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New Math: Division & Multiplication Problems

July 25, 2017

By Jack Roberts
MHSAA Executive Director 

This is the second part in a series on MHSAA tournament classification, past and present, that will be published over the next two weeks. This series originally ran in this spring's edition of MHSAA benchmarks.

High school tournament classifications went viral before there was social media and most of us knew what “viral” meant.

Much as a virus infects computers today or has created epidemics of disease around the world for centuries, high school tournament classification – once introduced – tends to spread uncontrollably. Once started, it tends to keep expanding and rarely contracts.

While we are still some distance from providing every team a trophy as a result of expanding high school tournament classification across the country, there is criticism nevertheless that we are headed in that direction – a philosophy which is supposed to exist only in local youth sports for our youngest children.

Michigan could be blamed for all this. Michigan is generally accepted as the first state to provide different classifications for season-ending tournaments for different sized schools. It started a century ago. Today, every state has various classifications for its tournaments in most if not all sports. And it is a bit ironic that Michigan – creator of the classification chaos – more than most other states has kept the number of tournament classes or divisions under control.

Yes, there is evidence that tournament classifications have expanded over the years in Michigan, especially with the relatively recent introduction of tournaments in football and the late 1990s’ move from classes to divisions in most MHSAA tournaments. But the MHSAA Representative Council has held true to its word when it expanded the playoffs for football from four classes to eight divisions: this is needed because of unique factors of football, factors that exist in no other sport; and all other sports should be capped at a maximum of four classes or divisions.

Kentucky is the preeminent defender of single-class basketball. All of its 276 high schools compete for the single state championship for each gender. In Indiana, there are still open wounds from its move in 1998 from one to four classes for its 400 schools in basketball.

Multi-class tournaments have tended to increase the number of non-public school champions, which some states are trying to lower through enrollment “multipliers,” and also tend to increase the number of repeat champions, which some states are trying to affect with “success factors” which lift smaller schools into classifications for larger schools if they take home too many trophies.

While there is considerable evidence that state tournaments do as much bad as good for educational athletics, state associations persist in providing postseason tournaments because, on balance, the experiences are supposed to be good for student-athletes. And once we reach that conclusion it is just a small leap to believe that if the tournaments are good for a few, they must be better for more – which leads to creating more and more tournament classifications. One becomes two classes, then three, then four and so forth.

While the argument is that more classifications or divisions provides more students with opportunities to compete and win, it is undeniable that the experience changes as the number of tournament classifications expands. It is not possible for state associations to provide the same level of support when tournament classifications expand to multiple venues playing simultaneously. For example, there is less audio and video broadcast potential at each venue, and less media coverage to each venue. Focus is diluted and fans diminished at each championship.

No one can argue reasonably that today's two-day MHSAA Football Finals of eight championship games has the same pizazz as the one-day, four-games event conducted prior to 1990.

In some states the number of divisions has grown so much that it is difficult to see much difference between the many season-ending state championship games and a regular-season event in the same sport.

It is a balancing act. And Michigan has been studying that balance longer than any other state, and charting a steadier course than most.

Addition by Division

The shift to Divisions for MHSAA Tournament play in numerous sports has added up to a greater number of champions for teams and individuals across the state. Following are the sports currently employing a divisional format, and the procedures for determining enrollment and classification. 

In 23 statewide or Lower Peninsula tournaments, schools which sponsor the sport are currently divided into nearly equal divisions. They are:

