Differing Paths Led East Kentwood Stars to Olympics, but All Included Finals Titles
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
August 19, 2026
When one of his eighth-grade teachers trotted out an assignment to write down an ultimate goal, Brian Hyde didn't even flinch.
Even then, Hyde knew that one day he badly wanted to be an Olympian.
Eight years later, that's exactly what happened for the former East Kentwood distance runner. One of three Falcons to become Olympians, Hyde wound up starring at East Kentwood and William & Mary University before performing in the 1,500-meter run during 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta.
"I was in middle school when I first wrote that as a goal," said Hyde, now a pilot for the Utah-based Sky West Airlines. "Like a lot of people, I grew up watching the Olympics, and it was always a dream for me to run there. It was a long-term goal and there are a lot of things you have to go through to make that happen.
"But I think it's good to have goals for things you really want to do. You don't really have to share them, but it's good to have those goals."
Hyde, a 1991 East Kentwood grad, joins hockey player Mike Knuble, who graduated in 1990, and shot putter Tia Brooks-Wannamacher, a 2008 graduate, as former Falcons who went on to the Olympics. What's unique about their stories isn't that they all became Olympians, but the radically different routes all three took to the Games.
All had major success in high school as Hyde won the 1991 Lower Peninsula Division 1 1,600-meter run (4:12.74), Brooks captured the 2008 shot put with a toss of 48-0.5 and Knuble scored 115 goals in 57 career games while helping the Falcons to the 1990 Class A title.
All landed in the Olympics in different ways. For instance, Hyde said his No. 1 goal growing up was always to run in the Olympics. He trained fiercely with that in mind from an early age. While Brooks had designs of becoming a sprinter like her idol Marion Jones, East Kentwood coaches convinced the 6-foot Brooks that her track & field future was more likely as a thrower. A 34-year-old Knuble was on the backside of a 16-year NHL career when he finally earned the opportunity to skate in the 2006 Torino Winter Games in Italy.
Knuble said he had a "stick-to-it-ness" that led to his Olympic participation, Hyde said he grinded out long, solitary hours running on a track, and Brooks credits her Olympic story to a combination of natural athleticism and astute coaches who correctly saw her future more clearly than she did.
All took major steps toward the Olympics post-East Kentwood. Hyde went on to become the school record holder in the 1,500 and 1,000-meter runs at William & Mary, Brooks was a two-time NCAA champ in the shot at Oklahoma and Knuble tallied 96 goals over 114 games at Michigan before becoming the 76th player taken in the 1991 NHL draft.
Knuble said dates, age and even past resumes cannot define an athlete.
"Most Olympic athletes would be in their 20s," said Knuble, who would play 34 games with USA Hockey and scored a goal and had an assist in the Torino Games. "But there was a stick-to-it-ness for me. Guys can get written off – that's how I looked at it. You can get passed over when you're 30, and I didn't want to get written off. I wanted that door to stay open for me. I had kind of a career resurgence in my thirties."
Brooks, who retired from competitive track & field when she was 27, had exactly zero thoughts of becoming an Olympian until the January before the 2012 Summer Games in London. But after winning an NCAA shot put title in 2011 along with placing sixth at the Moscow World Cup and 13th in the world at Beijing's World Games, Brooks began considering London qualification.
"The coaches saw something in me and pushed me," said Brooks-Wannemacher, now a projects manager for the Grand Rapids-based Marvelous Style Outreach program. "They thought I had the potential of being an Olympian. I don't want to say it was happenstance, but I really didn't know much about the Olympics. I was competitive and grew up playing all sports and had a sibling rivalry with my brother where we would make up games to play."
Hyde said he became an Olympian through sheer hard work, dedication and sacrifice. He would miss Friday night Falcons football games, for example, because he was in bed making sure he had enough energy for a Saturday meet. Combine that sacrifice with a burning desire to make the Games and the talent he had as a runner, and Hyde said he was able to meet his personal goals.
"I loved to compete and trying to win," he said. "Sometimes there is a grind to it, but in running you're the only one out there. I would tell myself I'm doing this because I have a meet on Saturday and I want to win. You work, have these long-term goals because you tell yourself, 'I can do this.'
"I have no regrets for my career. You control the things you can control. You tell yourself no one is going to outrace you. It's not like you're not having fun, but I'd never miss a workout. Six days a week with Sunday being my rest day."
Knuble, Hyde and Brooks-Wannemacher agree that it's that work, dedication and looking big picture are keys. Lose sight of one, and it can have a domino effect.
"There are times when you're out there working and no one is watching, no one is paying attention," Knuble said. "But you have to put that work in. It's all about figuring out what you did wrong and then getting back at it."
