Longtime Coach Has Marshall Aiming High
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
October 15, 2019
MARSHALL — When Dick Hamilton signed on to coach the Marshall girls golf team, never in his wildest dreams did he think he would still be doing so 40 years later.
“I’m just glad to be alive 40 years later,” he said, laughing.
He is not only alive, but thriving on working with what he calls “close to the best team I’ve had.”
After winning the Division 3 Regional on Oct. 7 at Niles, the Redhawks are headed to the MHSAA Final this Friday and Saturday at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University.
It will be the 29th time Hamilton’s teams will have competed at the Finals level and, with five seniors, he hopes this is the year to win the previously elusive championship.
Third place is the highest his teams have finished. These Redhawks are ranked third in Division 3 and finished eighth last year.
The team is led by four-year varsity golfer Karlee Malone, who was Regional medalist with an 83 at Orchard Hills Country Club.
Big changes
High school golf has come a long way since Hamilton began coaching.
“When I started, there was one division and everybody was in the same division,” Hamilton said. “Ironically, my first year, we hosted the state championship at Marshall High School.
“Our AD said, ‘You run it.’ It had to be the worst-run state championship in history. I was a rookie and everybody was coming in with these powerhouse teams.”
The Redhawks actually qualified for that year’s championship tournament and ended up eighth.
While the game, itself, has not changed much over the years, the coaching and the golfers have, Hamilton said.
The Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association pushed for more divisions, and today the MHSAA has four divisions for golf in the Lower Peninsula.
“There are a lot more good players now,” Hamilton said. “When I started, we were in the spring and we would just go play and that was it.
“The season would be over. They wouldn’t work on it. They wouldn’t play.”
Now, he said, his golfers play all summer, especially Golf Association of Michigan events.
“When I started, girls were players if their dads were (golfers),” Hamilton said. “Now, out of the girls on my golf team, maybe one or two of their dads are players.
“It’s a game where they get into it, they take lessons, they go to First Tee, they go to Foundation Golf Center, they have private swing coaches and that makes a difference.”
Having the best equipment also is a plus. Hamilton had that advantage when he was growing up in the Thumb.
“My dad was a good player, and my grandfather was a good player,” he said.
“My grandfather owned the local hardware store, so I got a set of golf clubs the day I went to play golf (at age 6 or 7). Not every kid in town had that.”
Another change in high school golf was the uniforms.
When he started coaching, the girls team had no specific uniforms.
“When I started in 1980-81, I said this is a team; we’ve got to have a uniform,” he said.
“They looked at me like I was crazy. The AD bought into that, and I think that helped.”
While Hamilton did not coach any mothers of his current golfers, he did have his own two daughters on his team.
“They were basketball players who played golf when the season came on, but in those days, it was in the spring,” he said.
“They live in New York now and don’t play much anymore.”
Over the years, Hamilton has thought about giving up the position, especially once he retired from teaching history at the high school.
“Every time I had a really good team, I’d say ‘Well, I don’t want to give up this really good team,’” he said.
“A couple of times we’ve had rebuilding years, and I didn’t want to give that to anybody else so it just kind of kept going.”
Full speed ahead
These current golfers are happy he kept going.
In addition to the Regional title, the Redhawks won the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference (going undefeated) this fall, plus the conference tournament and four invitationals.
“He meets the needs of every individual player,” Malone said. “He is willing to take you aside individually and work with you.
“Golf is not only a team sport, but an individual sport, so he helps us with that aspect. But he also brings us together as a team and sets goals for us that we’re able to meet.”
After tying for fifth individually at the Division 3 Final last year, Malone said she feels a bit of pressure this season.
“I’ve been dealing with that all throughout the season,” she said. “I wanted to have an even better season than last year, so rising to those expectations has been an extra challenge.”
Marie Mathieu, another four-year varsity golfer, said with all seniors on the team, there is an advantage.
“We’ve all played together for so long that we know how to help everyone and give everyone confidence,” she said.
Another four-year varsity golfer is Emily McLane, who appreciates the coach’s sense of humor.
“He’s very encouraging, and he’s funny,” she said. “He cracks some jokes once in a while.
“Our practices are really structured. We work on chipping, we work at the range, we work at putting all the time so when we get on the course, we know what to do.”
The other two seniors are Malena Solis and Katie Kolassa. Assistant coach is Sal Konkle, who also led the Marshall girls basketball team to the Class B championship in 2016.
The Redhawks’ home course is Marshall Country Club, where Hamilton has been a member for 50 years.
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Marshall girls golf coach Dick Hamilton talks with his team before last week’s Regional. (Middle) Clockwise from top left: Hamilton, Karlee Malone, Emily McLane and Marie Mathieu. (Below) Hamilton will take a team to the MHSAA Girls Golf Finals for the 29th time over his four decades as coach. (Photos by Pam Shebest.)