  • Baseball - 4 Divisions
  • Boys Bowling - 4 Divisions            
  • Girls Bowling - 4 Divisions
  • Girls Competitive Cheer - 4 Divisions
  • LP Boys Cross Country - 4 Divisions
  • LP Girls Cross Country - 4 Divisions
  • LP Boys Golf - 4 Divisions
  • LP Girls Golf - 4 Divisions
  • Ice Hockey - 3 Divisions
  • Boys Lacrosse - 2 Divisions
  • Girls Lacrosse - 2 Divisions
  • Boys Skiing - 2 Divisions
  • Girls Skiing - 2 Divisions
  • LP Boys Soccer - 4 Divisions LP
  • Girls Soccer - 4 Divisions
  • Girls Softball - 4 Divisions
  • LP Boys Swimming & Diving - 3 Divisions
  • LP Girls Swimming & Diving - 3 Divisions
  • LP Boys Tennis - 4 Divisions
  • LP Girls Tennis - 4 Divisions
  • LP Boys Track & Field - 4 Divisions
  • LP Girls Track & Field - 4 Divisions
  • Wrestling - 4 Divisions

Lists of schools for each division of these 23 tournaments are posted on MHSAA.com approximately April 1. Listings of schools in Upper Peninsula tournaments for their sports are also posted on MHSAA.com. The lists are based on school memberships and sports sponsorships in effect or anticipated for the following school year, as known to the MHSAA office as of a date in early March.

In football, the 256 schools which qualify for MHSAA 11-player playoffs are placed in eight equal divisions annually on Selection Sunday. Beginning in 2017, the 8-player divisions will be determined in a like manner on Selection Sunday as well, with 32 qualifying schools placed in two divisions.

Schools have the option to play in any higher division in one or more sports for a minimum of two years.

The deadlines for "opt-ups" are as follows:

  • Applications for fall sports must be submitted by April 15
  • Applications for winter sports must be submitted by Aug. 15
  • Applications for spring sports must be submitted by Oct. 15

Subsequent to the date of these postings for these tournaments, no school will have its division raised or lowered by schools opening or closing, schools adding or dropping sports, schools exercising the option to play in a higher division, or approval or dissolution of cooperative programs.

When the same sport is conducted for boys and girls in the same season (e.g., track & field and cross country), the gender that has the most sponsoring schools controls the division breaks for both genders.

Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Kelsey Preston follows one of her drives during last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final.

Preview: Pair of Returning Champions, Familiar Team Favorites Top Finals Lineup

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

October 16, 2025

A pair of returning individual champions are expected to be in the hunt one more time during this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Girls Golf Finals.

Dexter senior Avery Manning in Division 2 and Grand Rapids Christian senior Lillian O’Grady in Division 3 are back seeking repeats, while on the team side Grand Rapids Catholic Central is top-ranked seeking a third-straight Division 3 title and Farmington Hills Mercy can run its Division 2 championship streak to four.

But those are just some of the more familiar contenders. Northville in Division 1 also is top-ranked and seeking a repeat, but on the whole this weekend’s Finals also should provide several opportunities for new stars to emerge.

Play begins both Friday and Saturday at 10 a.m., and live scoring is available through iWanamaker. See the Girls Golf page for qualifiers, results and more from all four divisions. Below is a glance at several team and individual contenders:

LP Division 1 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University

Top-ranked: 1. Northville, 2. Rochester Adams, 3. Macomb Dakota.

Northville emerged last season for its first championship since 2021 but fifth over the last seven seasons. The Mustangs dominated that Final with two freshmen and only one senior, winning by 46 strokes. Adams, the back-to-back champion in 2022 and 2023, finished fourth a year ago.

Northville: The Mustangs cruised to a 35-stroke Regional win last week at Salem Hills, carding a 302 that was the lowest team score at any LPD1 Regional by 20 strokes. Sophomores McKenzie Stevens and Cam Baker finished first and second, respectively – they were the two freshmen in last year’s lineup and tied for eighth at the 2024 Final. Junior Naaz Gil also tied for eighth last year and was fourth at the Regional last week. Seniors Grace Bae and Serena Ku tied for seventh and finished ninth, respectively, at Salem Hills, and Ku also was part of last year’s Finals lineup.