Brooks-Wannemacher called the desire to become an elite athlete "watering a seed." In her case, the seed was the knowledge that the only way a young girl from a one-parent family was going to college was through an athletic scholarship. Places like Michigan and Michigan State had no interest, and the only offers came from Oklahoma and Central Michigan. While the dream was to emulate Marion Jones, Brooks bowed to the suggestions of East Kentwood coaches who said shot put was a ticket to a free education.
"I had a long talk with my mother and coaches, and they said this is the only way to college," she said. "So I started throwing the shot, broke the freshman record at Kentwood, became a Regional and state champ and I kept going. But people had to believe in me.
"It got so that I enjoyed the process. I had a natural talent, but I would push my body to the limit. But for me, the motivation was going to school for free."
Success aside, all overcame major hurdles to achieve it. Hyde suffered a swelling of the spine and terrible pain caused by a tightening of back muscles and wasn't able to finish a race five months before the summer Olympics. Brooks at one point suffered from a narrowing of the spine and bulging discs in her back amid suggestions from doctors she give up throwing a shot. Knuble was physically healthy, but he had to overcome the life-altering experience of dealing with the death of his father when he was 15.
But all say the dedication to athletics, the people they met along the way, great teammates and the will to succeed helped them to greater things.
"There are moments when it's just you and nobody else," Knuble said. "There's no person out there with you, no teammates telling you what to do, how to act, what to eat. For me, being on a team was structure.
"Timing for all of us is huge. You want to be at your peak when you're competing. You want to beat your best for that one race, that one throw, that one game. For me, I had a body of work to work from. I think the others did, too."
PHOTOS Clockwise from top left: East Kentwood’s Tia Brooks-Wannamacher prepares to launch the shot. Brian Hyde (front) takes a relay handoff for William & Mary. Mike Knuble holds up one of the many trophies the Falcons earned during his time on the ice. (Middle) Brooks-Wannamacher as a high school senior. (Knuble and Hyde photos courtesy of those individuals. Brooks-Wannamacher photo from MHSAA archives.)
Great Lakes Skate: Playoff Change Scores
July 7, 2019
The MHSAA has lengthened the ice hockey postseason from two weeks to three, allowing more rest for players, flexibility for officials, and the potential for larger crowds throughout, scoring a hat trick for all.
By Rob Kaminski
MHSAA benchmarks editor
Longtime coordinator of off-ice officials for the MHSAA Ice Hockey Finals Jim Gagleard often noticed it during his annual three days traversing the hallways and locker rooms beneath the stands at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth.
“You could see it in the players throughout the weekend down underneath the arena there. The players at times seem worn out, tired,” said Gagleard, who spends the winter months assigning officials and working games for the Livonia Ice Hockey Officials Association, and has overseen officials and teams earning coveted trips to Plymouth for the Semifinals and Finals since 2004.
Cody Inglis had pondered the two-week speed-skate to the championships in the sport since he arrived at the MHSAA and took charge of the administration of the tournament as assistant director five years ago. Occasionally, the topic would surface at meetings of the MHSAA Ice Hockey Committee.
“It seemed at times to be a battle of attrition rather than the best team sometimes winning the tournament,” Inglis said. “We mentioned to the (Michigan High School) Hockey Coaches Association the possibility of shortening the regular season by a week to lengthen the postseason by a week. We heard some sympathetic voices, and really put it on the coaches to discuss it. The coaches association deserves a great deal of credit.”
Led by MHSHCA Executive Director Don Wright, the coaches association presented a proposal to the MHSAA Ice Hockey Committee which passed at the end of January, thus slating it for MHSAA Representative Council action this spring.
The problem was, ice hockey depends upon nearly 100 percent of facilities which are not school-operated. Thus, scheduling can be problematic if not coordinated well in advance.
“In conversations with coaches at USA Hockey Arena during the Finals this winter, many of the coaches said they do a majority of scheduling for the coming season immediately after this one, so awaiting a May Representative Council decision would be too late,” Inglis said.
Through discussion with MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl and Associate Director Tom Rashid, along with Ice Hockey Committee members Pete Ryan, John Thompson and Sean Jacques – who all serve on the MHSAA Representative Council – it was decided that the proposal would move up to the March Council agenda.
“From a scheduling standpoint for ADs and working with arenas, we needed to give them a firm date as to the start of Regionals and end of the regular season. We realized we had to get this done sooner than later. They can lock in times now, and we won’t be scrambling later,” said Ryan, who recently completed his tenure as athletic director for Saginaw Township Community Schools, which has sent Heritage High School to the MHSAA Semifinals the last two winters.
“This has been a discussion item for at least three years, and really picked up momentum this year with the coaches association. The inclement weather this winter might have been a blessing; schools still got their games in, and realized we could still have the tournament as scheduled.”
The proposal was approved, changing the number of weeks for the MHSAA Tournament in ice hockey from two to three, spreading the maximum of six games that may be played from the start of Regionals through Finals over 20 days instead of the previous 13.
