Logo

Grand Blanc's Fisher, Caledonia's Olsen Lead Past MHSAA Standouts at Olympics

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

August 15, 2024

Several past Michigan high school athletes participated during the recent Olympics in Paris – and several did so only a few years after starring for their high schools in MHSAA competition.

Among those who graduated from Michigan schools, Grand Blanc’s Grant Fisher and Caledonia’s Alena Olsen provided the most memorable finishes this month.

Fisher, a two-time Lower Peninsula Division 1 cross country champion and five-time champion at Track & Field Finals, won bronze medals in the Olympic 5,000 and 10,000-meter races.

After high school, Fisher went on to win NCAA championships at Stanford, and he still owns the all-MHSAA Finals record in the 1,600 (4:00.28), run in 2015 as a senior. His 14:52.5 in 2014 remains the sixth-fastest 5K time in MHSAA cross country championship history.

Olsen played volleyball and soccer at Caledonia, graduating in 2014, and was part of the bronze medal-winning U.S. rugby team in Paris. She began playing that sport as a freshman at Michigan, where she was a two-time All-America selection.

Also competing this month for the United States were the following (with high school graduation year in parentheses):

  • Heath Baldwin, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (2019) – Track & Field (10th in decathlon)
  • Adam Coon, Fowlerville (2013) – Wrestling
  • Freddie Crittenden, Utica (2013) – Track & Field (sixth in 110 hurdles)
  • Aaron Cummings, Grand Haven – Rugby (also played football, wrestled and ran track at Grand Haven)
  • Andrew Evans, Portage Northern (2009) – Track & Field
  • Hobbs Kessler, Ann Arbor Skyline (2021) – Track & Field (fifth in 1,500)
  • Grace Stark, White Lake Lakeland (2019) – Track & Field (fifth in 100 hurdles)
  • Abby Tamer, Dexter (2021) – Field Hockey (also played soccer at Dexter)

Additionally, Devin Booker was a member of the gold medal-winning men’s basketball team; he played as a freshman at Grandville before moving to Mississippi. Cindy (Ofili) Sember from Ann Arbor Huron ran the 100 hurdles for Great Britain, Udodi Onwuzurike from Bloomfield Brother Rice ran the 200 meters for Nigeria, Alex Rose from Ogemaw Heights threw the discus for Samoa, and Myles Amine from Detroit Catholic Central wrestled for San Marino.

SAC Sound-off: Who do you cheer for most?

May 2, 2012

Our MHSAA Student Advisory Council members all play at least one MHSAA varsity sport, and through their service to the council have learned much more about high school athletics throughout the state.

But when it comes to following sports teams, almost all do their most cheering for those at the college level.

We surveyed our SAC members on what level of sports they pay attention to most. Here’s a look at their answers.

  • Ten of 12 who submitted answers said they follow college sports most. Another SAC member said she follows both college and pro equally.
  • The breakdown of colleges was a little surprising. Three said the University of Michigan, two said Michigan State University, but two more said Ohio State University. We also had one vote for Hillsdale College and another for Baylor University.
  • Two put down the colleges they will compete for next year – University of Miami, Ohio (Grand Blanc’s Bailey Truesdell, in golf) and Notre Dame (New Buffalo’s Lena Madison, in track).
  • Truesdell was specific in his selection – he follows Miami’s hockey team the most. Michigan football and softball also were listed by SAC members.
  • Four professional teams made the radar of SAC favorites. Two follow the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, and a third follows the Miami Heat. The only Detroit teams to get a mention were the MLB Tigers and NFL Lions, one apiece.