Finalists Announced for 2025-26 MHSAA/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Awards
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 20, 2026
The 120 finalists for the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Scholar-Athlete Awards for the 2025-26 school year, presented by Farm Bureau Insurance, have been announced.
The program, in its 37th year, has recognized student-athletes since the 1989-90 school year and again this winter will honor 32 individuals from MHSAA member schools who participate in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament.
Farm Bureau Insurance underwrites the Scholar-Athlete Awards and will present a $2,000 scholarship to each recipient. Since the beginning of the program, 991 scholarships have been awarded.
Scholarships will be presented proportionately by school classification, with 12 scholarships to be awarded to Class A student-athletes, six female and six male; eight scholarships awarded to Class B student-athletes, four female and four male; six scholarships awarded to Class C student-athletes, three female and three male; and four scholarships awarded to Class D student-athletes, two female and two male. In addition, two scholarships will be awarded at-large to minority recipients, regardless of school size.
Every MHSAA member high school could submit as many applications as there are scholarships available in its classification and could have more than one finalist. This year, 95 schools have a finalist, with Birmingham Groves and Flint Powers Catholic atop the list with three apiece. Twenty-one schools have two finalists: Ann Arbor Greenhills, Bay City Central, Birch Run, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, Corunna, Detroit Country Day, Frankenmuth, Grand Ledge, Holland, Holland West Ottawa, Midland Dow, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, Negaunee, Northville, Okemos, Plymouth, Royal Oak, White Lake Lakeland and Yale.
Multiple-sport participation remains the norm among applicants. The average sport participation rate of the finalists is 3.02, up from 2.88 a year ago. There also are 82 three-plus sport participants in the finalists field, up from 75 in 2024-25, and all 31 sports in which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments are represented — including field hockey and boys volleyball, which joined the MHSAA's championship lineup this school year for the first time.
Of 426 schools which submitted applicants, 20 submitted the maximum allowed. This year, 1,438 applications were received. All applicants will be presented with certificates commemorating their achievement. Additional Scholar-Athlete Award information, including a complete list of scholarship nominees, can be found on the Scholar-Athlete Award page.
The applications were judged by a 72-member committee of coaches, counselors, faculty members, administrators and board members from MHSAA member schools. Selection of the 32 scholarship recipients will take place in early February. Class C and D scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 3, Class B scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 10 and Class A scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 17. All announcements will be made on the MHSAA Website.
To be eligible for the award, students must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale) and previously have won a varsity letter in at least one sport in which the MHSAA sponsors a postseason tournament. Students also were asked to respond to a series of short essay questions and submit two letters of recommendation and a 500-word essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.
Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan was founded in 1949 by Michigan farmers who wanted an insurance company that worked as hard as they did. Those values still guide the company today and are a big reason why it is known as Michigan’s Insurance Company, dedicated to protecting the farms, families, and businesses of this great state. Farm Bureau Insurance agents across Michigan provide a full range of insurance services — life, home, auto, farm, business, retirement, Lake Estate®, and more — protecting nearly 500,000 Michigan policyholders.
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.
2025-26 Scholar-Athlete Award Finalists
GIRLS CLASS A
Reese Beauleaux, Adrian
Asia Shi, Ann Arbor Huron
Lilamae Frank, Battle Creek Lakeview
Brynn Corrion, Bay City Central
Bella Matthews, Bay City Central
Lydia Binelli, Berkley
Jacey Roy, Birmingham Groves
Julia Yoder, Birmingham Groves
Ella Griffin, Bloomfield Hills
Sydney Behnke, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Justine Casey, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Laurin M. Edwards, Detroit Cass Tech
Grace Kim, Farmington Hills Mercy
Gracelynn Olson, Fruitport
Jade Queen, Grand Ledge
Maggie Telgenhof, Holland
Maggie Rothstein, Holland West Ottawa
Mattie Thompson, Okemos
Veda Keshavamurthy, Plymouth
Ava Mac Donald, Rochester Adams
Jillian Hayes, Saline
Arabella Glass, Waterford Kettering
Anna Linen, White Lake Lakeland
