SAC Sound-off: Live from Breslin
March 21, 2012
This week we introduce Portland St. Patrick junior Elle Lehman, who not only assisted with the MHSAA's Class D trophy presentation Saturday -- but also played against eventual champion Waterford Our Lady in Thursday's Semifinal at the Breslin Center.
Elle Lehman, Portland St. Patrick junior
- Sports: Basketball and softball
- Non-sports activities: Student council, National Honors Society
- Favorite classes: World Literature. You have a chance to express your voice in different, creative ways.
- Must-see TV: "Family Guy” or “That 70s Show”
- One shining moment: My favorite high school sports highlight would have been in the 1999 Class D girls basketball state championship when there was a few seconds left and St. Pat threw the ball in and it bounced off of someone’s foot, and then we scored!!
- What’s next: I am not sure what school, but I would like to study pre-medicine and play softball in college – then eventually possibly become an orthopedic surgeon.
- My favorite part of game day is: ... hearing our fans cheer! I love the atmosphere when you are down on the court and everyone around you is yelling and cheering.
(Photo courtesy of Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Grand Blanc's Fisher, Caledonia's Olsen Lead Past MHSAA Standouts at Olympics
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 15, 2024
Several past Michigan high school athletes participated during the recent Olympics in Paris – and several did so only a few years after starring for their high schools in MHSAA competition.
Among those who graduated from Michigan schools, Grand Blanc’s Grant Fisher and Caledonia’s Alena Olsen provided the most memorable finishes this month.
Fisher, a two-time Lower Peninsula Division 1 cross country champion and five-time champion at Track & Field Finals, won bronze medals in the Olympic 5,000 and 10,000-meter races.
After high school, Fisher went on to win NCAA championships at Stanford, and he still owns the all-MHSAA Finals record in the 1,600 (4:00.28), run in 2015 as a senior. His 14:52.5 in 2014 remains the sixth-fastest 5K time in MHSAA cross country championship history.
Olsen played volleyball and soccer at Caledonia, graduating in 2014, and was part of the bronze medal-winning U.S. rugby team in Paris. She began playing that sport as a freshman at Michigan, where she was a two-time All-America selection.
Also competing this month for the United States were the following (with high school graduation year in parentheses):
- Heath Baldwin, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (2019) – Track & Field (10th in decathlon)
- Adam Coon, Fowlerville (2013) – Wrestling
- Freddie Crittenden, Utica (2013) – Track & Field (sixth in 110 hurdles)
- Aaron Cummings, Grand Haven – Rugby (also played football, wrestled and ran track at Grand Haven)
- Andrew Evans, Portage Northern (2009) – Track & Field
- Hobbs Kessler, Ann Arbor Skyline (2021) – Track & Field (fifth in 1,500)
- Grace Stark, White Lake Lakeland (2019) – Track & Field (fifth in 100 hurdles)
- Abby Tamer, Dexter (2021) – Field Hockey (also played soccer at Dexter)
Additionally, Devin Booker was a member of the gold medal-winning men’s basketball team; he played as a freshman at Grandville before moving to Mississippi. Cindy (Ofili) Sember from Ann Arbor Huron ran the 100 hurdles for Great Britain, Udodi Onwuzurike from Bloomfield Brother Rice ran the 200 meters for Nigeria, Alex Rose from Ogemaw Heights threw the discus for Samoa, and Myles Amine from Detroit Catholic Central wrestled for San Marino.