Two Years After Sport Switch, Swanson Completes Rapid Rise with Finals Title
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
February 28, 2026
TAYLOR – A heart condition forced Hudson junior Alexis Swanson to give up basketball in the 10th grade.
She switched to bowling.
It was a good move.
Swanson captured the Division 4 girls singles title Saturday with a 398-301 victory over Ravenna’s Gabby Nutt, who had helped the Bulldogs to the team title Friday.
Swanson’s team lost in the Final to Ravenna, with Saturday’s finale setting up a rematch from the two top teams.
“It helped winning the (singles) title since we lost team,’’ said Swanson.
“I initially started bowling with one hand, but I was terrible, so I switched to two hands. When I threw my ball two-handed, I said I wanted to switch. It worked out. I spend a lot of time over the summer and fall in the bowling alley.’’
Jason Nutt, Gabby’s coach, said: “She’s 93 pounds and throws a 13-pound ball. She just ran out of gas.’’
Swanson qualified first for match play with a score of 1,288 followed by Ravenna’s Taylor Nutt at 1,249; Jasmyn Ranquist of Bad Axe at 1,179 and Kylo Riedel of Breckenridge at 1,157. Swanson saw two teammates also qualify – Brooke Houser, 12th (1,005) and Ellie Loar 10th (1,030).
Gabby Nutt (1,078) and Reese Herremans (982) also reached the top 16 for Ravenna, but the Bulldogs received a first-round blow when junior Taylor Nutt had to bowl her teammate, Herremans, also a junior, in the first round.
Herremans never got it going, committing a dozen open frames in two games and lost to Taylor Nutt, 387-249. Nutt advanced to face Estes Purvis of Ithaca, who had eliminated Hudson’s Ellie Loar in a roll-off (40-27).
Swanson defeated Chloe Squires of Mancelona (400-338) and faced Jonesville’s Morgan Dilyard, who had downed Sandusky’s Victori Shea (323-289). Byron’s Kara Chapman knocked off Hudson’s Brooke House (322-312) and faced Kylo Riedel from Breckenridge, who had eliminated Kourtney Downham of Allen Park Cabrini (423-309).
Ranquist reached the Semifinals by defeating Lakeview’s Brinley Skaggs (413-319) and Gabby Nutt, who had eliminated Harper James of Jonesville (391-387). Swanson beat Dilyard (391-221) to move to the Semifinal against Chapman, who had stopped Riedel (323-269). The other semifinal saw Gabby Nutt take on Purvis, after they defeated Ranquist and Taylor Nutt, respectively.
PHOTO Hudson's Alexis Swanson, far right, stands for a photo with placers at the Division 4 Singles Final.
Franklin Boys Claim 1st Bowling Title, Dakota's Girls Return to Top of D1
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
March 4, 2022
ALLEN PARK – Livonia Franklin’s boys bowling team made history Friday at the MHSAA Division 1 Finals at Thunderbowl Lanes.
In just its fourth year of existence, the Patriots’ program claimed its first title, pulling away from Utica Eisenhower 1,451-1,214 behind junior Ian Wright’s 267 and senior Ian Cain’s 251.
Franklin led Eisenhower 390-361 after the two Baker games.
“They’ve been bowling with each other since they were little guys,’’ Franklin coach Dan Hejka said. “We’ve worked very hard over the last four years. We almost got here two years ago, then we had a setback at Regionals last year. This is amazing for the seniors.’’
Said Wright: “We grinded through everything. Our second match we struggled. We had to put up some numbers, even if it meant staying clean and making our spares.’’
Macomb Dakota senior Jillian Lipinski shot 185 in the championship game and got a big boost from sophomore Haylie Patterson to hold off Davison’s girls team 1,222-1,120 and claim a first Finals title since 2015.
“This is a fantastic experience for me; we really had to fight for it,’’ said Lipinski. “It’s amazing it happened my senior year. Through tough times this year we really rocked it.’’
Patterson – whose father Chris and grandfather Curt are 200-average bowlers in Macomb County – rolled a match-high 223 in the title decider.
Davison’s downfall was 10 straight open frames in the fifth and sixth, ending any chance at a championship. Dakota had only a slim 362-351 lead after the Baker games.
Franklin’s boys advanced to the championship match by eliminating Davison, 1,383-1,278 while Eisenhower beat Midland with a huge number, 1,616-1342.
Davison’s girls advanced to the final by out-rolling Farmington, 1,364-1,049 while Dakota edged Macomb L’Anse Creuse North, 1,255-1,146.
Midland was the top qualifier in the boys division with a score of 3,748, followed by Franklin at 3,695 and Davison third at 3,563. Macomb Area Conference schools Utica Eisenhower (3,512) and Macomb Dakota (3,504) were fifth and sixth.
Franklin was the first boys team to advance to the semifinals with a 1,460-1,208 victory over seventh-seed Rockford. Davison eliminated Dakota, 1,312-1,284 to advance on the other side of the boys bracket..
Midland, the top boys’ seed, advanced to the semifinal with a 1,435-1,168 win over Jenison; while Utica Eisenhower topped Holt, 1,318-1,292 to face Midland in the semifinal.
On the girls, side Holt qualified first at 3,504 followed by Dakota at 3,382 and Zeeland third (3,218). MAC schools Macomb L’Anse Creuse North (2,988) and Sterling Heights Stevenson (2,949) qualified sixth and seventh, respectively.
Sixth-seeded L’Anse Creuse North knocked off third-seed Zeeland 1,385-1,324 to advance to the semifinals against MAC rival Dakota, which had eliminated Stevenson 1,345-1,087.
Dakota’s girls were 2-0 head-to-head against LCN during the regular season and made it 3-for-3 with their semifinal victory. Davison advanced to the semis with a 1,200-1,148 decision over Grandville, and Farmington edged top-seeded Holt 1,177-1,173 to advance and face the Cardinals.
PHOTOS The Livonia Franklin boys (top) and Macomb Dakota girls (middle) bowling teams celebrate their Division 1 championships Friday. (Click for more from Champions Photography.)