Preview: Classic Clashes and Broken Records Expected
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 5, 2021
The attention that will be paid to one of the Lower Peninsula Boys Track & Field Finals on Saturday will go past usual interest in just a local school or single division.
Many eyes will be turned to the Division 1 meet, featuring among many Ann Arbor Skyline senior Hobbs Kessler, who has made national news over the last few weeks by setting the national high school record in the 1,500 (3:34.36) and qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the event.
But he’ll be facing some familiar competition in his distance races at East Kentwood – including Hartland junior Riley Hough, who edged Kessler by two seconds in the Division 1 cross country final this past fall.
Their matchup is just one of many stories worth tuning in for this weekend. Events at all four sites begin at 10 a.m. (EDT) and tickets to attend can be purchased online only at GoFan. The meets also will be broadcast on MHSAA.tv and viewable with subscription. Click to watch each division: LPD1 | LPD2 | LPD3 | LPD4.
Below is a glance at team contenders and individuals to watch in all four divisions.
Division 1 at East Kentwood
Top Regional scores: Macomb Dakota 160, Traverse City West 145½, Northville 136, Novi 136.
Team forecast: East Kentwood won the last three championships before COVID, with Ann Arbor Pioneer finishing runner-up in both 2018 and 2019. Dakota is an interesting possibility this time with qualifiers throughout the meet. Fenton has top-three seeds in six events, and Zeeland West is another team with scoring opportunities in a variety of events.
Trey Gardette, Ann Arbor Huron: The senior sprint star has taken amazing strides over the last two years and may be on the verge of an unforgettable finish to his high school career. Gardette’s top-seed 10.5 in the 100 is a blink faster than the LPD1 Finals record of 10.53, and he’s second-seeded in the 200 and also will run on the 400 relay.
Riley Hough, Hartland: The I-96 corridor has been the center of distance running this school year, and Hough hopes to follow his Division 1 cross country championship in the fall with titles in the 1,600 and 3,200. He’s seeded first in the former with a 4:13.93.
Hobbs Kessler, Ann Arbor Skyline: He’s slated to run the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 and on the top-seeded 3,200 relay (7:53.30) Saturday. He won all three of those open races at his Regional, and so while he isn’t top-seeded in any that likely means little as he could drop major time.
Tamaal Myers II, Detroit Cass Tech: The Technicians standout junior has the top 110 hurdles seed time (14.06) by nearly a second and is tied for the top seed time in the 300 (39.32). He’ll also run the 400 and on the 1,600 relay.
Brandon Miller, Fenton: He finished fifth in the 200 as a sophomore in 2019, but he can take a massive leap Saturday as his top seed time in that race (21.25) is five hundredths of a second off the meet record. He’s also the second seed in the 100 with a seed time of 10.60 that is seven hundredths of a second off that meet record. And he’ll also run on contending 400 and 800 relays.
Division 2 at Zeeland
Top Regional scores: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 216½, Dearborn Divine Child 186, Frankenmuth 164.
Team forecast: Four teams have won this championship over the last four seasons. Flint Powers Catholic is a possibility to make it five as it runs for its first team title led by sprint standouts and relays. Frankenmuth with top qualifiers in the sprints, relays and field events is another to watch in what lines up to be a low-scoring team race. A total of 10 schools won championships in this division over the previous 11 seasons before 2020 was canceled.
Ryan Brenner, Frankenmuth: The senior Eagles hurdler is the top seed in the 300 with a time of 40.1 and also will run on the top-seeded 1,600 relay (3:28.44) and high jump.
Jamal Hailey, Berrien Springs: The standout junior sprinter has the top seed time in the 100 (11.04) and the third-fastest in the 200, and he’ll also run on the second-seeded 400 relay.
Austin Hamlin, Flint Powers Catholic: The Chargers sophomore would play a major role in any team title pursuit, entering with the top seed in the 200 (22.5), third-fastest in the 100 and as part of the top-seeded 400 relay (43.3) and fourth-seeded 800 relay. That 400 relay time is a second off the meet record.
Alex Mansfield, Monroe Jefferson: The junior thrower is another who has made a major move over the last two years. He enters Saturday with the top seed in the shot put (56-3) by two feet and the top seed in the discus (163-11) by nearly 10.
Luke Stowasser, Edwardsburg: The junior Eddies jumper also is top-seeded in both of his events, with a 22-6½ in the long jump and 6-10 in the high jump. That high jump is six inches better than the field and two off the meet record. He was the high jump runner-up as a freshman.
Division 3 at Jenison
Top Regional scores: Grass Lake 132, Caro 129, Pewamo-Westphalia 126 1/3.
Team forecast: Grass Lake will be pursuing its first team title since 1970 and has six top-four seeds leading the way. Figuring the next few contenders is difficult with points looking to be spread among a number of teams.