Meredith Peterson, White Lake Lakeland
BOYS CLASS A
Ari Blank, Birmingham Groves
Caleb Garrett, Birmingham Seaholm
Sajan Doshi, Bloomfield Hills
Kazutaka Suzuki, Canton
Ryan Dye, Detroit Catholic Central
Carson Soltis, DeWitt
Trevor Griffith, Flint Kearsley
Ian Deters, Grand Ledge
Eli Macauley, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern
Andrew Legg, Holland
Drew Rothstein, Holland West Ottawa
Wesley Rogers, Mason
Marcel Stork, Mattawan
Eamon Murray, Midland
Matthew Huang, Midland Dow
Matthew McGaugh, Midland Dow
Benjamin Hu, Northville
Amogh Mavatoor, Northville
Ian Morgan, Okemos
Sami Anwar, Plymouth
Omar Elghawy, Portage Northern
Luke Desnoyer, Royal Oak
Nicholas Maeso, Royal Oak
Owen Wohlfert, Traverse City West
GIRLS CLASS B
Sophia Hazzi, Ann Arbor Greenhills
Sydney Fox, Birch Run
Avery Pagel, Birch Run
Presley Chamberlain, Cheboygan
Madison Dennis, Durand
Natalie Foltz, Frankenmuth
Julia Noureddine, Grosse Ile
Phoebe Elder, Haslett
Brayley West, Lake Fenton
Aubrey Tarkiewicz, Marshall
Clare O'Donnell, Negaunee
Liliana Saunders, Negaunee
Lilly Thelen, Portland
Maya Grossman, Vicksburg
Ava Lassey, Wixom St. Catherine
Kendall Hollon, Yale
BOYS CLASS B
Parth Ashok, Ann Arbor Greenhills
Cole Haist, Big Rapids
Miles Dell, Chelsea
Nolan Carr, Corunna
Joel DeLorge, Corunna
Hugh Aaron, Detroit Country Day
Micah Zacks, Detroit Country Day
Möbius Stubblefield, Edwardsburg
Caleb Carignan, Flint Powers Catholic
Bryce Gross, Flint Powers Catholic
Logan Johnson, Flint Powers Catholic
Caden Sommerfield, Frankenmuth
Dylan Becksvoort, Holland Christian
Jaxxon Thelen, Ionia
Tucker Cole, Tecumseh
Jackson Kohler, Yale
GIRLS CLASS C
Anna Poppema, Bath
Hope Miller, Blissfield
Brynne Schulte, Elk Rapids
Addyson Rhodes, Grandville Calvin Christian
Molly Soper, Hanover-Horton
Izabella Latuszek, Laingsburg
Maya Carlson, Manistique
Ashley Carlson, Norway
Luella Whipkey, Oscoda
Emma Winans, Perry
Lillian Kwiatkowski, Rudyard
Irelynn Pachulski, Saranac
BOYS CLASS C
Ethan Stine, Bridgman
Joe Gaffney, Charlevoix
Gavin Comero, Ishpeming Westwood
Sean Siems, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep
Eli Smith, LeRoy Pine River
Grason Weber, Leslie
Sean Dammann, New Lothrop
Logan Slimko, North Muskegon
Drew Ruddy, Ottawa Lake Whiteford
Luke Paxton, Pewamo-Westphalia
Ryan Kowalczyk, Pinconning
Amos Miller, Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy
GIRLS CLASS D
Audrey Stone, Bessemer
Madison Karakashian, Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart
Alexa Ross, Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart
Caila Fitchett, Dryden
Lorna Wiesen, Leland
Isabel Rookard, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
Hope Woolman, Sterling Heights Parkway Christian
Emily DelFavero, Wakefield-Marenisco
BOYS CLASS D
Zyan Breznik, Adrian Lenawee Christian
Ian Flanagan, Deckerville
Brady Jungwirth, Felch North Dickinson
David Wahl, Gaylord St Mary
Connor Hill, Hillsdale Academy
Noah Zeien, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
Jack Nelson, Ontonagon
Louis Kowalsky, West Bloomfield FJA
'Retired' Garvey Remains Eager to Give
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 18, 2020
Earlier this week, Mike Garvey told his wife she can't let him quit all that he does to contribute to school sports across the state of Michigan, even if he is officially "retired."
But after 40 years serving in a variety of roles, he really doesn't have plans to stop. And she wasn't intending to make that request.
"I married the best girl in the world," Garvey said, "and she’s supportive and urges me to do the stuff that I enjoy."
And that has stretched over tenures at four Michigan high schools, serving as a teacher, coach and administrator, and continuing today in various roles at the local and statewide levels.
To celebrate his devotion and many contributions, Garvey has been named the 2020 recipient of the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Charles E. Forsythe Award.
The annual award is in its 43rd year and named after former MHSAA Executive Director Charles E. Forsythe, the Association's first full-time and longest-serving chief executive. Forsythe Award recipients are selected each year by the MHSAA Representative Council, based on an individual's outstanding contributions to the interscholastic athletics community.
Garvey, who grew up mostly in Detroit, began his educational career in 1980 teaching at Marian Central Catholic in Woodstock, Ill., before returning to Michigan in 1985 to teach at Lawton High School. While at Lawton, he helped the Blue Devils’ wrestling program continue a dominating run as an assistant coach on Lower Peninsula Class D championship teams in 1986 and 1987 and runner-up teams in 1988 and 1989, and then as head coach of the 1990 Class D title winner. He also served as athletic director at Lawton from 1994-99 before leaving for the same position at Delton Kellogg, where he served from 1999-2006. Garvey then was athletic director at Otsego from 2006-10, and he then served as athletic director at Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep from 2010-18.
