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Category: Athletics

2023 Athletics Nominees


Levi Assaad
Calvary Christian School
  • Varsity soccer player for 3 years, Captain for 2 years
  • Soccer – Honorable Mention All-Conference
  • Defensive and Offensive MVP recognition
  • Plans to attend college to study engineering

McKena Wilson
Calvary Christian School
  • Basketball – All-State Honorable Mention
  • Basketball – BCAM All-State
  • Track – State Qualifier in 4×200 and 4×400 Relay
  • Plans to pursue a degree in Elementary Education and play college basketball

Chase Geers
Grant High School
  • All-Conference for Football and Baseball
  • Achieved over 200 yards in a football game in the 2022 season
  • Achieved 13 strikeouts in 2022 baseball season
  • Plans to become a licensed electrician within in the next five years

Julianne Hernandez-Veras
Fremont High School
  • 2022 TEAM FIRST Award – Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan
  • Soccer – MHSSCA Team All-Academic Award
  • Three-Year Varsity Soccer Player
  • Plans to attend a four-year college to study Secondary Spanish Education

Michael Romero
Fremont High School
  • Wrestling – 3x All-Conference, All-State, 2x Captains Award
  • Football – 3x All-Conference, 2x All-Region, Glenn Clemens Award
  • Track – All-conference
  • Plans to attend Ferris State University to study Construction Management

Paschal Jolman
Fruitport High School
  • Football – All-Media Conference Player of the Year
  • All-Conference Running Back
  • All-State Running Back
  • Plans to attend Grand Valley State University and continue playing football

Kayla Kolberg
Fruitport High School
  • Second Team Dream Team
  • Volleyball – Team Regional Finalists
  • Soccer – TRUE GRIT Award (Junior Year)
  • Plans to study Sports Management or Interior Design at Western Michigan University

Margot Frendt
Grand Haven High School
  • Captain of Grand Haven Varsity Soccer Team (2 years)
  • Captain of Grand Haven Cross-Country Team and four-year Varsity runner
  • Cross-Country – Academic All-State Honoree Junior year
  • Plans to attend college to study Environmental Science

Josh McManus
Grand Haven High School
  • Captain of the Football team
  • Three-year Dual Sport Varsity Athlete
  • Football Belief Award
  • Plans to attend college for a degree in Mechanical Engineering

Wyatt Dean
Hart High School
  • Cross-Country – 2x All State
  • Track – All-State 800 Meter Run and 4×800 Meter Relay, All-Conference Honorable Mention
  • Cross-Country team won the Division 3 State Championship (2022), Runner Up (2020, 2021)
  • Plans to attend Saginaw Valley State University to study Exercise Science while continuing running career

Mariana VanAgtmael
Hart High School
  • Basketball – First Team All-Conference West Michigan
  • Volleyball – First Team All-Conference West Michigan
  • Four District Titles won throughout high school
  • Plans to attend Hope College and major in Communications

Marcus Hoaglin
Hesperia High School
  • 4 year varsity wrestler
  • 3 year varsity football
  • Two time all conference for football & wrestling
  • United States Marine Corps Engineer

Ali Townsend
Hesperia High School
  • Softball – First Team All-District/Regional
  • Softball – First Team All-Conference
  • Volleyball – Academic All-State
  • Plans to attend Ferris State University for their Construction Management program, then become a supervisor

Chase Albright
Holton High School
  • Bowling – First Team All-State (2021-22)
  • Bowling – First Team All-Conference (2021-22, 2022-23 seasons)
  • Football – First Team All-Conference (2022-23 season)
  • Plans to attend Muskegon Community College and be on the bowling team

Vanessa Peltoniemi
Holton High School
  • First Team All-Conference
  • 2x Second Team All-Conference
  • 3x State Individual Qualifier
  • Plans to attend University of Michigan to study Medicine

William Chye
Mason County Central High School
  • Baseball – All-State Baseball (2022)
  • Basketball – Honorable Mention All-State (2022)
  • Academic All-Conference for Football, Basketball, and Baseball
  • Plans to attend college to pursue a degree in welding while continuing to participate in athletics at the collegiate level

Janessa Alvesteffer
Mason County Eastern High School
  • Four-sport athlete while maintaining all As in High School
  • Duel enrollment athlete scholar
  • Plans to continue attending West Shore Community College to get a nursing degree and then transfer elsewhere to become a Nurse Practitioner

Nathan Wing
Mason County Eastern High School
  • Cross-Country – 2x All-State
  • Track – 2x All-State
  • All-Conference Track and Cross-Country
  • Plans to attend college to major in Agriculture and continue running Track and Cross-Country

Delaney Buckner
Mona Shores High School
  • Swimming – All-State (2022)
  • Swimming – All-Conference (2022)
  • Swimming – Academic All-State (2022)
  • Plans to attend Oakland University’s Honors College to study Biomedical Science while continuing swimming career

Jaxon Huffman
Mona Shores High School
  • Baseball – Second Team All-State (2022)
  • #10 Ranked Baseball player in Michigan
  • 2022 Muskegon Dream Team
  • Plans to continue playing baseball at Michigan State University while getting a bachelors degree in Kinesiology

Rodney Brassfield
Montague High School
  • Football – First Team All-State
  • All-Conference in Football, Basketball, and Track
  • Three-year starter on football team
  • Plans to attend a trade school

Lauren Smith
Montague High School
  • Track – 3x State Champion
  • Track – 1x State Runner-Up
  • Three Sport Athlete all four years of high school
  • Plans to attend college

