Today in the MHSAA: 10/10/16

October 10, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Arguably the most high-profile regular-season events in cross country and girls swimming & diving took place this weekend, with the forecasts looking good for MHSAA championship contenders who were highly ranked coming in.

Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.

Cross Country

The Portage Invitational annually brings many of the top teams in Michigan together for something of a barometer for the MHSAA Finals; champions Saturday included the Lower Peninsula No. 4 Bear Lake/Onekama boys and the top-ranked Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart girls in Division 4, the No. 1-ranked Saugatuck boys and No. 2 Lansing Catholic girls in Division 3, No. 3 Fremont boys and No. 3 East Grand Rapids girls in Division 2 and the LaGrange Lyons, Ill. boys (runner-up and No. 1 Saline was the top in-state boys team) and No. 3 Ann Arbor Pioneer girls in Division 1 – Athletic.net

The LPD1 top-ranked Birmingham Seaholm girls won a sixth straight Oakland County championship, while the No. 2 Novi boys also repeated – Oakland Press

Girls Swimming & Diving

The annual Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association Meet also draws many of the state’s top competitors each fall. Multi-winners this weekend included Saline sophomore Maddie Luther (200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke) and Saline junior Lizzy Spears (200 individual medley, 500 freestyle) as their team also won two relays and received the top place in diving from Camryn McPherson; the Hornets are ranked No. 3 in LP Division 1 – MISCAonline.net

Volleyball

Marquette swept Ishpeming in two sets to win the Northern Michigan University High School Invitational – Marquette Mining Journal

Lake Linden-Hubbell improved to 17-6-4 with a championship at the Michigan-Wisconsin Invitational played at Ironwood and Hurley, Wis. – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Class A honorable mention Grand Haven downed Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Class B honorable mention Whitehall, Holland West Ottawa, Kalamazoo Central and Muskegon Mona Shores to the wins the Sailors’ invitational – Grand Haven Tribune

Adrian Madison downed Class D No. 7 Pittsford, Hopkins, Reading, White Pigeon, Camden-Frontier and Constantine to win the Homer Invitational – Adrian Daily Telegram

Sailing into a Sports Blog

September 23, 2013

As communications technology and the opportunities it creates continue to steam ahead, those closest to high school sports programs are looking for more ways to stay in touch and up-to-date with the latest happenings and changes. 

First-year Grand Rapids South Christian athletic director Curt Copeland is taking on the challenge of providing regular info with his "News from the Athletic Office" blog that debuted over the weekend. Copeland, formerly at Fowlerville, did something similar during his tenure with the Gladiators. 

Not only does he use this space to keep in touch with Sailors athletes, parents and other supporters, but he also is able to provide insights as he relates athletics to the bigger picture of teenage and young adult life. 

Click to check out Copeland's first installment