Today in the MHSAA: 5/10/19

May 10, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The league title portion of this spring is in full swing, with champions awarded Thursday in girls tennis, girls and boys track & field and boys lacrosse.

1. Girls Tennis: Midland Dow – No. 4 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – edged Grand Blanc to earn the Saginaw Valley League championship for the 22nd straight season – Midland Daily News

2. Track & Field: Pinckney’s girls and boys teams followed up unbeaten dual seasons with Southeastern Conference White league meet championships – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

3. Track & Field: Kent City swept Central State Activities Association Silver league meet titles; the girls team is ranked No. 4 in LPD3 – Big Rapids News

4. Track & Field: The Colon boys and Athens girls clinched Southern Central Athletic Association West titles; the Athens girls are ranked No. 9 in LPD4 – Sturgis Journal

5. Boys Lacrosse: Division 2 No. 3 Spring Lake clinched its first league title in the sport with a 9-2 Ottawa-Kent Conference win over Grand Rapids Christian – Grand Haven Tribune

6. Track & Field: Marion’s girls clinched the West Michigan D League title by seven points – Cadillac News

7. Girls Soccer: Formerly-ranked Utica Eisenhower earned a 2-1 league win over Division 1 No. 5 Macomb Dakota – Macomb Daily

8. Softball: Division 1 No. 8 Caledonia secured a season series win over honorable mention Grand Haven with a 12-1 victory – Local Sports Journal

9. Girls Soccer: Division 3 top-ranked Freeland also added an impressive win, 4-2 over Division 2 No. 15 Linden – Midland Daily News

10. Baseball: Division 2 No. 3 Holland Christian edged Byron Center 2-1 with a walk-off hit in the seventh inning – Holland Christian

From High School to Olympic Swimming

July 11, 2012

Fans of U.S. Swimming already have plenty of reasons to cheer for Missy Franklin later this month at the Summer Olympics -- she's only 17, but qualified to compete in a U.S. women's all-time best seven events.

But fans of high school sports and what they provide athletes at all levels of ability can also support her for how she's chosen to compete when she's not racing against the best in the world.

Franklin, who lives in Colorado, has continued to swim for her high school team despite the financial rewards she could've earned by taking the elite swimmer's usual path of going pro.

A ton has been written about Franklin lately, for obvious reasons. Below is a link to a New York Times story from February that focused on her continued dedication to her high school team.

Before the Olympic Trials, There’s This Big High School Meet (New York Times)