“From the coaches perspective, especially for teams getting to the final four, there’s no doubt the tournament is a grind. To get to the Finals, it might mean playing six games in 12 days, whereas schools might only play twice a week during the regular season,” said Wright, who coached Chelsea High School for nearly 20 years. “Most everyone takes Sunday off, so there really is very limited time to even practice. Add to that the fact that it’s the playoffs and you’re getting everyone’s best game, everyone’s top effort.
“From a student-athlete and school sport standpoint, moving to three weeks gives kids more school time and more practice time. It was a no-brainer. Everybody saw it the same. Getting done in March vs May was spectacular.”
The dates for the start of the regular season and Finals (second Saturday in March) will remain the same, as will the total number of regular-season games allowed. However, the MHSAA Tournament will begin on the third Monday before the Finals instead of two weeks before.
For the 2019-20 season, that means the tournament will begin as early as Monday, Feb. 24, with all Regionals concluding by Wednesday, March 4. All Quarterfinals then take place Saturday, March 7, moving from the traditional Tuesday-Wednesday format. Semifinals will follow nearly a full week later under the current Thursday-Friday format, with the three Finals on Saturday, March 14.
One of the huge benefits for schools will be the period of time between the Quarterfinals and Semifinals, particularly for schools traveling from the Upper Peninsula or far northern Lower Peninsula.
“I feel this will be a benefit for UP schools in particular. As it was, a team like ourselves had to leave home on a Tuesday and if we kept winning, we were sleeping in hotel rooms for four straight nights,” said Corey Markham, who coached Houghton to a runner-up finish in 2019. “This does take a toll on a team. With the new format, a UP team would only have to spend two nights in a hotel if it made it all the way to the championship game.”
Jacques, one of Markham’s neighbors in Copper Country, has traveled the same path many times as Calumet’s athletic director, in addition to officiating the sport.
“The coaches really wanted this, for sure,” Jacques said. “They have to be extremely happy that we don’t cram six big games into two weeks anymore. And, if those Quarterfinals are played closer geographically, like Marquette, then there could be even less travel so kids can get back to classes, sleep at home and eat meals at home.”
It is 300-plus miles from Calumet to Sault Ste. Marie, and only 112 to Marquette. The vast area and sparse population in the UP have always presented certain logistical issues for its schools at tournament time, but the new timeframe will bring welcome relief for teams.
“From a coaches standpoint, preparation time has to be a lot better for everyone,” Jacques said. “Going from Copper Country to, say, the Sault, you win and you’re not going back home. So, you’ve got a couple days before the next game, but you’re traveling, maybe getting in a practice around Novi, so coaches have little time to look at the next opponent. A lot of the time, you’re going in blind, so to speak.”
Moving the Quarterfinals to Saturday also should attract larger crowds and provide a better spotlight for the sport, while moving it away from nights traditionally saturated with District and Regional basketball games whether during the boys or girls tournaments.
“Attendance-wise, the Saturday Quarterfinals are going to be great,” said Wright. “If you didn’t know until late Wednesday if your school was going to play Friday, it was difficult for people to arrange fan buses and other travel considerations. Saturdays will make the Quarterfinal crowds bigger, and then whoever wins, people can plan.”
That extra time is a huge shot in the arm for administrators who wear many hats.
“From my standpoint, arranging fan buses was a challenge on such short notice when the Quarterfinals were Wednesday and the Semis were Friday. You had to find a bus, get prices, send out information ... we love it, but it’s a very time-sensitive operation, and the new format will help in that regard,” Jacques said.
Markham agrees. Proof was provided in March, as Houghton’s crowds at USA Hockey Arena were impressive given the short turnaround. With future Quarterfinals instead played on Saturdays and closer to homes throughout the state, the MHSAA should expect larger turnouts.
“The Saturday Quarterfinals will be great for all the teams and fans involved,” Markham said. “There will be time to travel, and obviously most people have greater free time on a Saturday versus a weekday. Also people will have more time to plan for the game with the extended timeframe.”
The weekend dates are easier for rinks to schedule as well, which should allow for an attractive list of suitors as potential hosts.
“It is easier to run a weekend event compared to a weekday event,” said Wright, whose primary job now is facilitating Arctic Coliseum in Chelsea. “There is more availability during the weekend than on a weeknight in terms of sheer hours.”
Inglis cautions that in some circumstances the mileage total might increase – for instance UP schools which advance and must go back and forth across the bridge – but the positives outweigh the negatives.
“No matter what format we implement, there’s going to be travel,” Inglis said. “More importantly, this format allows the players to go back and be students. And, of course, health and safety are big components. The student-athletes will have more time to recover physically as well as mentally.”
