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.
Preview: Reigning Gymnastics Champs Lead Title Chase Again, But Challengers Await
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 7, 2025
The reigning MHSAA Gymnastics Finals team champion appears as strong as ever heading into this weekend’s meet, and the Division 1 individual champion is back after another dominating Regional performance as well.
But both are set to face fierce challenges again at Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills.
Rockford is seeking a fourth-straight team title and scored the highest score at any Regional last week – but with surging Hartland less than a point off the pace.
Individually, Farmington United’s Leah Hodge is seeking a Division 1 repeat and will lead a chase that could include Rockford’s Ava Ezell and Hartland’s Alexis Fundich among several others. Farmington also will go for the individual sweep as Sophia Yee is a strong contender in Division 2.
Team competition begins at 2 p.m. Friday, with individual competition in both Divisions 1 and 2 beginning at noon Saturday. For information on purchasing tickets, Finals rotations for both days and Regional results, go to the Gymnastics page – and see below for several contenders to watch:
Team
Farmington United: Last season’s runner-up was most recently champion back-to-back in 2018 and 2019 and finished only two tenths of a point behind Rockford a year ago. Farmington United won its Regional by 5.4 points last week with a total of 145.925, paced by a 37.050 on floor exercise and at least a 35.200 on all four apparatuses.
Hartland: The Eagles are pursuing a first team championship since 1999 and coming off a Regional title last week won by more than nine points with a score of 149.175. Hartland made a nice run last season at the Final, finishing fourth but only 1.425 points off the lead. The Eagles scored at least 36.325 on every apparatus at last week’s Regional and broke 37 on three of them.
Northville: The Mustangs placed fifth last season, and they are seeking their first championship after most recently making a run with a runner-up finish in 2018. They won last week’s Regional at Salem with a 144.875, nearly four points more than the field and with scores of at least 35.100 on all four apparatuses and a high of 37.100 on balance beam.
Rockford: The Rams have won three straight team championships and are coming off a Regional win by nearly 14 points last week with a score of 150.05. They went over 38 points on both vault (38.1) and floor (38.425) and approached that total on beam (37.925) while placing the top three in Division 1 all-around and top four in Division 2.
Division 1
Ava Ezell, Rockford senior: She’ll compete at her first MHSAA Finals coming off a Regional all-around championship by nearly two points and sweeping all four apparatuses. She scored a 38.700, finishing first on vault (9.7), bars (9.525), beam (9.75) and floor (9.725).
Alexis Fundich, Hartland junior: She’s set multiple school records this season and won her Regional all-around last week with a score of 37.975 that included first places on beam (9.7) and floor (9.625 - tied). She tied for sixth on beam at last year’s Final.
Kate Gostlin, Hartland junior: Gostlin finished fifth all-around at her Regional with a 36.200 that included a championship on vault (9.8). She placed 23rd all-around at last season’s Final with a third on vault.
Abby Griffen, Hartland junior: She finished third all-around last season with third places on bars and beam and enters this weekend coming off a third-place all-around Regional finish (37.450) that included top-four places on all four apparatuses.
Leah Hodge, Farmington United junior: The reigning Division 1 champion did so with a 38.000 all-around last year that included a first place on bars and second on vault. She won her Regional last week by nearly two points at 38.075 with firsts on bars (9.6), beam (9.45), and vault (9.6).
Leah Koch, Rockford senior: She’s finished Regional all-around runner-up two seasons in a row, this time with a 36.725 that included second places on vault (9.6) and bars (8.525) and third places on floor (9.45) and beam (9.15). She won vault and finished 11th all-around at last year’s Final.
Noelle Licari, Northville senior: After tying for first all-around at her Regional last season, Licari won it outright this time with a 36.625 that included a championship on vault (9.25) and top-five places on the other three apparatuses. She placed 19th all-around at last year’s Final.
Stella Musialowski, Huron Valley United junior: A Regional runner-up for the second-straight season, she scored a 36.375 all-around last week finishing at least third on every apparatus and with a championship on floor (9.475). She tied for 15th all-around at last year’s Final.
Taylee Nadolski, Vassar senior: A Bay City Central student participating as part of a cooperative team, she’s coming off a 37.750 to finish Regional all-around runner-up to Fundich and after tying her to win floor (9.625) and finishing first on bars (9.6). She finished fourth on floor at last year’s Final.
Keira Sadler, Linden/Fenton/Lake Fenton senior: She improved from 12th all-around as a sophomore to 10th last season while tying for sixth on bars and beam. She’s coming off a fourth-place all-around Regional finish (36.775) that included a second on beam (9.5) and tie for third on floor (9.4).
Division 2
Reese Beauleaux, Adrian junior: She edged Livonia Stevenson’s Leah Ciavaglia by five hundredths of a point to win their Regional all-around last week with a 34.925, paced by a second place on floor.
Avi Einfeld, Rockford senior: She finished 15th all-around at last year’s Final with two top-nine (with ties) apparatus placings, and she was a Regional all-around runner-up last week (36.000) with a shared championship on vault (9.4) and second place on floor.
Lillian Green, Rockford sophomore: She finished third all-around at her Regional last week (35.850) thanks in part to a second place on beam.
Sydnee Schrauben, Rockford senior: She placed fourth at her Regional last week with a 35.800, just two tenths of a point out of second and with a championship on bars (8.85).
Kate Tracey, Rockford senior: The returning Division 2 Final champion on beam will compete this time coming off a Regional all-around title, as she scored 36.650 last week with a win on beam (9.7) and third place on bars.
Morgan Thomas, Fowlerville/Pinckney/Morrice/Webberville senior: She won her Regional all-around title with a 35.925 that included championships on beam (9.35) and floor (9.525).
Lucy Tull, Grosse Pointe United senior: She placed 14th all-around at last year’s Final and second at her Regional last week with a 35.350 that included top-three (with ties) finishes on vault, beam and floor.
Sophia Yee, Farmington United senior: She improved from 16th all-around at the Final as a sophomore to fifth last season and is coming off a second-straight Regional title as she scored a 35.925 all-around with a win on beam (9.45) last week.
PHOTO Rockford’s Leah Koch competes on balance beam during last season’s MHSAA Team Final at Kenowa Hills. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)