Preview: Pair of Returning Champions, Familiar Team Favorites Top Finals Lineup
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 16, 2025
A pair of returning individual champions are expected to be in the hunt one more time during this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Girls Golf Finals.
Dexter senior Avery Manning in Division 2 and Grand Rapids Christian senior Lillian O’Grady in Division 3 are back seeking repeats, while on the team side Grand Rapids Catholic Central is top-ranked seeking a third-straight Division 3 title and Farmington Hills Mercy can run its Division 2 championship streak to four.
But those are just some of the more familiar contenders. Northville in Division 1 also is top-ranked and seeking a repeat, but on the whole this weekend’s Finals also should provide several opportunities for new stars to emerge.
Play begins both Friday and Saturday at 10 a.m., and live scoring is available through iWanamaker. See the Girls Golf page for qualifiers, results and more from all four divisions. Below is a glance at several team and individual contenders:
LP Division 1 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University
Top-ranked: 1. Northville, 2. Rochester Adams, 3. Macomb Dakota.
Northville emerged last season for its first championship since 2021 but fifth over the last seven seasons. The Mustangs dominated that Final with two freshmen and only one senior, winning by 46 strokes. Adams, the back-to-back champion in 2022 and 2023, finished fourth a year ago.
Northville: The Mustangs cruised to a 35-stroke Regional win last week at Salem Hills, carding a 302 that was the lowest team score at any LPD1 Regional by 20 strokes. Sophomores McKenzie Stevens and Cam Baker finished first and second, respectively – they were the two freshmen in last year’s lineup and tied for eighth at the 2024 Final. Junior Naaz Gil also tied for eighth last year and was fourth at the Regional last week. Seniors Grace Bae and Serena Ku tied for seventh and finished ninth, respectively, at Salem Hills, and Ku also was part of last year’s Finals lineup.
Rochester Adams: Senior Hannah Wang and sophomore Saisha Dhawan were part of last season’s lineup, and Wang finished 12th individually and also was part of the championship five in 2023. She tied for fifth at the Regional last week at Fieldstone in Auburn Hills as Adams won as a team by nine strokes ahead of Dakota. Four sophomores fill out the rest of the lineup, with Alayna Scanlon and Leah Blackmore tying for seventh at the Regional.
Macomb Dakota: The Cougars moved up from No. 6 to No. 3 heading into Regionals, and they followed junior runner-up Marissa Monteith to last week’s team runner-up finish at Fieldstone. Sophomore Dakota Cooper tied for fifth as well, and they were the team’s low scorers last season when Dakota finished third at the Final. Junior Angelina Accuso and senior Sophia Martin also are back from the 2024 lineup.
Individuals: Along with the three Northville golfers who were part of a tie for eighth, only two of the last season’s top seven are back this weekend – Romeo sophomore Tula Puzzuoli, who finished runner-up, and Rochester senior Ananya Kumar, who placed fifth. Puzzuoli edged Monteith in a tie-breaker for a Regional title last week, and joining her and Stevens as Regional champs were Portage Central junior Seneli Amaratunga, Dearborn junior Calyssa Post, Clarkston senior Lily Haviland and Okemos freshman Saisha Patil.
LP Division 2 at Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley
Top-ranked: 1. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 2. Dexter, 3. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central.
Farmington Hills Mercy has won the last three Division 2 championships and enters this weekend ranked No. 6 with two golfers back from last year’s Finals five. Cranbrook is seeking its first championship since claiming Division 3 in 2021, Dexter its first since spring 2007 and Forest Hills Central its first ever.
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood: The Cranes moved to Division 2 in 2023 and placed second that season and fourth a year ago with only one senior in the lineup. They won their Regional at Farmington Hills Golf Club last weekend ahead of No. 9 Bloomfield Hills Marian and No. 10 Birmingham Seaholm with four golfers back from last season’s contender – sophomore Sixtine Charnelet, seniors Sydney Behnke and Alina Yuan and junior Brianna Giudici. All four finished among the top nine at the Regional, as did junior Josie Vanderhaute, with Charnelet tying for runner-up.
Dexter: Reigning individual champion Avery Manning leads a lineup the finished only five strokes back of Mercy in second at last year’s Final. The Dreadnaughts also return senior Millie Truesdell and sophomore Maddy Manning – and Avery Manning, Truesdell and Maddy Manning finished 1-2-3, respectively, at last week’s Regional at Forest Akers East. Manning has won four Regional titles and also was the Division 2 Final runner-up in 2023.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central: The Rangers didn’t make the field last season, but tied for fourth in 2023. They’re storming back coming off earning an eight-stroke Regional win at Island Hills in Centreville against a field that also included No. 4 Lowell and No. 8 St. Joseph. All five golfers finished among the top 22 at the Regional, and only one is a senior. Sophomore Alivia Offer tied for second and junior Caroline Vandervelde in fourth led the way.