Rochester Adams: Senior Hannah Wang and sophomore Saisha Dhawan were part of last season’s lineup, and Wang finished 12th individually and also was part of the championship five in 2023. She tied for fifth at the Regional last week at Fieldstone in Auburn Hills as Adams won as a team by nine strokes ahead of Dakota. Four sophomores fill out the rest of the lineup, with Alayna Scanlon and Leah Blackmore tying for seventh at the Regional.

Macomb Dakota: The Cougars moved up from No. 6 to No. 3 heading into Regionals, and they followed junior runner-up Marissa Monteith to last week’s team runner-up finish at Fieldstone. Sophomore Dakota Cooper tied for fifth as well, and they were the team’s low scorers last season when Dakota finished third at the Final. Junior Angelina Accuso and senior Sophia Martin also are back from the 2024 lineup.

Individuals: Along with the three Northville golfers who were part of a tie for eighth, only two of the last season’s top seven are back this weekend – Romeo sophomore Tula Puzzuoli, who finished runner-up, and Rochester senior Ananya Kumar, who placed fifth. Puzzuoli edged Monteith in a tie-breaker for a Regional title last week, and joining her and Stevens as Regional champs were Portage Central junior Seneli Amaratunga, Dearborn junior Calyssa Post, Clarkston senior Lily Haviland and Okemos freshman Saisha Patil.

LP Division 2 at Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley

Top-ranked: 1. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 2. Dexter, 3. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central.

Farmington Hills Mercy has won the last three Division 2 championships and enters this weekend ranked No. 6 with two golfers back from last year’s Finals five. Cranbrook is seeking its first championship since claiming Division 3 in 2021, Dexter its first since spring 2007 and Forest Hills Central its first ever.

Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood: The Cranes moved to Division 2 in 2023 and placed second that season and fourth a year ago with only one senior in the lineup. They won their Regional at Farmington Hills Golf Club last weekend ahead of No. 9 Bloomfield Hills Marian and No. 10 Birmingham Seaholm with four golfers back from last season’s contender – sophomore Sixtine Charnelet, seniors Sydney Behnke and Alina Yuan and junior Brianna Giudici. All four finished among the top nine at the Regional, as did junior Josie Vanderhaute, with Charnelet tying for runner-up.

Dexter: Reigning individual champion Avery Manning leads a lineup the finished only five strokes back of Mercy in second at last year’s Final. The Dreadnaughts also return senior Millie Truesdell and sophomore Maddy Manning – and Avery Manning, Truesdell and Maddy Manning finished 1-2-3, respectively, at last week’s Regional at Forest Akers East. Manning has won four Regional titles and also was the Division 2 Final runner-up in 2023.

Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central: The Rangers didn’t make the field last season, but tied for fourth in 2023. They’re storming back coming off earning an eight-stroke Regional win at Island Hills in Centreville against a field that also included No. 4 Lowell and No. 8 St. Joseph. All five golfers finished among the top 22 at the Regional, and only one is a senior. Sophomore Alivia Offer tied for second and junior Caroline Vandervelde in fourth led the way.

Individuals: As noted above, Avery Manning is the reigning Finals champion. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern senior Chaille Payne (third) and Plainwell junior Ayla Jaeger (tied for ninth) also are back from last year’s top 10. Jaeger joined Manning as a Regional champion last week, and Payne was a runner-up after a tiebreaker with Muskegon Reeths-Puffer junior Sophia McCollum at Lincoln Golf Club in Muskegon. Also winning Regionals were Petoskey senior Riley Barr, Mercy junior Megan Guerrera and Marian senior Pippa Dawson.

LP Division 3 at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers West

Top-ranked: 1. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 2. Grand Rapids Christian, 3. Goodrich.

Grand Rapids Catholic Central has won the last two Division 3 championships and been ranked No. 1 all but one week this season. The lone week, the Cougars were passed by Grand Rapids Christian, which has climbed after sending only an individual qualifier to the Finals last season and is seeking its first top-two finish at the season-ending event. Goodrich has one, as runner-up in 2015, and will seek is first championship coming off a fourth-place finish a year ago.

