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High 5s: 10/3/2012

October 3, 2012

This week's honorees are some of Michigan's best on the golf and cross country courses and volleyball court. 

Each week, Second Half recognizes two athletes and a team for their successes during the current season. To nominate a candidate, email editor Geoff Kimmerly at [email protected].

Below are this week's honorees. Check back later this week for details plus links to stories on each.

Jacqueline Setas
Lansing Catholic junior
Golf

Setas earned all-state honors in Division 4 as part of MHSAA championship teams her first two years of high school, but likely has put herself in contention for the Miss Golf Award this fall as one of the state's elite, regardless of division. She's won five tournaments this season, finished second twice and sixth in her team's first event this season, and is averaging 74.3 strokes for 18 holes and 35.9 for nine-hole matches. She shot a 68 on Thursday to win the Capital Area Activities Conference White championship at Wheatfield Valley in Williamston. She also plays basketball and softball, but hopes to play Division I college golf and is down to a list of five or six schools from which she'll likely choose.

Brother knows best: Setas' older brother Ben Setas played on Lansing Catholic's 2005 Division 3 championship team. "If I needed a quick swing change, without my coach (there), he's a scratch golfer and he can spot things really quickly. ... I beat him for the first time this summer, and that was not a happy day for him."

Still in the swing: "A lot of people told me that softball screws up your golf swing. (This spring) was the first time I've played in five years, and I was hitting my best this summer. I don't think it screwed up my golf swing too badly."

My favorite golfer is: "Probably Morgan Pressel, because she's sponsored by Polo. Luke Donald too; he's got a picture-perfect swing."

Pearly whites: "I'd like to study pre-dental. I just really liked going to the dentist growing up. Not a lot of people did, but I found it fascinating. If I had a loose tooth, I always pulled it out."

Click to read more.

Nathan Burnand
Waterford Mott senior
Cross country

Burnand, last season's sixth-place finisher at the MHSAA Division 1 Final, has been arguably the top runner in the state this fall and won the Sept. 14 Spartan Invitational elite race at Michigan State in 15:21 -- 17 seconds faster than his time at Michigan International Speedway last November. He opened this season with a second-place finish at the Oakland University Golden Grizzly Invitational and last weekend won the Waterford Mott Fall Classic.

My toughest opponents: "There can be so many. There are so many good people. I've raced (Lake Orion's) T.J. (Carey) a lot. (Milford's Brian) Kettle, (Cody) Snavely. (Mason's) Tanner Hinkle. 

XC for me: "I like being in control, and cross country allows me to be in control of my own destiny. It's what I do, not others, and of course I've been helped by my team and coaches. I (also) like the measured improvement I can constantly see."

My favorite runner: "Galen Rupp over the summer was amazing. That was a highlight."

Race thoughts: "It's definitely a challenge to keep negative thoughts out of your head. (When I'm running) I'm thinking things about my form and what I can do to make my race good as possible. I'm thinking about making my race as perfect as possible. (Mental focus) is definitely something I'm constantly improving on."

Click to read more.

Beal City volleyball

The Aggies are 26-5-1 under first-year coach Kelly David, a former standout on the team who graduated in 2010. Beal City is ranked No. 3 in Class D, and last weekend won the St. Louis Invitational with wins over the Class C No. 2 Sharks and No. 7 New Lothrop.

Click to read more.

Previous 2012-13 honorees:

Did you see that? (10/8-10/14)

October 16, 2012

The postseason got underway in girls golf and boys tennis, with those finishes among the non-football highlights from the week of Oct. 8-14.

Tennis

Upset special: Regionals were played all over the state in advance of this weekend’s Finals, and the blast heard loudest probably came from Portage, where Billy Heckman downed reigning MHSAA Division 2 No. 1 singles champion Davis Crocker of Kalamazoo Loy Norrix in straight sets (although the first was decided in a tie-breaker). Click the MHSAA link for Finals qualifiers from every Regional. (MHSAA) (Kalamazoo Gazette)

Golf

Bulldogs beat the elements too: Frosty weather made for tough conditions as golfers also played Regionals last week. But despite a delay to open the Division 1 tournament at Plymouth’s Fox Hills, Brighton emerged from a group that included five of the 10 state-ranked Division 1 teams to win and advance to this week’s MHSAA Final. Click the MHSAA link for Finals qualifiers. (MHSAA) (Livingston County Daily Press & Argus)

Volleyball

It’s St. Philip, again: The Battle Creek All-City Invitational pits teams from the biggest and smallest classes and all corners of Battle Creek – Central, Harper Creek, Pennfield, Lakeview and St. Philip – and has decades of history. The recent portion belongs to the Tigers, who won their fifth-straight All-City title. (Battle Creek Enquirer)

Cross country

Greatest and Best: The East Lansing girls and Mason boys won Saturday’s Greater Lansing Invitational, a meet that annually pits more than 40 schools from the Greater Lansing area. Mason’s victory was by just a point over runner-up Ionia. (Lansing State Journal)

Swimming and Diving

Tough competition at EMU: Zeeland East’s Morgan Bullock won multiple events as a number of the state’s top swimmers and divers competed at the annual MISCA Meet at Eastern Michigan University. Links to individual results can be found in the orange box located in the center area of the MISCA site. (MISCA)

Soccer

All Chieftains: Okemos, ranked No. 7 in Division 1, beat Division 2 No. 6 Mason 6-0 to claim the Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup championship. The tournament pits the best teams from all four CAAC divisions. (Lansing State Journal)