While the most notable rest period now will take place from the final horn of the Quarterfinal until the puck drops for the Semifinals, the greater number of days to play the same number of Regional games is equally as important.
To earn a Regional title up until now, schools had to win as many as three games in six days. The Regionals will now stretch out over a 10-day span.
Such a luxury could actually serve to lessen travel, keeping schools closer to home early in the tournament. Where decades ago it was more problematic finding arenas, that is not the case today.
“There are more sheets of ice available today, and the other side of it is that even though there are more schools represented than ever before, there are fewer teams due to the number of co-op programs,” said Ryan. “So scheduling ice is not a problem.”
During the 2018-19 season, a fewer number of sites hosted more games around the state during Regional week, necessitating a significant number of doubleheaders.
Preliminary figures for 2019 indicate a drop in total ice hockey tournament attendance, from 45,975 the previous year to 41,611 this past March. (Editor’s Note: Two Regional sites had yet to report at the time of printing for this issue of benchmarks) However, attendance for the Quarterfinals (6,324 from 4,754) and the Semifinals-Finals at USA Hockey Arena (10,631 from 9,780) both showed increases this year over 2018.
One trend that stayed the same was the fervor for high school hockey in the Upper Peninsula, where the Regional at Michigan Tech University typically ranks No. 1 in attendance. Hosted on a rotating basis by Houghton, Hancock and Calumet, the site drew 2,542 fans this past March. In 2018 that venue led the way with 4,100 fans, while the facility drew 1,888 in 2017 to pace all Regionals.
The biggest dip in 2019 came at the Regional level below the bridge, where crowds were down several thousand. Poor weather conditions likely played a factor, and moving from multiple sites to one Regional site also could have affected attendance. On nights where doubleheaders were played, early starts might have had an adverse effect, or perhaps it was the late faceoff for the second games.
“This year, it seemed like when I traveled around to different sites during the Regionals, the crowds were down a bit,” Gagleard said. “There were some schools having solid seasons that just didn’t get the student sections I thought they would. I’d rather see more hosts, or sites, and allow more fans to be engaged.”
Inglis indicated that change could be coming with the 2019-20 season.
“We will be staying with Regional sites – at least in terminology – but have the ability to use different rinks and hosts as needed to eliminate the doubleheaders,” said Inglis.
The more widespread format to come could possibly boost attendance, and unquestionably, will bolster an extremely critical element of the game – officiating.
“Even in Week 2 next year, the Regional Finals can be one of three days, so all officials aren’t working on the same days,” said Inglis. “This absolutely helps us, and it’s a good thing for assigners.
“This should allow some of our better qualified and most deserving officials to officiate some of the most important games as the tournament progresses.”
The bottom line of the playoff schedule expansion is that ice hockey will move in line with the majority of MHSAA tournaments. With the exception of team wrestling, which is unique due to the individual makeup of the event, all other MHSAA team sports have at least three weeks to accumulate the five or six wins necessary to claim a championship.
“At no time during regular season do we ask schools to play six games in two weeks, especially in a physically demanding sport like ice hockey – during the tournament, no less – when the stakes are greatest and the intensity is at its highest,” said Inglis.
The end result should provide a more polished product for a showcase that is quickly becoming one of the highlights of the MHSAA winter tournament season each March.
Lengthened Format a Shot on Goal for Ice Hockey
Success in athletics at all levels hinges on teamwork – people putting the goals of many above personal acclaim. This is especially true in interscholastic athletics, where one of our founding missions is to instill that belief in our young people to prepare them for arenas beyond the playing boundaries of our games.
It is just as critical for administrators and coaches to keep those values in mind when making decisions which affect the many students for whom we are responsible as it pertains to athletic competition. When it all comes together – coaches, administrators and governing bodies shooting for the same goal – that is another kind of teamwork that leads to a win-win situation which strengthens our programs.
The MHSAA hockey tournament had been a real challenge in terms of the potential of six games played in 13 days; teams don’t come close to that kind of pace during the regular season. By expanding the tournament by one week, without increasing the total length of the season at all, we believe we’ve found the right balance between games and rest during both the regular season and MHSAA tournament. We are excited that school communities will have more time to plan and get behind those teams that are making runs through the Regional tournament, and we will really be able to showcase high school hockey all across the state on “Quarterfinal Saturday” in getting many communities, teams and rinks involved.
The extended time from that round to the Semifinals and Finals should allow for greater team preparation and heightened fan anticipation leading up to the pinnacle of that sport for winters to come.
– Mark Uyl, MHSAA Executive Director
PHOTOS: (Top) Hartland lines up for the national anthem during MHSAA Finals weekend at USA Hockey Arena. (Middle) Houghton and others from the Upper Peninsula faced long continuous trips to the Finals during the previous tournament format. (Below) Brighton prepares to take the ice. (Photos by Andrew Knapik.)