. Her .747 average this spring ranks second on the single-season list, and she also made the runs scored list with 69. She also will continue at Toledo.

PHOTO: Kali Heivilin’s many Three Rivers accomplishments were on display during an interview this spring with State Champs! Sports Network. (Photo courtesy of State Champs! Sports Network.)