NorthPointe Pulls Away for Repeat Win, Heineman Caps Career Climb at No. 1
October 17, 2026
BIG RAPIDS – New division? No problem.
Every level of precipitation seemingly short of snow? Just a momentary challenge.
Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian was uncatchable this weekend at Katke at Ferris State University, clinching a second-straight MHSAA Finals championship but this time in Lower Peninsula Division 3 after winning Division 4 a year ago.
But after winning last season’s title by one stroke, the Mustangs cleared the field this time by 37, navigating rough weather Friday to build a 14-stroke lead and going seven lower than the next closest team during Saturday’s second round to finish at 356-365-721 for the weekend.
“I honestly at first didn’t think we could do it,” NorthPointe senior Clara Velting said of the move to Division 3 this fall. “But our team pulled it together, and I’m just glad that we could.
“I’m just so glad we could have a great season all together. I just love my team. They were so special, we had a great season, we had so many laughs, so many good times together.”
Sophomore Izzy Duflo finished third to set the pace for the Mustangs, carding scores of 82 both days for a 164 total. Freshman Avery Klein missed the individual top 10 by a stroke, tying for 13th, with junior Aila Ellis and Velting also counting scores for the team champ. Senior Lauryn Graetz rounded out the lineup.
Moving into Division 3 didn’t affect NorthPointe, and the same could be said of its top challengers. Montague finished second and Lansing Catholic third at Katke after placing fourth and second, respectively, in Division 4 last fall.
“I had girls almost in tears. My seniors are in tears, sad because it’s their last day and their love their team and don’t want to leave it,” NorthPointe coach Myrna Duflo said. “At the end of the day, we did everything we were supposed to do. We worked together, we worked as a team. I have a great group of girls, and they came through.”
Detroit Country Day placed fourth this weekend, returning to contention after finishing third a year ago and led again by senior Halle Heineman – who improved from a tie for seventh last fall to finish first this time with a 76-82-158, four strokes ahead of Ionia senior and runner-up Lila Redder.
“I made that last putt, and I started crying. The adrenaline is just so high, and I can’t believe I’m done,” Heineman said. “I’ve dreamt about winning as a team, but individually not really … just a month ago, I was ‘Oh, maybe I can.’ But these past couple of years I’ve put in a lot of work, so it feels good.
“It’s all I could ask for, honestly. It’s perfect.”
(Photos by High School Sports Scene.)
GR Catholic Central Earns 1st Finals Title, Timpf Claims 3rd Medalist Honor
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
October 21, 2023
ALLENDALE – Adverse weather conditions couldn’t prevent the Grand Rapids Catholic Central girls golf team from making school history.
Despite two days of rain, wind and chilly temperatures, the Cougars overcame the elements to win their first Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final.
Catholic Central shot a 673 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State to win by 12 strokes.
Williamston finished runner-up with a 685, while 2022 champion Macomb Lutheran North (696) was third.
“It’s exciting,” Catholic Central coach Kim Napieralski said. “Just think about it. The boys had their first a couple years ago, and now the girls have their first. We’re on a roll.
“The good news about this weather is I have mudders for players. They don’t care about the conditions as much as some other teams perhaps. It was hard to get through the puddles of water, but they just kept playing.”
Lutheran North senior Lauren Timpf won the medalist honor, claiming her third individual Finals title. She became the seventh golfer in MHSAA Lower Peninsula girls golf history to achieve the feat, carding a 5-under-par 67 to finish with a two-round 141.
The Cougars’ previous best team finish at the Finals was fifth, which happened last year, but they got contributions from across the line-up to prevail.
“It’s been that way all season,” said Napieralski, who returned three of her top four golfers from a year ago. “A couple of girls at the top and then our three, four, five and sometimes even six. It could switch up any day. We go really deep as far as talent across the board.”
Junior Ava Wisinski led the Cougars with a 158 and finished sixth individually.
“I'm just so proud of my teammates," Wisinski said. “We knew it was going to be a challenge when we went into it, but we really stuck it out and it was a good fight.
“It was really wet out there, but I think we did well despite the conditions.”
Sophomore Kelly Preston also placed in the top 10 with a 159, while sophomores Margaret Deimel and Sofia Piccione and senior Katie Cook also played well.
Cook, the team’s lone senior, said it was even sweeter to win in her final tournament.
“I’ve been on the team since my freshman year, and just seeing it grow has been awesome,” Cook said. “We worked so hard to get here. We’ve had a really good season, and our depth is where we shine and we can all put together good scores on any day.
“We came into today thinking we were even with everyone around us. The conditions were awful, and half of it was playing golf, but half the battle was dealing with the conditions out there. It was really hard, but we did it. We were willing to battle through it.”
Catholic Central opened with a 334 and led Lutheran North and Williamston by 18 strokes heading into the final round.
“It was important to play well the first day and it felt good, but we came into today with the mentality that we’re going first day again,” Napieralski said. “We are all even, straight up.”
Timpf fired a first-day 74 and was tied with Spring Lake’s Zoe Dull entering the final 18 holes. Dull and Grand Rapids Christian’s Lillian O’Grady both finished with two-day totals of 149 to tie for second.
“I know I didn’t play my best golf yesterday, and I just really tried to block it out of my head and know that I am capable of going low,” Timpf said. “Since it was my senior year and last high school tournament, it just really meant the world to me to come out here. I've been working all four years to try and accomplish this goal, and to just come back from where I started today and end up winning is super special.”
Timpf recorded a double-bogey on her first hole, but recovered with four straight birdies on the back nine.
“After the first hole I thought that I’m not going to win this if I don't start making some putts,” Timpf said. “I started draining a bunch of birdie putts, especially on the back nine, and that got it going for me.
Williamston was tied with Lutheran North entering Saturday, and the two teams were still knotted on the back nine.
“What my girls did the last hour and a half is kind of a blur to me,” Hornets coach Brian Kent said. “We started making putts, we started making chips and I thought for the first time in school history we are in the top five and might get state runner-up.”
The Hornets shot a 333, the lowest in the final round. This was their first top-two Finals finish.
“I'm proud of my team,” Kent said. “I knew on day one of practice that we had a special team, but this is not what I thought. This course is tough on a good day, let alone with these conditions. We all had to play the same conditions, but they were hitting greens and fairways all day long and that's what saved us.”
Leading the way for Williamston was junior Nicole Schafer, who finished fourth overall with rounds of 77 and 73.
Freshman Paige Radebach and seniors Ellie Thorburn and Allison Kane rounded out the top four.
PHOTOS (Top) Grand Rapids Catholic Central's Ava Wisinski follows a shot during the weekend's LP Divison 3 Final. (Middle) Macomb Lutheran North's Lauren Timpf putts during her run to a third medalist honor. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)