Northville Nets 3rd-Straight Team Title, Griswold Rides Fast Start to Medalist Honor
By
Tom Lang
Special for MHSAA.com
October 17, 2026
BATTLE CREEK – For the Northville Mustangs, it seems like a case of rinse and repeat.
Northville won its third consecutive Lower Peninsula Division 1 girls golf championship this weekend at Bedford Valley. Three Mustangs tied for 11th place to lead the way – McKenzie Stevens, Naaz Gill and Cam Baker, all with two-day scores of 156.
This year’s team title was not the only repeat, however, as the same three golfers (plus a fourth who has since graduated) tied each other for eighth place in 2024 while leading Northville to the first of the three consecutive titles.
“We’re all usually within 2-to-3 stokes of each other,” said Gill, the lineup’s lone senior. “I think we all play the same game, and we like to help each other out. It’s funny, but it makes some sense.
“Our consistency and the stability that we have was what went right this weekend,” Gill added. “Even if we have one bad hole, we’re able to hold on and not blow up; just stay stable throughout. One bad hole doesn’t dictate our round.”
As for feeling extra pressure or instead using it as motivation to earn a third-straight title, Gill said: “It is a motivator, just to keep things going. And not just to win the title but for all of us to play our game that we like.”
Northville finished at 312-319-631 for an 18-shot margin over runner-up Macomb Dakota (330-319-649). Third was Portage Central (whose leader Olivia Griswold earned medalist) at 320-346-666 to place six strokes better than Okemos (337-335-672) in fourth. Rochester Adams (333-342-675) rounded out the top five.
Griswold blitzed the field in the opening round with a 5-under 67, making it very difficult to be caught. She added a 74 on day two for an overall 141 at 3-under par. Duo runners-up Saisha Patil of Okemos and Hannah Kim of Troy came in seven strokes back at 148 each. That pair were in fourth place to start the day.
“I wasn’t taking as many risks today (Saturday), just kind of staying patient, letting my game do what it does,” Griswold said shortly before being handed the medalist trophy. “I wasn’t worried about making mistakes. In the first round my putting was really good. I only had 29 putts. My wedges were also really tight, which helped me get so few putts. Overall, it was really solid. Didn’t make many mistakes.
“I’ve played here so many times. I was really, really happy that states was playing here (at Bedford Valley). We have lots of conference matches, and I’ve played some summer events here too.”
Regarding the team’s third-place showing, Griswold added: “We’ve been in sixth place the last couple of years, and that’s about where we were projected to be this year, so I’m so proud of everyone for staying in it and playing some of their best golf of the year, especially in the first round. We didn’t expect to be top three, so super proud of everyone.
“I’m happy with his win because starting with Regionals the last couple of years I haven’t done great, and haven’t been all that good at states,” Griswold said about a 21st-place finish last year and 19th in 2024. “So, I worked really, really hard this entire summer and changed a bunch of stuff with my swing. I had a lot of ups and downs this summer, but really felt at the peak of my game the last couple weeks. So, getting to perform well at Regionals and here at states was something I haven’t done well before, felt really good this time.”
Like any competitor, Kim wanted to seal a victory in her first Final as a freshman but knew Griswold’s huge first-round lead was insurmountable in most cases.
“My putting was a big improvement from yesterday,” Kim said. “It was the biggest factor that led me to score this good today (even-par 72). “Even if I had shot really good, it was going to be hard to catch her. I got a hole-in-one this year … so I’m happy. It’s not easy to play well here.”
(Photos by High School Sports Scene.)
Country Day Claims First Championship
October 19, 2013
By Dean Holzwarth
Special to Second Half
ALLENDALE – It was a case of mixed emotions for Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood's Cordelia Chan.
The junior standout was elated to become the individual champion at Saturday's MHSAA Division 3 Final, but also heartbroken by her team's runner-up finish.
Chan posted a two-day total of 157 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University to win medalist honors.
She was three shots better than teammate Greer Clausen, who finished runner-up with a 160.
Chan was the only player in the field to break 80 in both rounds. She fired a 5-over 78 Friday and closed with a 6-over 79 Saturday.
“I'm feeling kind of upset because my team didn't win, and then I kind of feel regret because I tripled the last hole and there were some putts that I did leave out there,” Chan said. “But I do feel happy that I won. I wish I could've had both.”
In the closest team competition in recent Finals history, a fifth score tiebreaker was needed to decide the champion.
Top-ranked Detroit Country Day and second-ranked Cranbrook-Kingswood were knotted up with identical scores of 707 after 36 holes, but the Yellowjackets won based on the combined aggregate of the fifth score from both days.
It was the first MHSAA Finals title for Country Day in girls golf. The program has been in existence since 2002.
“Oh my gosh, it was too close for comfort,” said Yellowjackets coach Peggy Steffan, whose team placed third last year by three strokes to Ada Forest Hills Eastern.
“We've always been rivals with Cranbrook, a friendly rivalry, and we didn't play our best today and they played really well. It's just a good thing we had a good day yesterday (Friday), and it couldn't be any closer coming down to that fifth score.”
Senior Ellie Miller led Country Day with a 162 total and was third overall following rounds of 82 and 80.
Junior Nicole Junn finished at 179, while sophomore Simran Brar and senior Monika Hedni came in at 183 and 184, respectively.
“We're just so happy right now,” said Miller, who finished among the individual top 10 for the second straight season. “We didn't think this would be a reality and now it is. We really worked together this season and we're all really close friends.”
Hedni thought her team had won by a single stroke before she was corrected by her coach.
“We're in a little bit of shock, and thank God we all pulled through,” Hedni said. “We're really happy and excited, and we really wanted to improve this year and play well.”
Country Day opened with a 347 and took a commanding 13-stroke lead into Saturday's final round.
However, Cranbrook-Kingswood stormed back with its own 347 to even the score.
The Yellowjackets edged the Cranes by one stroke at Regionals.
“They told us coaches that with the possibility of bad weather, if they couldn't get 18 holes in the second day, then the first day scores would stand,” Steffan said. “We talked about having to come out strong in case we didn't play (Saturday), and I think the girls were nervous today because they knew they were ahead.
“When you're in second place, you have nothing to lose. When you're in first place, you just have to hold on. They scared me a little bit.”
It was the second consecutive runner-up finish at the Finals for Cranbrook-Kingswood, which finished two strokes back last season.
Cranes coach Mark Moyer commended his team for improving by 13 strokes from Friday, but he was disappointed by the final outcome.
“It's real tough,” he said. “I knew it would go to the fifth position, but I didn't know it was the aggregate of both days. The girls are obviously disappointed with the what if, what if, but everybody can do the what ifs, so you have to let it go.
“With the group that played today, there was only one senior, so we have a lot of girls coming back and we'll use this as a learning experience to move forward. I congratulate Country Day on the job they did.”
Moyer was thrilled by the play of Chan, who placed runner-up in last year's Finals.
“It's tremendous, and she has worked so hard, not only during the season, but starting back to early spring,” Moyer said. “It's really impressive to see a young lady that can pull it together, and she's only a junior. It's exciting to know we have her coming back next year.”
Chan said she wasn't motivated by coming close last year.
“It was more about the team,” she said. “I wanted to play well for my team because I know I'm one of the leaders, but winning first is kind of cool, too.
“I knew it was going to be close because the players before me were playing well, too. I just wanted to wait and not get too excited.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Detroit Country Day's Monika Hedni follows through on a putt during Saturday's Division 3 Final. (Middle) Eventual individual champion Cordelia Chan of Cranbrook-Kingswood fires a chip out of the rough at The Meadows. Click to see more from High School Sports Scene.)