Brennan Bargesser, Grass Lake: A drive for the team championship would include significant points from Bargesser, who is seeded first in the 200 (21.98) and 400 (49.34) and second in the 100 for his final high school meet. He’ll also run on the top-seeded 400 relay (44.14) – that seed time is one second off the meet record.
Hunter Jones, Benzie Central: The sophomore standout has two Division 3 cross country championships to his credit and will make his Track Finals debut as the top seed in the 3,200 (9:37.42) and a likely contender in the 1,600 and 800 as well.
Josh Jones, Harrison: He’ll close his high school career running the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, with his 1,600 seed time (4:19.84) topping that event list.
Brenden Quackenbush, Chesaning: He’s set to establish himself in both throws at this level Saturday, with the top seed in the discus (143-0) by nearly two feet and the third seed in the shot put.
Derrick Voltz, Carrollton: A qualifier in the 100 as a freshman in 2019, he could cap his junior season as a two-event champion. He’s seeded first in the long jump (23-2) by nearly a foot with that leap only five inches off the meet record. He’s also the top seed in the 100 (11.11) just ahead of Bargesser.
Division 4 at Hudsonville
Top Regional scores: Lutheran Westland 171, Reading 170, Carson City-Crystal 147.
Team forecast: Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep was the back-to-back champion before COVID, and Saugatuck was the Division 3 runner-up in 2019 but is back in Division 4. Saugatuck won’t run a relay this weekend but has favorites in the hurdles and distance events, and Breckenridge’s strengths in the sprints and relays should make it a team title contender as well as it seeks its first championship.
Coleman Clark, Carson City-Crystal: The lone returning champion in this division won the 3,200 as a sophomore in 2019 and will run that race along with the 800 and 1,600 and as part of the top-seeded 3,200 relay (8:19.40).
Benny Diaz, Saugatuck: The junior sprint/hurdles standout could make a run at four individual titles Saturday or next season. He’s the top seed in both hurdles races this time (15.01 in the 110 and 40.59 in the 300), and the fourth seed in the 200 and seventh in the 100. He was third in Division 3 in the 300 as a freshman.
Zane Forist, Carson City-Crystal: He was the runner-up in the discus and eighth in the shot put as a freshman two years ago, and he’s aiming for much more this time. His top-seed throws of 196-8 and 64-4, respectively, would both set LPD4 championship meet records – both by roughly six feet.
Nik Pettinga, Saugatuck: A top distance runner in cross country the last few seasons, he is looking to finish as a champion in his last high school meet and enters as the top seed in the 1,600 (4:26.99) and second seed (to junior teammate Max Sharnas) in the 3,200.
Charlie Steinhaus, Breckenridge: The speedy senior would help lead any charge for a team championship, entering as the top seed in the 100 (11.01) and second in the 200. He’ll also run on the top-seeded 400 relay (44.51) and second-seeded 800 relay.
PHOTO: Carrollton’s Derrick Voltz, right, breaks across the finish line during the 100-meter preliminaries at his Division 3 Regional at Shepherd last month. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
After Blazing Multiple Volleyball Trails, Bastianelli Charting Next Career Path
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
July 9, 2025
Volleyball took Ali Bastianelli around the world. But she found the perfect ending to her career in her home state, fewer than 200 miles from her hometown.
The 2015 Marysville graduate recently completed her ninth and final professional volleyball season, playing on a one-year contract with the Grand Rapids Rise of the Pro Volleyball Federation and setting the league record for blocks in a season while earning her second-straight PVF Middle Blocker of the Year award.
“I was talking to Cathy George, the head coach of the Grand Rapids Rise, before the season and she was like, ‘How cool would it be to retire near home, in front of your home crowd?’” Bastianelli said. “It was going to take some things falling into place for me to really want to play another year, and it turned out Grand Rapids had all of those, so it was a pretty easy yes. This year, they could offer people multi-year contracts, and (George) had wondered if I wanted one. I was like, ‘Nope. I’m putting my foot down and taking a stance this is my last year.’ I kind of went into the season with that mentality. As the season progressed, it became more and more clear I was ready to be done, not because I was miserable in volleyball, but because it was a great season, and there was no better way to go out.”
Bastianelli, who played collegiately at Illinois and had professional stops in France, Puerto Rico and San Diego, will now turn her attention to life after volleyball, as she has been accepted into the radiologic technology program at Baker College in Muskegon.
It’s something she had been preparing for over the past few years, taking her prerequisite courses while playing – essentially continuing her time as a student-athlete well into her 20s.
“Honestly, it wasn’t as intense as in college, but I think having played in college made it feels that way, knowing that I can balance 16 credit hours while being in season,” she said. “I will say, being a student-athlete my entire life, even in high school, a lot of that was learning how to manage my time. It will be interesting next year not having volleyball and just school.”