Grand Rapids Catholic Central: The Cougars won last season’s Final by 65 strokes and return four golfers from six who played a round or both at that tournament – including three who also were part of the winning five in 2023. Senior Kelsey Preston tied for eighth individually two years ago and placed third last season, while senior Sofia Piccione (tied for seventh), senior Margaret Deimel (tied for 12th) and senior Mary Irwin also are back. They all scored among the top 11 as GRCC finished 22 strokes ahead of Grand Rapids Christian at last week’s Regional at Pigeon Creek in West Olive. Deimel was second, Preston third and Piccione fourth to key that performance.

Grand Rapids Christian: This will be the Eagles’ first team appearance at the Finals since 2021, although senior Lillian O’Grady has represented well as an individual qualifier the last three seasons with three top-five finishes include the championship a year ago. She won the Regional at Pigeon Creek last week, with freshman Eleanor O’Grady tying for seventh and senior Jane Snyder tying for  17th.

Goodrich: The Martians graduated only one golfer from last year’s fourth-place team. Senior Madilyn Sheerin won last week’s Regional at Flint Elks in Grand Blanc Township after tying for 12th at last year’s Final, and all five Martians finished among the top 25 at the Regional with junior Brookelyn Webb fifth and sophomore Lahna Palshan tied for 10th. Webb also was part of last year’s lineup, as were two others in this weekend’s top five.

Individuals: Four golfers total are back from last season’s top 10 – the three mentioned above, plus Williamston junior Paige Radebach, who tied for fourth. O’Grady won last year’s title by nine strokes and will be tough to catch, but joining her and Sheerin among Regional champions last week were Detroit Country Day junior Halle Heineman, Freeland junior Alexis Heinz, Charlotte junior Peyton Howarth and Big Rapids senior Kate Posey.

LP Division 4 at Katke at Ferris State University

Top-ranked: 1. Lansing Catholic, 2. Montague, 3. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central.

Lansing Catholic is seeking its second Finals championship in three seasons after finishing fourth a year ago. Kalamazoo Christian is the reigning champion and currently ranked No. 5. Montague is hoping to jump up from sixth last season to add a championship to its back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021, and Monroe St. Mary is seeking its first and tied for 11th a year ago.

Lansing Catholic: Senior Addi Rule was part of the championship lineup in 2023 and with senior Elisabeth Ruddell returns from last year’s fourth-place finisher. The Cougars posted the third-lowest score at a Division 4 Regional last week, carding a 381 at Calderone Golf Club in Grass Lake with all five golfers among the top 10 – sophomore Anna Robinson third, freshman Erin O’Connell fifth, Rule and Ruddell tied for sixth and junior Olivia Riley placing 10th.

Montague: The Wildcats graduated only one golfer from last year’s sixth-place finisher and have only one senior among this season’s top five. That senior, Cadence Fox, tied for eighth as Montague edged No. 6 Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian by a stroke at last week’s Regional at The Falls at Barber Creek in Kent City. Juniors Addi Smith (third at the Regional) and Brynlee Kessler (tied for fourth) also are returnees from last year’s run, along with sophomore Marguerite O’Connell.

Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central: Senior Nora Kinsey and junior Lauren Tolliver are the only returning golfers from last season’s starting Finals five, but they finished third and fourth, respectively, as SMCC won its Regional last week at Rustic Glen in Saline. They were the low scorers for the Kestrels at last year’s Final as well.

Individuals: Napoleon senior Anna McCubbins – placing seventh – was the only non-senior among last year’s top 12 (top 10 placers with ties). She’s back after finishing second at Calderone last week to Bath freshman Addilyn Duflo. Joining Duflo among Regional champions were Elk Rapids’ freshman Piper Smith, Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central junior Gabi Thiel, Fowler junior Noelle Krepps, Olivet senior Jocelyn Rolston and Clawson junior Joslynn Ramirez.

PHOTO Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Kelsey Preston follows one of her drives during last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)