Did you see that? (9/17-9/23)
September 25, 2012
The crowning of a new MHSAA soccer scoring champion and some statewide showdowns in golf and volleyball headline the best of the week that was Sept. 17-23.
Soccer
Chatfield fills it up: Senior Aaron Chatfield, a forward for Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian, scored both of his team's goals in a 7-2 loss Friday to Elk Lake, but in doing so set the MHSAA career scoring record. He now has 174 goals, two more than former record holder Soony Saad of Dearborn. (Petoskey News)
Golf
Cougars edge Bulldogs: Two-time reigning MHSAA Division 4 champion Lansing Catholic edged Brighton 327-336 at the East Lansing Invitational on Sept. 17 at Walnut Hills Country Club. There were nine ranked teams in the 17-team field. Brighton is ranked No. 2 in Division 1. Lansing Catholic's Jacqueline Setas shot a 70 to take the individual medalist honor, and two of her teammates tied for second.
Volleyball
Blue streak: Richland Gull Lake downed Portage Central in three sets to win the Portage Central Invitational's gold division and a tournament the featured four teams ranked in Class A plus reigning champion Rockford and reigning Class B champion Fruitport (in A this season). Gull Lake moved up to No. 2 in Class A from No. 4 after the weekend, and Portage Central is No. 6. (Kalamazoo Gazette)
Tennis
Ludington on the move: The Orioles have moved up from No. 8 to No. 6 in the Division 4 rankings after downing formerly-No. 2 Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett and No. 10 Almont at Saturday's Almont Invitational. (Mlive.com)
Cross Country
Flivver flies on: Kingsford's Dan Kulas claimed the individual championship at the Stephenson Invitational on Saturday in 16:58. He's won four straight races. (Iron Mountain Daily News)
Basketball
Pershing coach steps down: Detroit Pershing boys basketball coach A.W. Canada has resigned, but will remain with the program as an assistant. The Doughboys are regularly in contention in Class A, last winning the MHSAA title in 2009 after also making the Final in 2008. (Detroit News)
Story of the Week
Spring Lake setter lifts Lakers: It's been a little more than a year since Emily Blahnik's mother Brenda suffered a horrific fall that left her with a skull fracture, brain trauma and spinal cord injuries. But with her teammates and community in continuous support, Blahnik has remained a big part of Spring Lake's volleyball program. The Grand Haven Tribune has been covering this story throughout, and Nate Thompson provides us with this update. (Grand Haven Tribune)
Greenhills' AD Seng Honored Nationally for Contributions to Women in Coaching
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 14, 2022
Ann Arbor Greenhills athletic director Meg Seng – also a member of the MHSAA Representative Council – has been named the first Peg Pennepacker Paving the Way Award winner by the Global Community of Women in High School Sports.
Seng is in her 38th year of service to schools and athletes, and has served as Greenhills athletic director since 2003 after previously teaching and/or coaching there and Ann Arbor Huron.
The honor from GCWHSS recognizes Seng’s contribution to encouraging female athletes to become coaches. In 2001, Seng co-founded The Academy of Sports Leadership, a non-profit organization that provides education and training for women interested in becoming coaches.
In 2021, Seng received a Citation from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). She also has received the MHSAA’s Women In Sports Leadership Award and Allen W. Bush Award, as well as the Jack Johnson Dedicated Service Award from the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA). Seng was named state Athletic Director of the Year by the MIAAA and Michigan High School Coaches Association (MHSCA) during the 2021-22 school year.
Seng received her Pennepacker Award during the recent National Athletic Directors Conference in Nashville, Tenn. Her Greenhills athletic program also was one of two from Michigan (with Mattawan) to receive a Quality Program Award from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).
Pennepacker, from Pennsylvania, is an NIAAA Leadership Training Course national faculty member and considered one of the foremost experts nationally on Title IX issues. She formerly served in education for more than 36 years and continues her service in various roles in her state and nationally. She’s received the NIAAA Distinguished Service Award and was inducted into the NIAAA Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
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Jack Johnson, a legendary swim coach at Dearborn and honoree with the MHSAA's Charles E. Forsythe Award in 1988, was among eight inductees into the NIAAA Hall of Fame.
Johnson served as a teacher, athletic director and coach at Dearborn High School for nearly 40 years, leading the boys swimming & diving team to Lower Peninsula Class A championships in 1971, 1972 and 1974 and being named state Athletic Director of the Year by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) in 1983.
He also received an NFHS Citation in 1984 and was inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame that same year; the MHSCA Hall of Fame reports that Johnson won 13 league championships over 17 years and coached 25 high school All-Americans.
Johnson, who died at age 90 in 2019, also served on the MHSAA Representative council, and the MIAAA Distinguished Service Award is named for him.