Detroit Public Schools' McEvans Selected for MHSAA Women In Sports Leadership Award
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 22, 2026
Over nearly three decades as a coach, school and league administrator, Anika McEvans has worked to provide the athletic opportunities for all children that she enjoyed as an athlete herself and later as a mother of three including two who have gone on to play at the collegiate level.
Her work in several roles, serving multiple school districts over nearly 28 years, has benefited thousands of students. In recognition of those contributions, McEvans has been named the 40th recipient of the MHSAA’s Women In Sports Leadership Award.
Each year, the Representative Council considers the achievements of women coaches, officials and athletic administrators affiliated with the MHSAA who show exemplary leadership capabilities and positive contributions to athletics. McEvans will receive her award during the WISL Conference Banquet, Feb. 1 at the Crowne Plaza Lansing.
Currently midway through her seventh school year serving in the Office of Athletics for the Detroit Public Schools Community District, she is responsible for planning and implementation of the Detroit Public School League’s sports offerings for 72 elementary and middle schools in addition to her several responsibilities supporting the league’s 20 high schools. McEvans came to the PSL from Southfield Public Schools, where as district director she supervised more than 100 coaches, staff and volunteers.
Before that she was a building athletic director, and prior to becoming an administrator she coached multiple sports across tenures at three schools.
“Obviously as an athlete myself, and also the mother of female athletes, my children and I both were very fortunate to have amazing coaches and administrators who elevated our sports,” McEvans said. “I made it a goal of mine everywhere I go to advocate in the same way. I want any child to have what I’d want for my children.”
A basketball, volleyball and softball player while a student at Detroit Renaissance, McEvans returned to high school athletics after college first as a coach, serving as head girls varsity basketball coach at Detroit Academy of Arts & Sciences, assistant boys basketball and softball coach at Renaissance, and assistant girls basketball coach at Southfield.
She served as athletic director from 2012-15 at the former Southfield High School, and as district athletic director through 2017-18 she assisted in the merger of Southfield High and Southfield-Lathrup into Southfield Arts & Technology High School for the start of the 2016-17 school year.
Also during her time at Southfield, McEvans added competitive cheer to the school’s athletic offerings, and then brought the sport to the PSL after moving to the Detroit district office. Cass Tech, Martin Luther King and Renaissance high schools have added competitive cheer teams, and McEvans is hopeful two more schools will do the same over the coming year.
“Anika McEvans continues to create and expand opportunities so as many students as possible can enjoy all of the good that comes with participation in school sports,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “This award celebrates Anika’s leadership in this way, but also the example she sets in showing what’s possible when someone is driven to make a difference.”
McEvans received an MHSAA Allen W. Bush Award in 2024, celebrating her work often “behind the scenes” in school sports. She was selected for a Skillman Foundation Visionary Award this past year for her work “updating and upgrading the education system in Detroit and beyond.”
She has contributed her expertise to statewide athletics in many ways as well, serving on several MHSAA committees including athletic equity, junior high/middle school, scholar-athlete and as part of multiple officials and site selection committees. She also provided a key voice as part of the MHSAA Multi-Sport Task Force during the last half of the last decade and has played a leading role in providing coaches education throughout Detroit Public Schools through the MHSAA Coaches Advancement Program.
McEvans graduated from Renaissance in 1994 and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in sports management and communications from University of Michigan and a master’s in business administration from the University of Detroit Mercy. She also previously served as director of business operations and then general manager for the Detroit Demolition/Detroit Danger women’s professional football franchise from 2002-06 and as assistant general manager for the Motor City Mechanics minor league hockey team from 2004-06.
Her daughter Cheyenne McEvans is currently a graduate student playing her final season of college basketball at University of Nevada. Son Cameron McEvans played basketball at Lawrence Technological University and most recently professionally in Uruguay. Youngest daughter Cierra McEvans participated on West Bloomfield’s competitive cheer team and is now a sophomore at Grand Valley State University.
“I know how for young men and women that participate in sports, that it rounds out their development, gives them leadership skills and confidence to move through the world,” Anika McEvans said. “I was telling someone the other day that because of their successes and failures on the court, I knew my children would move through the world fearlessly.
