'Prepapalooza' Kicks Off 3-Week Celebration
May 31, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Nearly 30,000 athletes will take part over the next six days in what will again be the busiest week of the MHSAA calendar, with teams in all nine spring sports competing for District, Regional or Finals championships at sites across both peninsulas.
The first Finals champions of this spring will be awarded Wednesday in Upper Peninsula boys tennis (UPDATE: both U.P. tennis Finals have been moved to Thursday due to rainy weather concerns), followed by six more in Upper Peninsula boys and girls golf Thursday. Four divisions of Lower Peninsula girls tennis start their two-day tournament Friday, and on Saturday, more than 7,000 athletes will join them competing in four Lower and three Upper Peninsula Track & Field Finals.
In addition, baseball, softball and girls soccer teams begin District action tonight, with most of those tournaments wrapping Saturday. Girls and boys lacrosse teams continue Regional play this week, and Lower Peninsula boys golf teams will play Regionals on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Second Half again will serve as your home for all MHSAA Finals coverage, with correspondents providing stories and photos, along with full results, from all of the Upper Peninsula Finals this week and then all 18 LP and UP Finals this weekend, Lacrosse and LP Golf Finals on June 14, and Baseball, Softball and Soccer Finals being played June 19-21.
Check back as well for video highlights from most competitions and sign up to watch all broadcast tournament action over the next three weeks for only $9.95 on MHSAA.tv. All schedules, lists of competitors and tournament brackets updated with scores real-time can be found on MHSAA.com. Keep connected as well with the MHSAA’s social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PHOTO: The Unionville-Sebewaing softball team celebrates last season's Division 4 championship.
Performance of the Week: Muskegon Western Michigan Christian's Abby VanderKooi
November 11, 2021
Abby VanderKooi ♦ Senior
Muskegon Western Michigan Christian ♦ Cross Country
VanderKooi on Saturday became just the eighth runner in MHSAA history to win her fourth Finals individual championship, crossing the finish line in 18:06.58 to claim the Lower Peninsula Division 4 title at Michigan International Speedway. She became the first four-time girls champion since Breckenridge’s Kirsten Olling completed her run in 2013, and in the process VanderKooi also led Western Michigan Christian to its first Finals team title.
The 18:06 was VanderKooi’s third-fastest time at a Finals, and ranks seventh all-time for Division 4. All four of VanderKooi’s championship times at MIS rank among the top 10 for either Division 4 or Division 3 Finals – her teams were Division 4 in 2018, 2019 and this fall, and Division 3 in 2020. That 2020 time of 17:12.47 also remains the 10th-fastest from all Classes and Divisions since the race distance became 5K in 1980, and she is the only runner listed among that all-Class/Division top 10 who did not compete in LP Division 1 or 2. Her season-best time this fall was 17:29.9, and her personal record for high school was a 16:48.8 as a junior. VanderKooi also is the two-time reigning LPD3 track champion in the 3,200 meters.
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2021-22 Honorees
Nov. 4: Arianne Olson, Holland West Ottawa cross country - Report
Oct. 28: Jack Guggemos, Okemos soccer - Report
Oct. 21: Sachiv Kumar, Northville tennis - Report
Oct. 14: Kate Brody, Grand Blanc golf - Report
Oct. 7: Lilly Nelson, Negaunee tennis - Report
Sept. 30: Stella Chapman, Ann Arbor Pioneer swimming - Report
Sept. 23: Riley Hough, Hartland cross country - Report
Sept. 16: Josie Bloom, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball - Report
PHOTOS courtesy of RunMichigan.com.