Escanaba Conquers Cold to Repeat
June 1, 2017
By Ryan Stieg
Special for Second Half
MARQUETTE — There was a brisk wind blowing Wednesday afternoon on the Northern Michigan University Golf Course, but the tough conditions didn’t have an effect on the Escanaba girls team.
The Eskymos fought their way through the cold and won their second straight Upper Peninsula Division 1 title – and their efforts delighted Escanaba coach Brian Robinette.
“The girls just really went out and performed today,” he said. “We needed to show up as a team today, and we definitely did that. This was a highly successful season. The girls kept improving and had great attitudes, and they’re an easy team to coach because they like golf.
"It’s easy to coach someone who likes the sport they’re in. They were really dedicated and serious about the game, and it showed out there today.”
At the 10-team meet, the Eskymos finished with a comfortable 18-stroke lead over Houghton (351 to 369) to repeat as champs. That wasn’t all for Escanaba though as Paxton Johnson was medalist for the second year in a row, shooting a 75.
When asked if she was used to constantly winning tournaments, Johnson put that thought to rest quickly.
“You never get used to this,” she said with a laugh. “It feels great every time. My wedges worked out great for me today, and I just liked how I did.”
For the second-place Gremlins, it was a disappointing outcome, but coach Ruth Ryynanen felt her team left it all on the course.
“The day went pretty well,” she said. “We’ve played here before, and I think that helped us a bit. One of our girls (Kaaren Liston) had a personal best with a 77, and that was wonderful to see. She is always trying harder and does her absolute best.
“We have a good group coming back next year and I have five girls who didn’t even get to play today that have been practicing hard and could step up for us.”
Marquette took third place with a score of 390, and Redettes head coach Ben Smith thought they had a great day overall.
“Since we played at two different sites (the boys were at Marquette Golf Club), I didn’t get to see a lot of them, but from what I know, (the girls) played really well,” he said. “Ellie (Hicks) shot an 85, and I’m happy for her because that’s a great way to end her junior year. Today was just a great day for them to come together, and I hope that they can build on that.”
Menominee also finished with a score of 390, but had to settle for fourth due to a disqualification.
Individually, Liston took second place, Hicks finished third, and the Escanaba trio of Sam Henderson (91), Megan Dagenais (92) and Darby Beckon (93) took fourth through sixth, respectively.
PHOTOS: (Top) Escanaba’s Sam Henderson, left, finished fourth individually while Houghton’s Kaitlyn McKay just missed placing among the top 10 individuals. (Middle) Aspen Micheln watches one of her shots for third-place Marquette. (Photos by Rachel Oakley.)
Northville Turns to Experience in Repeat, Flavin Finishes All-State Career as No. 1
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
October 18, 2025
ALLENDALE – If Northville's golf team was going to capture a second straight and sixth Lower Peninsula Division 1 title over eight years, banking on experience was going to have to win out over caving to pressure.
Which is exactly how the Mustangs captured this weekend’s tournament at The Meadows at Grand Valley State.
A young but experienced Northville team completed a wonderous season with three golfers placing among the top seven en route to a 29-stroke win over runner-up Macomb Dakota.
The Mustangs turned to the experience gained from last year's title run. While some teams may bend to the pressure of trying to repeat, Northville coach Kate Schultz said it was more about a team which lost only one key golfer to graduation a year ago.
"It was basically the same team," said Schultz, who as a Northville senior in 2002 won a Finals title before going on to play at Grand Valley State. "So it was nothing better or worse for us. We're proud that we're a deep team. There may have been more pressure, but the kids didn't know any difference from last year. They know what they have to do, and I knew they would handle putting more pressure on themselves."
Northville finished with a 643 to outdistance second-place Macomb Dakota's 672. Okemos was third with a 674, and Rochester Adams fourth at 681.
Plymouth senior Annie Flavin won the individual title with a 148, including a 5-over-par 77 on Saturday following a 71 on Friday.
Northville junior Naaz Gill finished fourth with a 154, while sophomore teammates McKenzie Stevens and Cam Baker tied for seventh with 158s. That trio all finished among the top four at their Regional, with Stevens winning the qualifier.
Gill said her teammates were well-prepared to follow up a Regional team title won by 35 strokes with earning a second-straight Finals victory. The team had been ranked No. 1 in Division 1 all season while losing only once when the team was battling a team-wide illness.
"We know the difference between Regionals and state, and that state would be more competitive," she said. "We just all wanted to shoot personal bests, which would be good for the team."
Stevens said the experience of having been there, done that, was a huge reason for the repeat.
"It's hard, but we feel like we handled it well," she said. "We were excited to win last year, and we weren't nervous about being back. We took pressure as an opportunity to do better than we did last year."
Schultz said the ability to handle high expectations comes from learning to play in the moment. Looking ahead, she said, serves little benefit.
"We always tell the girls to play like we're five shots behind," she said. "We tell them not to take the pedal off the metal, that every shot counts."
While most considered Northville the favorite to win the team title, the individual crown earned by Flavin is quite another story. She was a three-time all-stater heading into the tournament. But Flavin, who may choose to focus on earning a business degree over playing golf in college, hadn't finished higher than sixth at any of her three previous Finals.
It may have been a goal to win since her days in middle school, but Flavin admitted she wasn't the most likely candidate to outdistance Saturday's field. The difference between being a solid high school golfer and Finals champion came down to annual improvements in simply "picking my way around a course," she said. Specifically, she learned how to slow the game down and trust her teammates. Most of all, she said, it was about making huge strides in mental toughness.
"I have more of a mental mindset now. It's more positive, which has helped me," she said. "I can't really pinpoint anything other than it's just mental with me."
PHOTOS (Top) Northville's girls golf team takes a photo with its team trophy Saturday. (Middle) Plymouth's Annie Flavin begins a swing. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)