Individuals: As noted above, Avery Manning is the reigning Finals champion. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern senior Chaille Payne (third) and Plainwell junior Ayla Jaeger (tied for ninth) also are back from last year’s top 10. Jaeger joined Manning as a Regional champion last week, and Payne was a runner-up after a tiebreaker with Muskegon Reeths-Puffer junior Sophia McCollum at Lincoln Golf Club in Muskegon. Also winning Regionals were Petoskey senior Riley Barr, Mercy junior Megan Guerrera and Marian senior Pippa Dawson.
LP Division 3 at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers West
Top-ranked: 1. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 2. Grand Rapids Christian, 3. Goodrich.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central has won the last two Division 3 championships and been ranked No. 1 all but one week this season. The lone week, the Cougars were passed by Grand Rapids Christian, which has climbed after sending only an individual qualifier to the Finals last season and is seeking its first top-two finish at the season-ending event. Goodrich has one, as runner-up in 2015, and will seek is first championship coming off a fourth-place finish a year ago.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central: The Cougars won last season’s Final by 65 strokes and return four golfers from six who played a round or both at that tournament – including three who also were part of the winning five in 2023. Senior Kelsey Preston tied for eighth individually two years ago and placed third last season, while senior Sofia Piccione (tied for seventh), senior Margaret Deimel (tied for 12th) and senior Mary Irwin also are back. They all scored among the top 11 as GRCC finished 22 strokes ahead of Grand Rapids Christian at last week’s Regional at Pigeon Creek in West Olive. Deimel was second, Preston third and Piccione fourth to key that performance.
Grand Rapids Christian: This will be the Eagles’ first team appearance at the Finals since 2021, although senior Lillian O’Grady has represented well as an individual qualifier the last three seasons with three top-five finishes include the championship a year ago. She won the Regional at Pigeon Creek last week, with freshman Eleanor O’Grady tying for seventh and senior Jane Snyder tying for 17th.
Goodrich: The Martians graduated only one golfer from last year’s fourth-place team. Senior Madilyn Sheerin won last week’s Regional at Flint Elks in Grand Blanc Township after tying for 12th at last year’s Final, and all five Martians finished among the top 25 at the Regional with junior Brookelyn Webb fifth and sophomore Lahna Palshan tied for 10th. Webb also was part of last year’s lineup, as were two others in this weekend’s top five.
Individuals: Four golfers total are back from last season’s top 10 – the three mentioned above, plus Williamston junior Paige Radebach, who tied for fourth. O’Grady won last year’s title by nine strokes and will be tough to catch, but joining her and Sheerin among Regional champions last week were Detroit Country Day junior Halle Heineman, Freeland junior Alexis Heinz, Charlotte junior Peyton Howarth and Big Rapids senior Kate Posey.
LP Division 4 at Katke at Ferris State University
Top-ranked: 1. Lansing Catholic, 2. Montague, 3. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central.
Lansing Catholic is seeking its second Finals championship in three seasons after finishing fourth a year ago. Kalamazoo Christian is the reigning champion and currently ranked No. 5. Montague is hoping to jump up from sixth last season to add a championship to its back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021, and Monroe St. Mary is seeking its first and tied for 11th a year ago.
Lansing Catholic: Senior Addi Rule was part of the championship lineup in 2023 and with senior Elisabeth Ruddell returns from last year’s fourth-place finisher. The Cougars posted the third-lowest score at a Division 4 Regional last week, carding a 381 at Calderone Golf Club in Grass Lake with all five golfers among the top 10 – sophomore Anna Robinson third, freshman Erin O’Connell fifth, Rule and Ruddell tied for sixth and junior Olivia Riley placing 10th.
Montague: The Wildcats graduated only one golfer from last year’s sixth-place finisher and have only one senior among this season’s top five. That senior, Cadence Fox, tied for eighth as Montague edged No. 6 Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian by a stroke at last week’s Regional at The Falls at Barber Creek in Kent City. Juniors Addi Smith (third at the Regional) and Brynlee Kessler (tied for fourth) also are returnees from last year’s run, along with sophomore Marguerite O’Connell.
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central: Senior Nora Kinsey and junior Lauren Tolliver are the only returning golfers from last season’s starting Finals five, but they finished third and fourth, respectively, as SMCC won its Regional last week at Rustic Glen in Saline. They were the low scorers for the Kestrels at last year’s Final as well.
Individuals: Napoleon senior Anna McCubbins – placing seventh – was the only non-senior among last year’s top 12 (top 10 placers with ties). She’s back after finishing second at Calderone last week to Bath freshman Addilyn Duflo. Joining Duflo among Regional champions were Elk Rapids’ freshman Piper Smith, Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central junior Gabi Thiel, Fowler junior Noelle Krepps, Olivet senior Jocelyn Rolston and Clawson junior Joslynn Ramirez.
PHOTO Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Kelsey Preston follows one of her drives during last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)