Okemos High School 2014 Spring Sports Wrap-Up

JUNE 25, 2014

From The Athletic Office As the 2014 school year comes to a close , we would like to thank all of our Okemos High School student-athletes, coaches, parents/guardians, and fans for their enthusiasm and dedication this year! We’d like to take a moment to reflect on all of our spring sports teams with our 2014 Spring Sports Wrap-Up! As always, our student-athletes represented OHS extremely well on and off the field. Please enjoy the recap below and have a great summer!

Boys The Okemos Baseball team put together a strong 18-10 winning record this spring spurred by impressive double-header wins against rival Holt and some key non- conference victories. “We were successful and had fun doing it,” said head varsity coach Phil Magsig as he recalled the season highlights, including a trip up north to compete against top programs in Traverse City. The Chiefs were led by a strong group for the 2014 season. Andrew Cone was a unanimous selection to the CAAC Blue All- Conference first team while Tyler Schwaner, Christian Moore, Conner George, and Kyle Krumm also earned all-league honors.

Boys “It was a very rewarding season as our young team continued to improve with every match,” said head boys golf coach Dan Stolz. The Chiefs’ efforts week in and week out culminated with standout-out performances at the end of the season. The final three matches of the year produced the team’s lowest scores consecutively. Junior Ross Lazar led the team with an average of 77.5, followed by sophomore Chand Rajendra Nicolucci with 78.6. Both players received First Team All- CAAC honors.

Boys

Success was no stranger to the 2014 Okemos Boys Lacrosse team. The Chiefs compiled an outstanding 15-2 record, won the CAAC league title, and advanced to the MHSAA Regional Championship game in post-season action. Strong performances led to All-State accolades for Sam Horton (first team), Blake Turner, Cole Jamieson, Jeff Hoshal, Cam Stelljes, and Bennett Sherman (honorable mention). The squad was also featured as the WLNS “Team of the Week” and notched especially hard fought and gratifying wins over area foe Haslett three times.

Girls Lacrosse Dominating is one word to describe the 2014 Okemos Girls Lacrosse team. The Chiefs captured their 8th consecutive CAAC League Championship and rode a wave of success all the way to the MHSAA State Championship title game vs. East Grand Rapids. The team finished as the state runner-up, compiled a 20-4 record, and landed 13 student-athletes on the All-State team (First Team: Alex King, Claire Cook, & Katie Johnson. Second Team: Olivia Sherman & Courtney Humphrey. Honorable Mention: Natalie Bloniarz, Bailey Ellsworth, Kendall Luberto, Angela Palmer, Darby Hopper, Amanda Davio, Catherine Crites, & Emily Tufnell).

Girls The 2014 Okemos Girls Softball squad had one of their most successful seasons in recent history. They finished with a 27-9 record, capturing 2nd place in the CAAC Blue, and were runners-up in the prestigious Diamond Classic Tournament. The team excelled throughout the season, with notable performances from pitcher Caitlin Meade, who threw a perfect game against Traverse City Christian and struck out 160 batters on the season, sophomore Kate Buckland, who hit .500, and Kaleigh King, who led the CAAC with 54 RBIs.

Girls Soccer The 2014 Okemos Girls Soccer excelled all season and won a share of the CAAC title before going on to win the MHSAA District and Regional Championships. The Chiefs rolled all the way to the state semi-final game and finished as one of the top teams in the state. All-CAAC players include Ashton Miller, Kristelle Yewah, Erin Doster, Erin O’Connor, and Vanessa Nigg. Honorable Mention All-CAAC performers include Lauren Zisholz, Kailey Peterson, and Caroline Serkaian. Miller, Yewah, Doster, and O’Connor also made appearances on the Lansing State Journal Dream Team and All- Area teams with Miller earning Lansing State Journal “Player of the Year” honors.

Girls Okemos Girls Tennis had a fantastic season, winning another CAAC title and the Regional Championship title for the third year in a row. The team went on to finish 5th at the MHSAA State Finals, led by Emily Struble’s state championship at #1 singles. This was Struble’s third state title in as many years, and her first at #1 singles. Other strong state performers were Catherine Wingrove, Monika Francsics, and Kylie Wilkinson. All-CAAC team honorees include Struble, Wingrove, Francsics, Wilkinson, Melinda Barcelon, Natasha Chinoy, Sydney Gwinn, Dena Mjtaba, Akanksha Panda, Keerthana Kolisety and honorable mentions Kim Kue and Jessica Yen.

Boys Track & Field The Boys Track & Field team showed their strength in running events and field events to capture the 2014 CAAC Blue League Championship. The Chiefs qualified 10 boys for the state meet where they competed in a variety of events. Pacing the Chiefs were the 4x800m relay team of Andrew Armada, Daniel Bartowski, David Kroth, and Kael Fineout. The quartet set a new school record and ran to a 2nd place state finish. Other strong state performances came from Edward Smith (long jump – 11th), Kael Fineout (1600m - 15th), Tristan Bolas (100m – 16th), and the 4x200m relay team of Everett Henderson, Napoleon Outlaw, Evan Matusz, and Brett LaCrosse (9th).

Girls Track & Field

This year’s Girls Track & Field team shined in both individual and relay events. The Chiefs kicked off the season with a bang by winning the MSU True Team Invitational, a meet that draws competitive teams from throughout the state. The Chiefs continued their strong efforts and captured the CAAC Blue League Championship before qualifying four performers for the state finals. At the MHSAA State Finals, senior Ashlynn Schiro led the girls’ squad by winning the 300 meter hurdle state title, placing 5th in the 100m hurdles, and running on the 4x400 meter relay team with Ayda Alavi, Jessica Richards, and Kori Scott.

Girls Water Polo Described as a “team on a mission” throughout the 2014 season, Okemos Girls Water Polo can now say, “Mission accomplished!” The Chiefs captured the 2014 state championship and racked up an astounding 29-1 record. While there were numerous highlights throughout the season, the Chiefs asserted their dominance all the way to the end. In the state title game, the Chiefs led a pummeling offensive attack and played staunch defense to defeat No. 2 Ann Arbor Huron by a score of 12-1. In the final game, each started scored at least one goal, seven different student-athletes contributed assists, and goalie Rachel Sternik stopped ten shots. Everywhere the Chiefs turned, they outscored, out-defended, and out-swam their opponents. First Team All-State and State MVP honors went to senior Katie Dudley. Other Chiefs earning All-State honors were Sarah Williams (Second Team) and Sydney Fountain (Honorable Mention).

GO CHIEFS!