He earned a number of accolades during his time as a coach and administrator, including the MHSAA’s Allen W. Bush Award in 2015 for his many contributions to educational athletics that often went unsung despite their great importance. Garvey also has been a registered MHSAA official for 35 years, in softball for all 35 and for a mix of seasons in baseball, basketball, volleyball, wrestling and track & field. He continues to instruct as part of the MHSAA’s Coaches Advancement Program (CAP) and has served as tournament manager for the MHSAA Team Wrestling Finals since their 2018 move to Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo.
“I never looked at my jobs as jobs. I always looked at it as I had a mission and was trying to complete a mission,” said Garvey, who continues to reside in Lawton. “I think I can still help people, so maybe my mission isn’t complete.
“It’s a blast. I just feel like it’s a chance to give. Schools and athletics and everything have given so much to me. Plus the human interaction – working with kids and coaches and officials, it just fits me and I enjoy it.”
Among accolades at the state and national levels, Garvey received the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) 2016 Distinguished Service Award and the George Lovich State Award of Merit in 2009 from the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA).
Garvey remains an active member of both the MIAAA and NIAAA and the Michigan Wrestling Coaches Association. He remains on the faculty for the NIAAA’s Leadership Training Institute and has served as Michigan’s coordinator for the program. He’s been a long-serving member of the MHSAA’s Wrestling Committee and hosted more than 75 tournament events while an athletic director. He served as co-commissioner of the former Kalamazoo Valley Association and currently is the executive secretary of the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference.
He’s also rejoined the coaching ranks, taking over as head coach of Vicksburg High School’s girls and boys golf teams this school year.
“Even in ‘retirement,’ Mike Garvey continues to serve students, coaches and administrators with enthusiasm,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “He continues to pass on to our current coaches the best practices he’s learned over decades, and he has played a sizable role in making the Team Wrestling Finals a record-setting event for attendance the last few seasons. His brings a genuine enjoyment to these activities, and we’re fortunate to have him continuing to take leading roles.”
Garvey began classes at Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice as a high school freshman, but after less than a month moved overseas as the family followed his father’s job with Chrysler. Garvey matriculated in Geneva, Switzerland, and then completed high school at The American School in London, England. Once back in the United States, Garvey earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Michigan University. He remains active in community service through his church and lake association.
Past recipients of the Charles E. Forsythe Award
1978 - Brick Fowler, Port Huron; Paul Smarks, Warren
1979 - Earl Messner, Reed City; Howard Beatty, Saginaw
1980 - Max Carey, Freesoil
1981 - Steven Sluka, Grand Haven; Samuel Madden, Detroit
1982 - Ernest Buckholz, Mt. Clemens; T. Arthur Treloar, Petoskey
1983 - Leroy Dues, Detroit; Richard Maher, Sturgis
1984 - William Hart, Marquette; Donald Stamats, Caro
1985 - John Cotton, Farmington; Robert James, Warren
1986 - William Robinson, Detroit; Irving Soderland, Norway
1987 - Jack Streidl, Plainwell; Wayne Hellenga, Decatur
1988 - Jack Johnson, Dearborn; Alan Williams, North Adams
1989 - Walter Bazylewicz, Berkley; Dennis Kiley, Jackson
1990 - Webster Morrison, Pickford; Herbert Quade, Benton Harbor
1991 - Clifford Buckmaster, Petoskey; Donald Domke, Northville
1992 - William Maskill, Kalamazoo; Thomas G. McShannock, Muskegon
1993 - Roy A. Allen Jr., Detroit; John Duncan, Cedarville
1994 - Kermit Ambrose, Royal Oak
1995 - Bob Perry, Lowell
1996 - Charles H. Jones, Royal Oak
1997 - Michael A. Foster, Richland; Robert G. Grimes, Battle Creek
1998 - Lofton C. Greene, River Rouge; Joseph J. Todey, Essexville
1999 - Bernie Larson, Battle Creek
2000 - Blake Hagman, Kalamazoo; Jerry Cvengros, Escanaba
2001 - Norm Johnson, Bangor; George Lovich, Canton
2002 - John Fundukian, Novi
2003 - Ken Semelsberger, Port Huron
2004 - Marco Marcet, Frankenmuth
2005 - Jim Feldkamp, Troy
2006 - Dan McShannock, Midland; Dail Prucka, Monroe
2007 - Keith Eldred, Williamston; Tom Hickman, Spring Lake
2008 - Jamie Gent, Haslett; William Newkirk, Sanford Meridian
2009 - Paul Ellinger, Cheboygan
2010 - Rudy Godefroidt, Hemlock; Mike Boyd, Waterford
2011 - Eric C. Federico, Trenton
2018 - Gary Ellis, Allegan
2019 – Jim Derocher, Negaunee; Fredrick J. Smith, Stevensville
PHOTO: Teams take the mat for this season's MHSAA Team Wrestling Finals at Wings Event Center, again managed this winter by Mike Garvey. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)