Let's Play 2 (or 3, or 4)
February 16, 2012
A few conversations I had at last week's Women In Sports Leadership conference further affirmed a point I've been making for years -- high school athletes, if they'd like, shouldn't hesitate to play multiple sports.
Doing so does not hurt, but might just help their chances at landing that prized college scholarship -- on top of adding another layer to the high school sports experience.
Reaffirming this for me last week was Michigan State softball coach Jacquie Joseph, who spoke on that subject at the WISL conference. She's heading into her 24th season as a head coach at the Division I college level -- so she's been around for some of the evolution of both high school sports specialization and college recruiting. Plus, she coaches a sport that sees its share of athletes playing just that one.
Later, I spoke with a high school coach who leads teams in three sports and also played one at the Division I college level. She's a believer in this as well.
Some of the things I've been told over the years about playing more than one sport:
- It allows an athlete to learn more skills and hone more parts of his or her athleticism.
- Using another range of movement further helps condition an athlete's body and make it more resistant to injury.
- It's hardly rare to see a college football coach watching a prospect's basketball game -- coaches like to see how athleticism transfers across sports, and sometimes will see something from an athlete playing basketball that he didn't show on the football field. (Football and basketball are used in this example, but the same applies to a number of similar situations.)
- Athletes get an opportunity to play whatever they'd like only this once (unless they turn out to be that rare college athlete who takes on more than one sport at that level).
These are hardly new arguments. But they are always worth repeating -- especially when the people frequently making them (college coaches) are the ones single-sport athletes often are trying to impress.
Marquette Girls Hold Off TC Central, Hold On for 1st Finals Title Since 2020
By
Brian Freiberger
Special for MHSAA.com
February 23, 2026
BOYNE FALLS – Marquette freshman Sydney Kuhl made her presence known as she captured a Finals title in the slalom with a two-run combined time of 68.76 seconds Monday to lead the Sentinels to the Division 1 team championship at Boyne Mountain.
“I definitely did not expect to win the state championship. I tried to calm myself. I just wanted to be happy with how I skied,” Kuhl said. “I'm really happy for all of us. We all earned it.”
Marquette won its first girls ski championship since 2020, ripping the title from the grasp of Traverse City Central and Traverse City West, which combined to win every championship from 2021-2025.
Kuhl won the slalom by nearly a second ahead of Traverse City Central senior Quinn Gerber (69.66) and Grand Haven’s Neave Rewa (70.10) in second and third, respectively. Rewa was the 2025 slalom champion.
The Sentinels also saw solid slalom contributions from Sophie Coxon in fifth place, Estelle Dehlin in seventh, Lyla Isaacson in 17th and Madalyn Croney in 18th to give Marquette the lead after the morning section.
Kuhl led the Sentinels in the giant slalom as well with a fourth-place finish, while Dehlin finished fifth and Coxon finished seventh as Marquette held on for the championship after Traverse City Central came roaring back.
Marquette finished with 56 points, and Central had 62.
Marquette’s lone senior, Jillian Starr, will always remember this journey with her teammates.
“We knew we had a good chance because of the steepness of the hill. That’s what we are used to. We were all at dinner last night talking about how excited we were. I’m so proud of these girls,” Starr said.
Taggart took home first for Traverse City Central in GS with a time of 71.65, narrowly edging her teammate Gerber (72.00). Rewa finished third again in GS.
“I was expecting it to be super close, and we did the best that we could. I think we all performed well.” Taggart said. “I honestly didn't think I would win. I was super nervous, and I didn't do as well as I wanted in the morning (slalom). When I went out for GS. I was going to take a chance for my team.”
Gerber wrapped up her career as a two-time Finals champion and one of the all-time best to race for Traverse City Central.
“We knew it was gonna be cold, which leads to harder snow. ... (Taggart) and I have been battling with each other all year. This was our last race together. We always pushed each other,” Gerber said.
Traverse City West finished third, followed by Brighton in fourth, then Clarkston, Lake Fenton, Northville, Farmington Hills Mercy and Berkley/Athens/Troy rounding out the field, respectively.
(Click for more photos by Adam Sheehan Photography.)