Michel Finishes with Story to Tell
June 11, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Andrew Michel received the heart-breaking news only moments before leaving his golf team’s Regional on Friday to get ready for that night’s Brownstown-Woodhaven prom.
But missing making the MHSAA Finals by a stroke was not the first thing he shared with those who asked about his day at West Shore Golf and Country Club in Grosse Ile.
Instead, the graduating senior told of the 132-yard shot he dropped for a hole-in-one on the par-3 12th hole, his second ace but first in competition.
Michel finished with a season-best 76, missing the cut for this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final by a stroke despite firing another eagle during the final holes of his round.
“At the start of the day, I told myself don’t leave anything on the table. Go for it on every hole, make every shot and just have fun at your last tournament,” Michel said Tuesday afternoon as he readied for that night’s graduation ceremony. “Being a senior, I went for everything.”
The best part might’ve been how he came back from a disappointing previous hole.
Michel had just finished off a triple bogey on No. 11, and admitted he was down on himself. He stepped to the next tee with his pitching wedge, and “I didn’t really care what happened. I chose the club I like to hit on that hole, and in the air I was thinking it was really good,” he said.
The ball touched down on the green and spun back into the hole.
Michel also played golf and soccer at Brownstown-Woodhaven. He’ll attend Grand Valley State University in the fall, study engineering, and will try to walk-on the Lakers’ golf team.
“Deep down inside,” he said he’s disappointed he won’t be playing at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West on Friday. But he’s got a quite a highlight to take with him from his final high school round.
“It was very bittersweet. I really wanted to go to state,” Michel said. “But the hole-in-one balanced it out a bit.”
Eye on the official
Hopefully you caught our MHSAA benchmarks piece (also published on Second Half) on longtime official Lamont Simpson, who has worked not only MHSAA Finals but NCAA tournaments and is one of 32 officials in the WNBA. (Here’s the link in case you missed it.)
He also became that league’s first to wear the referee cam, debuting the new gear during a recent game between the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever.
The camera provides plenty of ref’s-eye views. Click the video below to check it out.
Wheels of Steele
We’ve been watching the inspiring progress of Frankenmuth runner Bobby Steele especially over the last few years as his story became known across the Lower Peninsula.
Steele, who is visually impaired, has run cross country and track for the Eagles, thanks to the help of guides who ran with him to help him stay on course.
If you haven’t heard Steele’s awesome story, check out this 8-minute video. Not only did Steele run, but he cut roughly 12 minutes off his first cross country times over the course of his career.
'One Last Time' Becomes Best of All as Notre Dame Prep Scores Season High in Repeat
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
March 7, 2026
MOUNT PLEASANT – In the moment before Pontiac Notre Dame Prep started its final routine of the season, as thousands of fans waited in hushed anticipation, coach Jocelyn Welsh said three words from the coaching podium through tears:
“One last time.”
It was the final performance of Round 3 on Saturday at Central Michigan University’s McGuirk Arena, and the Fighting Irish delivered another powerhouse routine to clinch their second-consecutive Division 3 title and seventh in school history.
Welsh’s emotional words certainly registered with her team on the mat.
“When she said that and got choked up, it brought all of our emotions together,” said NDP senior Maddie Rennwald. “At that moment, I just knew that we were going to be state champs.”
Notre Dame Prep, which won five consecutive Division 3 titles from 2014 to 2018, delivered the best score of the eight competing schools in all three rounds.
Despite posting a season-best total score of 787.84 (more than eight full points better than any other team), the Irish were not the most excited team on Saturday – not by a long shot.
That was definitely Armada, which used an incredible Round 3 performance to rise from fourth place to second, earning the Tigers their first “mitten” – the nickname given to the MHSAA team trophy for champions and runners-up, which is a wooden cutout in the shape of Michigan.
Armada, which is located in the Thumb and placed third at both Districts and Regionals behind perennial powers Notre Dame Prep and Richmond, had never placed higher than fourth at the Finals.
“We told our girls that they had to step up and force a change, because in our meets it’s always the same two teams at the top,” said 10th-year Armada coach Deanna Misiak. “I’m just so happy because we tell our girls that their hard work will pay off and, today, it happened.”
Armada finished second with 779.04 points, followed by Grosse Ile (777.50) and Richmond (769.48).
The huddled Tigers broke into hysterics when Grosse Ile was announced as third place, meaning their impressive final round had moved them up to the best Finals finish in school history.
“When we realized we got second, we were all like: ‘Is this real life? Is this actually happening right now?’” said Armada’s Abby Groen, one of just five seniors on a 25-member team which features 18 sophomores or freshmen. “This is a huge stepping stone for Armada cheer, for sure.”
Notre Dame Prep senior flyer Jenna Robin said her team was extremely motivated to repeat as champion, especially after the Irish had finished second in four of the previous six seasons.
“Our goal was to prove to everybody that we really are the best team in the state, and we couldn’t do that by dropping back to second,” said Robin. “Even though we had the lead today, we wanted to do our best each round and make that gap even bigger.”
Robin and junior Eva Thomas were both returning first team all-staters for NDP, while Rennwald, junior Sadie Shook and sophomore Holly Haras were all honorable mention selections.
Welsh, who is in her third season as head coach after serving as an assistant at Division 1 power Rochester Adams, noted that this championship was especially satisfying for her, as the Irish had to rebuild after losing a standout group of seniors from last year’s team.
The Irish, who do not compete in a conference, finished second to Richmond at Districts, but then won their Regional by more than six points and the Finals by almost nine.
“It was more of a gradual climb for us this season,” said Welsh, who is assisted by Alivia Tate and Shelley McGuire. “We had to replace about half of the girls in every round, so it took a little time, but they were ready and confident today.”