The heaviest annual hitters -- DeWitt, East Lansing, Holt and Okemos -- lead the way in possibilities for this All-Decade group.
Remember, we're introducing a potential All-Decade team each Thursday until December, when, based on your comments and my original groupings, we'll come up with our All-Decade teams for each sport. Check out the links at the bottom of this post to contribute to all of the conversations so far.
Here's what I have so far for girls golf:
Liz Nagel, DeWitt (2009, Michigan State): Arguably the area’s top female golfer ever, Nagel never averaged more than 39.8 strokes for nine holes in winning two state titles, a Miss Golf award and being named LSJ Player of the Year all four seasons of her career.
Camille Gardner, East Lansing (2006, Brigham Young): Finished fourth and then second at the Division 2 state tournament as a sophomore and junior, respectively, before moving to Utah as a senior. She was the LSJ Player of the Year after both those final seasons in the area.
Stephany Fleet, DeWitt (2005, Eastern Michigan): Fleet finished third at the Division 3 state tournaments her final three seasons and just missed being named LSJ Player of the Year behind Gardner during her final two.
Amy Ruthenberg, Okemos (2009, Bowling Green): Similar to Fleet’s situation competing against Gardner, Ruthenberg likely would’ve been a Player of the Year if not for Nagel. Ruthenberg made the LSJ Dream Team her final three seasons, capping them with fourth and second-place finishes at the Division 2 tournament and a 10th in Division 1 as a senior.
Jennifer Johnson, Okemos (2001, MSU): Took fourth and then fifth in her final two Division 2 state tournaments and was the LSJ Player of the year after both. She also made the all-state Super Team as a senior.
Also in the conversation:
Kristin Reinhart, East Lansing (2003, Ferris State for basketball): Reinhart played college basketball, but was just as good a golfer in high school. She was a three-time LSJ Dream Team selection and the Player of the Year as a senior.
Mara Kovac, Lansing Catholic (2009, Oakland): Also a three-time LSJ Dream Team selection, Kovac finished fourth, fifth and third at the Division 3 state tournament to finish her final three high school seasons. She never averaged higher than 39.8 strokes for nine holes during those seasons.
Nikki Winn, Grand Ledge (2003, Tennessee State): Another three-time LSJ Dream Team selection, Winn was also Player of the Year as a junior. She just missed the top 10 at the Division 1 state final that season, but came back to finish fifth as a senior.
Stacey Gauss, Leslie (2002): Leslie doesn’t have a golf program anymore, but Gauss was a two-time LSJ Dream Team pick and took second at the Division 3 state tournament as a junior.
Lindsay Iding, Lansing Catholic (2000, Florida State): Iding was also a two-time LSJ Dream Team pick and just missed being named Player of the Year as a senior after finishing fifth at the Division 3 state tournament.
Jennifer Domagalski, Okemos (2005, MSU): Domagalski made two LSJ Dream Teams and finished ninth at the Division 2 state tournament as a junior and tied for eighth as a senior.
Stephanie Mory, Haslett (2005, Illinois): Mory averaged 39.3 strokes as an LSJ Dream Team selection as a senior. She made the Division 2 state tournament her final two seasons, but because individual qualifiers still had to make cuts after the first round, Mory never played both rounds despite being in contention for top-10 finishes.
Bea Murray, East Lansing (2010): Murray was runner-up as LSJ Player of the Year this fall after taking third at the Division 2 state final. She was a three-time Dream Team selection.
Ashlee Catlin, Alma (2005, Lipscomb): Catlin finished fifth at the Division 3 state final as a senior and also led the Panthers to the state tournament as a junior. She made the LSJ Dream Team as a senior.
Dena Droste, DeWitt (2011): Droste dominated her league, regional and took fifth at the Division 3 state tournament this fall. She was also an all-stater as a sophomore and also was her team’s second-best scorer when the Panthers won the Division 2 state title when she was a freshmen. Megan Massa, Holt (2006, Oregon State): The oldest of this golfing family made the LSJ Dream Team as a senior, when she missed the Division 1 state top 10 by only six strokes.
Maddi Massa, Holt (2007, MSU): A two-time LSJ Dream Team pick, she tied for ninth at the Division 1 state tournament as a senior. She won her regional as a senior and was second to Megan as a junior.
Mariah Massa, Holt (2011): Also a two-time LSJ Dream Team pick, Mariah was the LSJ Player of the Year this fall. She tied for seventh at the Division 1 state tournament.
Jessica Peatross, Holt (2010): Played on four state-qualifying teams and posted the Rams' top finals score as a junior. She made the LSJ Dream Team this fall after finishing 21st at the Division 1 tournament. Blaize Baumgartner, Perry (2007, Ferris State): Baumgartner made the LSJ Dream Team as a senior when she averaged 40.1 strokes per round and took sixth at the Division 3 state final. She also made the final as a junior.
Bree Baumgartner, Perry (2007, Citadel): Another two-time LSJ Dream Team pick, Baumgartner was a two-time regional champion who took eighth and 12th at the Division 3 state tournament her final two seasons. Megan Rimmel, Ithaca (2006, Olivet College): Rimmel played in four Division 3 state tournaments, taking eighth as a junior and tying for third as a senior.
And the coaches:
DeWitt’s Steve Crowley led the Panthers to team state titles in two divisions, first in Division 3 in 2005 and then in Division 2 in 2007, and he did so with different groups of players. Also in the conversation: Holt’s Doug Harkema, East Lansing’s Gej Jones, Lansing Catholic’s Kathy Partlow, Perry’s Jake Baumgartner and Ithaca’s Pat Nowak have also had some of the area’s most consistently-successful programs this decade. Other All-Decade blogs so far:
