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High 5s: 11/7/12

November 7, 2012

This past Saturday saw eight teams and eight individuals crowned MHSAA champions, and this week we feature a few who will be listed among the best for all time. 

Erin Finn
West Bloomfield senior
Cross country

Finn won her second straight MHSAA individual Lower Peninsula Division 1 championship, this time in 17:07.9. Her finish was the fastest from any of the four divisions that raced Saturday at Michigan International Speedway, and gave her the victory in hers by 27 seconds. Finn’s time was the fourth-best ever at an MHSAA Final. She has three of the top 15 times ever run at MIS, more than any other runner.

On track for more: Finn also won an MHSAA Track and Field championship last season, setting an all-division/class record in the 1,600 with a time of 10:17.86. That time was nearly five seconds better than the previous best.

Maize and Blue: Finn will run next season at the University of Michigan. The Wolverines cross country team is ranked No. 7 nationally heading into Friday's NCAA Great Lakes Regional. 

Scientifically speaking: Finn intends to study biomechanical engineering at U-M. "My junior year, I found out I love physics, and I already knew I loved bio and chemistry. So, what's better than to combine those?"

Runners to chase: “I looked up to Megan Goethals (of Rochester), number one, and Shannon Osika (of Waterford Mott). They’re people I competed with. I know that one day I can be like that. It’s more real to me.”

Click to read more.

Nick Raymond
Erie Mason senior
Cross country

After dashing to the lead last season and finishing fourth, Nick Raymond dominated the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final at MIS with a time of 15:05.1 – the second-fastest time for a Division 3/Class C MHSAA Final to only Maverick Darling's 14:52.8 for Ovid-Elsie in 2007. Raymond is the first individual cross country champion from Erie Mason (not counting another who finished first among individuals before team and individual placers were combined for one race beginning in 1997) and also placed in both the 1,600 and 3,200 at the spring's Lower Peninsula Division 3 Track and Field Final. 

A long drive: "I've been working hard, since the first time (I ran) in sixth grade. Working hard and training hard over the summer and during mandatory practices too." 

Brotherly influence: Raymond began running cross country in the footsteps of his older brother Andrew Raymond, a 2010 graduate. "He told me, 'If you just keep working hard, just look forward at your dream, your goal, you will achieve it.'"

Now the pool, then the track: Raymond swims during the winter, specializing in butterfly and breaststroke. Then it's on to track. Raymond finished fourth in the 1,600 (4:21.84) and seventh in the 3,200 (9:44.91) at last season's Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final. 

Looking up to Pre: Like many in the running community, Raymond considers former Oregon and international star Steve Prefontaine a major influence. "I liked how he had a lot of faith in himself."

Click to read more. 

East Kentwood soccer

The top-ranked Falcons edged Grand Blanc 1-0 at Troy Athens to claim their fourth Division 1 championship in six seasons. They finished 22-1-4, their seventh with at least 20 wins in the last eight years. 

Click to read more. 

Previous 2012-13 honorees:

A Greenhills doubles player connects with a volley at the net.

Greenhills, GR Catholic Central Follow Longtime Leaders to Historic Finals Successes

By Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com

May 28, 2026

MIDLAND — A pair of high school tennis coaches who have coached in the state for more than 50 years had reason to be thrilled after the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 4 Girls Tennis Finals on Thursday. 

First, there was Ann Arbor Greenhills’ Mark Randolph, who capped off his 55th overall season in coaching by helping guide his team to its fifth-straight championship.

The Gryphons easily topped the field finishing with 35 points, 11 ahead of runner-up Grand Rapids Catholic Central, to possibly make Randolph rest a little easier after he said sleep was harder to come by recently.

“I’m in a perpetual state of holistic anxiety,” Randolph said. “I’ve not slept well in the last month thinking about all the things that could happen.”

After a decorated senior class graduated last year, this spring represented a unique challenge for Randolph trying get all the pieces to fit. 

Greenhills had a sophomore at No. 2 singles, an all-freshman team at No. 3 doubles, and freshmen at both No. 3 and No. 4 singles. 

“We had six, maybe seven kids who were new to the varsity lineup,” Randolph said. “So of course, we had to try and teach them how to compete, and they did great.”

One of those freshmen, Jahan Soofi, earned the title at No. 4 singles while another, Faith Miller, advanced to the championship match at No. 3 singles before falling in three games to fellow freshman Naomi Tamae of Grand Rapids Catholic Central. 

Greenhills also got flight championships from the senior team of Danica Rakic-Dennis and Lauren Ye at No. 1 doubles, the duo of Anye He and Alice Zhu at No. 3 doubles and the tandem of Aoife Tang and Linnea Bengtson at No. 4 doubles. 

A Grand Rapids Catholic Central tennis player hits a forehand.“Aoife Tang is a senior who won at No. 4 doubles as a freshman,” Randolph said. “Because of that strong (senior) class, she has been out of the lineup. She got back into it this year and won No. 4 doubles with a sophomore partner.”

Greenhills also had finalists at No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles. 

In addition to Randolph, another longtime coach had reason to rejoice. 

Catholic Central’s Pat Williams has presided over the girls tennis program since it began in 1974, and Thursday’s result represented the best her program has finished. 

For the first time, Williams got to take a trophy back to the school by placing runner-up.

“We’re all very excited,” Williams said. “I’ve been coaching 52 years with this team, and this is the best we’ve ever done.”

Even better for Williams is the future is bright as the team hopes to contend for a first Finals title in the near future. 

Catholic Central will return its top three singles players next year in junior Colleen Kirk, junior Claire Kaufman and Tamae. 

“It’s a good core,” Williams said. 

The No. 1 singles title was claimed by Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett sophomore Sonya Jayakar, who was a quarterfinalist last year. 

Jayakar earned a 6-4, 6-2 win in the championship match over Kalamazoo Christian sophomore Kennedy Price, who in the semifinals beat No. 1 seed Nina Malani of Greenhills, 6-3, 6-4. 

Jayakar started her season with two losses, but didn’t lose again. 

“I really spent my whole summer and winter training for this,” Jayakar said. “I worked as hard as I could every single day just to get to this point. It really pushed me to win this year. 

Other flight winners were Mary-Kate Ansley of Traverse City St. Francis at No. 2 singles and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep’s team of Vanessa Artinian and Regina Carpenese at No. 2 doubles. 

Click for full results.

(Photos by High School Sports Scene.)