“I (also) know in my particular role (at DPSCD) and also to a certain degree at Southfield, there are still gaps in how minority students and programs are supported … (and helping fill that gap) is just my mission.”
More than 700 participants – mostly female high school student-athletes from across the state – have registered to attend this year’s sold-out WISL Conference, the 27th in the series that remains the first, largest and longest-running program of its type in the country.
The opening address Feb. 1 will be presented by Kristen Kelsay, a two-time team captain during her playing career for the Michigan State University women’s volleyball team who recently completed her first season as the Spartans’ head coach and led the team to its highest win total since 2017. MSU women’s basketball coach Robyn Fralick – in her third season and leading a Spartans team that is 17-2 and ranked No. 13 by The Associated Press – will speak during the general session at the start of the Feb. 2 conference schedule.
Several workshops will be offered over the two days, with topics including coaching, teaching and learning leadership; sports nutrition and performance, and empowerment and goal-setting. Presenters are accomplished in their fields and represent a wide range of backgrounds in sport. A complete itinerary is available on the Women In Sports Leadership page.
The first Women In Sports Leadership Award was presented in 1990.
Past recipients
1990 – Carol Seavoy, L’Anse
1991 – Diane Laffey, Harper Woods
1992 – Patricia Ashby, Scotts
1993 – Jo Lake, Grosse Pointe
1994 – Brenda Gatlin, Detroit
1995 – Jane Bennett, Ann Arbor
1996 – Cheryl Amos-Helmicki, Huntington Woods
1997 – Delores L. Elswick, Detroit
1998 – Karen S. Leinaar, Delton
1999 – Kathy McGee, Flint
2000 – Pat Richardson, Grass Lake
2001 – Suzanne Martin, East Lansing
2002 – Susan Barthold, Kentwood
2003 – Nancy Clark, Flint
2004 – Kathy Vruggink Westdorp, Grand Rapids
2005 – Barbara Redding, Capac
2006 – Melanie Miller, Lansing
2007 – Jan Sander, Warren Woods
2008 – Jane Bos, Grand Rapids
2009 – Gail Ganakas, Flint; Deb VanKuiken, Holly
2010 – Gina Mazzolini, Lansing
2011 – Ellen Pugh, West Branch; Patti Tibaldi, Traverse City
2012 – Janet Gillette, Comstock Park
2013 – Barbara Beckett, Traverse City
2014 – Teri Reyburn, DeWitt
2015 – Jean LaClair, Bronson
2016 – Betty Wroubel, Pontiac
2017 – Dottie Davis, Ann Arbor
2018 – Meg Seng, Ann Arbor
2019 – Kris Isom, Adrian
2020 – Nikki Norris, East Lansing
2021 – Dorene Ingalls, St. Ignace
2022 – Lori Hyman, Livonia
2023 – Laurie Glass, Leland
2024 – Mary Cicerone, Bloomfield Hills; Eve Claar, Ann Arbor
2025 – Jennifer Thunberg, Freeland
Rep Council Wrap-Up: Fall 2018
December 6, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The adoption of alterations to the Michigan High School Athletic Association fall calendar and approval of Calvin College as the continued host site for the Girls Basketball Finals were among actions taken by the MHSAA’s Representative Council during its Fall Meeting on Nov. 30 in East Lansing.
Generally, the Council takes only a few actions during its Fall Meeting, with topics often introduced for additional consideration and action during its meetings in winter and spring. However, with multiple topics requiring immediate attention this fall, the Council approved calendar and basketball recommendations in advance of circumstances that will affect both during the 2019-20 school year and beyond.
The calendar change will keep the length of fall seasons consistent in boys soccer, cross country, tennis and golf in years when Thanksgiving is “late” during the fourth full week of November. The Council approved a recommendation allowing those four sports in “short years” – for example, 2019 – to begin practice the 16th Monday before Thanksgiving (Monday, Aug. 12, 2019) and begin competition after three days of practice over four calendar days (Friday, Aug. 16, 2019). Because the start of practice in those sports annually is tied to Thanksgiving, but the Finals are not, those four fall sports faced shorter seasons by one week in 2019, 2024, 2025, etc.
