Performance of the Week: Utica Eisenhower's Morgan Emerick

June 4, 2026

Morgan Emerick headshotMorgan Emerick ♦ Utica Eisenhower
Sophomore ♦ Tennis

The Eagles' No. 2 singles player won her second-straight Finals championship at that flight, claiming all four of her matches Saturday at Midland Tennis Center in straight sets while giving up a combined 10 points on the day. She finished this season 37-0, running her two-year high school record to 74-1 – and she's won 71 straight matches, good for the fifth-longest streak in the MHSAA record book.

Emerick also was a gymnast growing up, but picked up tennis from her father and has emerged into a force. Her 37 wins this season rank sixth-most for a singles player in MHSAA history, and doubling her 74 from her first two seasons would put her among the top three in career victories when she graduates in two years. Only three of her victories this season went to third sets, and three of her wins came at No. 1 singles.

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Previous 2025-26 honorees

May 29: De-Mani Roberts, East Kentwood track - Report
May 22:
Taleon Guess, Temperance Bedford golf - Report
May 15:
Zacchaeus Brocks, Detroit Catholic Central track - Report
May 7:
Savanah Thompson, Howard City Tri County soccer - Report
April 30:
Eliza Schwass, Ludington track - Report
April 23:
Emily Postema, Ravenna softball - Report
April 16:
Katie Berkshire, Gaylord track - Report
March 26:
Kayla Hairston, Goodrich basketball - Report
March 19:
Liam Smith, Otsego swimming - Report
March 12:
Jack Sayen, Houghton hockey - Report
March 5:
Devin Patrick, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore - Report
Feb. 26: 
Madison Nieuwenhuis, Plainwell wrestling - Report
Feb. 20: Sophie Ramey, Allen Park competitive cheer - Report
Feb. 13:
Cam Ryans, Grand Rapids Northview basketball - Report
Feb. 6:
Melanie Kolnitys, Midland Dow basketball - Report
Jan. 29:
Stella Musialowski, Huron Valley United gymnastics - Report
Jan. 22:
Baylor Perkins, Grand Blanc swimming - Report
Jan. 15:
Delaney Vanier, Flint Kearsley bowling - Report
Jan. 8:
Stevie Hall, Detroit Cass Tech basketball - Report
Dec. 18:
Ethan Martha, Ishpeming Westwood basketball - Report
Dec. 11:
Louis Smith, Three Rivers wrestling - Report
Dec. 4:
Traverse Moore, DeWitt football - Report
Nov. 28:
Elizabeth Eichbrecht, West Bloomfield swimming - Report
Nov. 20:
Brady Kieff, Blanchard Montabella football - Report
Nov. 13:
Ella Laupp, Battle Creek Harper Creek swimming - Report
Nov. 7:
Hunter Eaton, Charlevoix cross country - Report
Oct. 31:
Stephen Gollapalli, Lansing Christian tennis - Report
Oct. 23:
Talya Schreiber, Pickford cross country - Report
Oct. 16:
Avery Manning, Dexter golf - Report
Oct. 9:
Brady Van Laecke, Hudsonville football - Report 
Oct. 2:
Sarah Giroux, Flat Rock volleyball - Report
Sept. 25:
Sam Schumacher, Portage Central tennis - Report
Sept. 18:
Kaylee Mitzel, Saline field hockey - Report
Sept. 11:
Natasza Dudek, Ann Arbor Pioneer cross country - Report
Sept. 4:
Kate Posey, Big Rapids golf - Report

(Photos courtesy of the Emerick family.)

Country Day Bounces Back from Regional Disappointment to Repeat as Finals Champ

June 1, 2025

ANN ARBOR – Advantage Detroit Country Day – at least for now.

That’s the kind of rivalry the Yellowjackets have formed with Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood as they’ve combined to win the last 15 Lower Peninsula Division 3 girls tennis championships.

Just this season, the pair of powerhouses tied in a dual match April 16 before Cranbrook won the Regional by two points two weeks ago – and Country Day took back the lead in the never-ending race by clinching the latest LPD3 Finals title by two points Saturday at University of Michigan.

The Yellowjackets finished the weekend tournament with 34 points to Cranbrook’s 32, losing all four head-to-head flight championship matchups to the Cranes but banking enough points elsewhere to emerge with their second-straight Finals title.

Freshman Karishma Vakhariya’s flight clincher at No. 3 singles and junior Helen Benjamin’s at No. 4 put the finishing touches on the latest triumph.

“It’s always close between us and Cranbrook,” said Benjamin, who repeated as a flight winner after taking the title at No. 3 a year ago. “The cheering gets a little competitive, the matches get competitive. I mean, it’s been a rivalry forever.”

Benjamin was top-seeded at No. 4 and clinched her flight with a 6-3, 6-2, win over Holland Christian sophomore Iyla Holmes.

Vakhariya worked through more of a challenge in her No. 3 decider, defeating Bloomfield Hills Marian senior Anya Nix 6-3 in the first set before falling 6-1 in the second and coming back to win the third set 6-0.

Cranbrook’s Chloe Qin follows through on a backhand during her No. 1 singles finale.“I just tried to not get upset, at least on the outside, because I know that definitely when your opponent can see that you’re mad it can affect the entire match and make you lose yourself,” Vakhariya said. “(It was matter of) doing what I did in the first set and not the second one, and whatever her weaknesses trying to hit to that instead of just getting upset and hitting wherever.”

Country Day’s other flight championship came at No. 4 doubles, where senior Katherine Chen and freshman Grace Kalkanis pulled out some of the most important points of the weekend. Entering as the fourth seed, they won their championship match 6-1, 6-1, over second-seeded juniors Sage Gabriel-Menegay and Brooklyn Angel of Chelsea. But perhaps more significant was Chen and Kalkanis’ semifinal win over the top-seeded Cranbrook duo of senior Katelyn Dubrowsky and sophomore Brianna Giudici.

What happened after Regionals, I’d say was a little bit of fuel for us,” Country Day coach Nicholas Fiaschetti said. “The past couple of weeks, we’ve just been on it every single day at our practices. We came out here and handled our nerves, and from there everybody was amazing.”

Cranbrook won four flight championships, let by top-seeded senior Chloe Qin’s 6-0, 6-0, win at No. 1 singles over second-seeded Country Day senior Sophia Grzesiak, last season’s No. 1 champion. Qin hadn’t played high school tennis the last two seasons and had finished as part of a flight runner-up at No. 1 doubles as a freshman.

“I think I played really solid, moving all over, doing my best and figuring things out,” Qin said. “Even though there was a little bit of adversity throughout, I felt like we played a fair match and played super solid, and I think as a senior it was a really good win for me and I’m really glad I could close it out. … It’s feels like a full-circle moment. I’m just proud of myself and happy with how I stuck to my gameplan and got it done as efficiently as possible.”

Cranes freshman Caroline Liu carried her top seed at No. 2 singles through to the championship, with seniors Ava Clogg and Chiara Martella at No. 1 doubles and seniors Sophia Kouza and Madeline Day at No. 2 doubles achieving the same.

Bloomfield Hills Marian sophomores Stella Glorio and Lexa Hindo also carried their top seed to the title at No. 3 doubles.

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Country Day’s Helen Benjamin returns a volleyball during her No. 4 singles match Saturday. (Middle) Cranbrook’s Caroline Liu follows through on a forehand during her No. 2 singles finale. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)