Sam Kartes
Muskegon Catholic Central High School
  • Football Team Captain (Senior Year)
  • 2022 All-State Linebacker in Detroit Free Press
  • 2023 All State Linebacker Detroit Free Press
  • Plans to attend Kalamazoo College

Claire LaVigne
Muskegon Catholic Central High School
  • Tennis – Lakes 8 Conference Champion (2022)
  • Volleyball – Third Team All-State (2022)
  • Volleyball – All-Region (2022)
  • Plans to attend the University of Michigan in the Fall of 2023

Samuel Gallo
North Muskegon High School
  • Football – All-State for Offensive & Defensive line (2022)
  • Baseball – All-District (2022)
  • MLive’s Muskegon Area Dream Team Defense
  • Plans to attend Concordia University in Ann Arbor to study nursing and continue playing football

Natalie Pannucci
North Muskegon High School
  • Soccer – First Team All-State for Girls Varsity
  • Volleyball – Two-year Third Team All-State for Girls Varsity
  • Individual Academic All-State
  • Plans to attend Hope College to continue volleyball career and education

Matthew Danicek
Oakridge High School
  • Football – All-Conference, All-Region, All-State Defensive Back
  • Team won four District Titles and one Regional Title
  • Member of National Honor Society
  • Plans to attend Muskegon Community College in the fall to study business

andrea romero
Oakridge High School
  • Softball – Four-year Varsity Starter softball
  • First Team All-Conference Catcher
  • Scholar Athlete
  • Plans to attend Muskegon Community College then transfer to Ferris State University to study Pediatric Nursing while continuing her softball career

Korbin TenBrink
Orchard View High School
  • Ranked 8th graduating class
  • Bowling – Ranked 3rd in Conference & First Team All-Conference
  • Unweighted 3.8 GPA, honor student for entire high school career
  • Plans to attend Grand Valley State University to pursue a degree in Computer Engineering and continue bowling career

Abe VanDuinen
Pentwater High School
  • Led the Pentwater Cross-Country team to State for the first time in 23 years
  • Various 1st and 2nd All-Conference honors in Cross-County and Track
  • Received Academic All-State in Sophomore and Junior in Cross-Country and Track
  • Plans to continue running in college and is considering studying in the field of music or history

Anna VanDuinen
Pentwater High School
  • 2x MVP for Cross-Country
  • Cross-Country – First and Second Team All-Conference
  • Track – Second Team All-Conference
  • Five-year Varsity Cross-Country and Track runner
  • Plans to attend Kalamazoo College to study Criminology and continue running

Emma Gillard
Ravenna High School
  • West Michigan All-Conference in Basketball and Softball
  • Softball – All District and All Region, Tier 1 Softball Champion (2022)
  • District Champion Softball Team in 2022 season
  • Plans to continue softball career at Ferris State University while studying Nursing

Hunter Hogan
Ravenna High School
  • Football – Defensive Player of the Year (Muskegon area)
  • West Michigan Player of the Year
  • All-State Defensive Back and Specialist
  • Plans to play college football but is currently uncommitted

Claire Gowell
Shelby High School
  • Volleyball – All-Conference Honorable Mention
  • Two-year Captain in Basketball and Volleyball
  • Softball Varsity letter and three-year pin achievement
  • Plans to enroll in the Michigan State University IAT program at Muskegon Community College

Bishop Lee
Shelby High School
  • Football – All-Conference
  • Soccer – 2x All-District
  • Basketball – All-Conference Honorable Mention
  • Plans to attend Michigan State University to get a degree in Education

Lily Parker
Spring Lake High School
  • Cross-Country – Three-year Academic All-State
  • Three-year Individual All Conference Champion
  • 3x All-State
  • Plans to continue competing in Cross-Country and Track at Xavier University in Ohio

Jaxson Tober
Spring Lake High School
  • Track – 2x Nike Outdoor Nationals All-American, State Champion, 2x All-State, All-Conference
  • Soccer – 4x Academic All-State, All-Conference, 2x All-District, Captain (Senior Year)
  • Member of Spring Lake High School’s Student Athlete Leadership Team
  • Plans to continue to run track in college and study Engineering

Jared Olsen
Western MI Christian High School
  • Division 4 Soccer State Champion
  • First Team All-State Soccer Team
  • All-Area Basketball Team
  • Plans to study Exercise Science at Indiana Wesleyan University

Kendal Young
Western MI Christian High School
  • First team in WMC school history to make it to States Final Four
  • Broke 3 school records
  • All-State Team, Individual Academic All-State
  • Plans to attend University of Michigan and major in Nursing

Alex Cruzan
White Cloud High School
  • Baseball – MHSBCA First Team All-State Outfielder (2022)
  • Baseball – First Team All-Region Outfielder (2022)
  • Baseball – CSAA Silver All-Conference (2022)
  • Plans to continue baseball career at Cornerstone University while studying Pre-Pharmacy

Jackson Houtteman
Whitehall High School
  • 2x Soccer All-State Honorable Mention
  • 2x Track and Field State Championship Runner-Up
  • 3x Soccer All-District
  • Plans to attend a four-year university to major in Business and ultimately work towards an MBA

Ariana Treat
Whitehall High School
  • 3x individually qualified/competed at MHSAA Cross-Country State Championships
  • Raced at MITCA Michigan Meet of Champions
  • Placed at GMAA Cross-Country Championships each year of high school
  • Plans to attend the College of Arts and Sciences at University of Pennsylvania with a scholarship