A health administration major at Illinois, Bastianelli shifted her focus to a more patient-focused role in healthcare after graduation.
“I’ve always liked the people interaction side of healthcare,” she said. “I didn’t know if I was ready to sit at a desk and work a 9-to-5. I’m much more of a people person, and as a team-sport athlete, I’m used to working with people in that sort of way.”
Bastianelli’s second career will have a lot to live up to in order to match her first, as her run in volleyball was among the best for a former Michigan high school player.
She earned All-America honors three times at Illinois, being named to the third team as a junior and senior and honorable mention as a sophomore. She was named all-Big Ten three times, and when she graduated, she was not only Illinois’ all-time leader in blocks, but second in Big Ten history, leading the country in blocks as a senior in 2018.
Bastianelli played for the U.S. National Team in the Pan American Cup in 2021 and 2022, and the Pan American Cup Final Six in 2022. As a pro, she played in the inaugural seasons of two leagues, Athletes Unlimited and PVF.
“We’ve never had, in Marysville certainly, and probably the Blue Water Area in general, has never had a girl with that type of upside and potential,” said former Marysville volleyball coach Ryan Welser, who coached Bastianelli her senior year. “... Certainly, if you want to look back, Ali is the best we’ve ever seen with just the longevity that she’s been able to do it and the levels she’s been able to succeed at. We played and coached against a lot of girls in the Southeast Michigan area, and for all their accolades, Ali has surpassed all of them with her longevity and her ability to excel and go to the next level.”
Bastianelli was at Marysville during an interesting time in the storied volleyball program’s history. She transferred from Yale as a freshman in the fall of 2011, along with her older sister Samantha, when legendary coach John Knuth returned for a season. That team advanced to the Class B Semifinals, the deepest run for the Vikings since winning nine titles in 10 years from 1997-2006.
The following two years, Bastianelli and the Vikings were coached by Kristen (Fenton) Michaelis, who was the star of four of those previous title teams and who had played collegiately at Fresno State and as part of the U.S. National Team during the Pan-Am Games in the 2000s.
“I’m thankful for the guidance Kristen had given me in high school,” Bastianelli said. “She saw my potential before everyone else did. She’s the original GOAT of Marysville. She paved the way.”
During Bastianelli’s junior year, however, the Vikings failed to win their District for the first time in more than 20 years. When Welser, a former assistant under Knuth, took over the program the following year, he aimed to not only fix that, but also create an energy around the program that had been present the prior decade. He turned to Bastianelli and fellow senior Nicole Slis to head that up.
“A big thing for us, when Ali was in high school, was that she bought into the promotion of the program,” Welser said. “It was a constant battle of trying to get fans in the stands and trying to make it popular in the middle school and elementary school. Ali completely bought into that, everything we were trying to do. She didn’t have to. She had a lot going on with her club team, but we needed someone to totally buy into promoting Marysville volleyball and leave a lasting legacy, and that’s what she did.”
Through social media and simply talking with students at the school, Bastianelli and Slis worked to create a vibrant student section for their games, incorporating theme nights. That led to a boom in student attendance at matches, and the team responded, advancing to the Regional Final before losing to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.
Personally, Bastianelli earned first-team Under Armour All-America honors during the season and was ranked the No. 10 college recruit in the country.
“My senior year was definitely the most memorable,” Bastianelli said. “Even though it wasn’t the most successful (as a team) on paper, it was definitely the most memorable for me. … The Regional games were hosted by Marysville, and we played Armada and there had to have been 150 kids who showed up for that game. During one timeout, Ryan didn’t even say anything about volleyball, he just told us, ‘Just take a moment and look around.’”
While Bastianelli couldn’t have imagined it at the time, her efforts in building excitement around the Marysville program were good training for her future as a professional.
As a member of two brand new professional leagues, she and her peers were asked to be promoters as well as players, to the point where sharing social media posts was written into their contracts.
There were few people better suited for that role than Bastianelli.
“I think it’s very fitting that everywhere she’s gone, there’s been that promotion of program,” Welser said. “To go on to the pro level, to promote volleyball at that level and for women’s sports in general – we’re watching women’s volleyball on TV, and I truly believe Ali had an impact on those levels. Her getting behind it, being there to help and realizing that when you’re doing that, you’re there to help everyone. That’s what Ali was all about.”
PHOTOS (Top) At left, Ali Bastianelli prepares to hit during her senior season at Marysville; at right, Bastianelli readies to serve for the Grand Rapids Rise. (Middle) Bastianelli plays for the Rise during her final professional season. (Photos courtesy of Marysville volleyball and the Grand Rapids Rise.)