The Council also approved continuing to conduct the Girls Basketball Semifinals and Finals for 2019-20 and 2020-21 at Van Noord Arena at Calvin College. The Girls Finals moved to Van Noord Arena in 2017-18 because of the unavailability of Michigan State University’s Breslin Center due to a conflict with the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament and an opportunity for Michigan State’s women’s team to host first and second-round games had it qualified and earned a top-16 overall seed. The same conflict is possible during Girls Basketball Finals traditional weekend in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Additionally, the Council discussed solutions for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, when Breslin may not be available during the traditional weekend of the MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals. The boys season for 2018-19 switched calendars with the girls season to avoid the same NCAA Tournament conflict; Breslin is the only building statewide that has made itself available for the Boys Basketball Finals and is large enough to accommodate the event. Only one other location offered to host the Girls Basketball Finals for 2019-20 and 2020-21.
Also affecting competition for 2019-20, the Council approved the continuation of an experiment begun in 2016-17 that allows cooperative programs in a series of sports – regardless of the student enrollment maximum – for two or more schools of the same public school district (and with the same governing board). Districts may form these co-ops in baseball, bowling, girls competitive cheer, cross country, golf, soccer, girls softball, tennis and wrestling. The experiment was designed to provide opportunities to participate in urban school districts where schools previously did not have enough athletes for team sponsorship on their own. Districts must show a demonstrated history of inadequate numbers of participants to be approved. These programs require the same two-year renewal process as other cooperative programs.
The Council also approved a change effective in spring 2020 that will allow spring sports teams, that have received MHSAA approval to travel out of state, to practice jointly and/or scrimmage (up to the season’s limit of four allowed scrimmages) with and against other approved MHSAA member schools. The Council reviewed survey data from the fall Update meetings and an online survey of membership that showed significant support for the allowance.
A number of other discussions focused on matters that could come before the Council for action at its Winter Meeting in March or Spring Meeting in May. In preparation for the Football Committee meeting in January, the Council discussed survey results concerning regular-season scheduling and the MHSAA Tournament for both 11 and 8-player football. The Council also reviewed possible benefits of adjusting MHSAA officials registration to include National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) membership and also other options for changing MHSAA registration prices to encourage more multi-sport officials. These officiating concepts will be presented to the MHSAA Audit and Finance Committee in February in advance of possible Council action in March or May.
The Council discussed creating an MHSAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee to provide input and guidance on such topics, and also heard feedback received during Update meetings on the MHSAA’s possible role in mental health initiatives. The Council heard an update on the communication and notice that has taken place regarding the new Sport-Specific Transfer Rule that goes into effect for 2019-20 based on the sports a student participated in during 2018-19. The Council also continued its 2018 March and May discussions concerning the boarding school student exception to the transfer rule, with staff reporting on a recent meeting with those boarding schools administrators.
Additionally, the Council heard an update on the “Presenting Sponsor” program whereby the MHSAA has provided support to junior high/middle school competitions in cross country and track & field over the last two years; in 2018-19, the MHSAA also is serving as presenting sponsor at events for junior high/middle school volleyball and basketball. Similarly, the MHSAA will serve this winter as a presenting sponsor of a Special Olympics Unified basketball invitational in February at Novi High School and at the Michigan High School Powerlifting Association Finals in March at Ionia High School. Both high school events will include fields filled with MHSAA member high schools and provide the Association with further opportunities to provide financial and messaging support for these student-focused activities.
The Fall Meeting saw the addition of Nicole Carter, principal of Novi High School, to the 19-person Council. She was appointed to a two-year term. Carter fills the position formerly held by Pat Watson, principal of West Bloomfield High School, whose term ended. Also, Vicky Groat, principal and athletic director at Battle Creek St. Philip High School, was reappointed for a second two-year term.
The Council reelected Scott Grimes, assistant superintendent of human services for Grand Haven Area Public Schools, as its president; Saginaw Heritage athletic director Pete Ryan as vice president and Vic Michaels, director of physical education and athletics for the Archdiocese of Detroit, as secretary-treasurer.
The Representative Council is the legislative body of the MHSAA. All but five members are elected by member schools. Four members are appointed by the Council to facilitate representation of females and minorities, and the 19th position is occupied by the Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.