LSJ Blogs: Get Prepped

Mid-Michigan features a handful of the state's top No. 1 singles tennis players. When four of them face off in two matches like on Tuesday, the state's tennis eye turns this way. 

FOUR STARS

4. Haslett swimming senior Victoria Bishop: Won the butterfly and breaststroke and swam on two winning relays as the Vikings more than doubled up CAAC Red foe Ionia.

3. Ionia cross country senior Nick Wharry: Sped to a 16:05 to win the CAAC Red jamboree at DeWitt as his Bulldogs also won against a strong field. 

2. Eastern tennis senior Lioyikane Mavoungou: Downed Okemos' Andy Struble in three sets in a matchup of all-staters at No. 1 singles. 

1. Williamston tennis senior Michael Sienko: Defeated Lansing Catholic's Paul Heeder in straight sets  in a rematch of last season's Division 4 state final at No. 1 singles, a match Heeder won.

Monday is usually a slower one, but on top of the best performances we also have state football rankings and the first swimming and diving area honor roll of the fall.

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4. Portland volleyball junior Nikki Green: The Raiders setter had a combined 46 assists as Portland defeated Saranac, Portland St. Patrick and host Central Montcalm at a quad.

3.Williamston soccer junior Charlie Coon: Usually a team has to win for an athlete to make this list, but Coon had 12 saves against a strong Perry offense as the Hornets and Ramblers tied 0-0.

2. Saranac cross country junior Jenna Klynstra: She's become a regular on this list of late, and is back after running a 19:01 to finish second at the Spartan Invitational in the Silver division race.

1. Lansing Catholic golf junior Danni Crilley: Shot a second-place 75 at Walnut Hills as Lansing Catholic continued its dominance by winning the East Lansing Invitational against a field of state-ranked teams from all over.

Mid-Michigan was the site Friday of one of the state's biggest, if not the biggest pre-state meet cross country event in the Spartans Invitational. Our fastest from that event top another solid weekend of non-football area performances.

FOUR STARS

4. Okemos golf sophomore Elle Nichols: Finished third overall at the Holt Invitational and tops among area golfers at the event with a 79, two off the lead.

3. DeWitt soccer senior Nick Iacobellis: Posted three shutouts with a combined 24 saves as DeWitt beat Ypsilanti Lincoln, Grand Rapids South Christian and Whitehall to win the Williamston Invitational. DeWitt is ranked No. 3 in Division 2; Whitehall is No. 2 in Division 3 and South Christian is No. 3 in that division.

2. St. Johns cross country freshman Karrigan Smith: Finished tops among locals at the Spartan Invitational elite race, 10th with a time of 18:32. She's being talked about as a Greater Lansing Invitational favorite.

1. Mason cross country junior Tanner Hinkle: Continued a simply incredible season with a 15:23 to finish second at the Spartan Invitational elite race, again against a number of the state's top runners. He's cut nearly a minute off of his best 2010 time.

The best of Thursday's mid-Michigan high school performances included a tennis match with statewide significance.

FOUR STARS

4. Ashley volleyball senior Kate Mills: The Bears are making big strides in coach Casey Hilts' first season, and earned a solid four-set win over Morrice behind Mills' 22 kills and three blocks.

3. Eastern soccer senior Gibson St. Jean: Made 11 saves as the Quakers downed rival Everett 1-0 after finishing two spots behind the Vikings in the CAAC Blue last season.

2. Leslie cross country senior Tyler Harrison: Won the Leslie Invitational in 17:45 after previously winning the Springport Invitational Division 2 race in 16:53.

1. Williamston tennis junior Michael Sienko: Beat Portland No. 1 Chance Conley 6-2, 6-2 in a match of two of the top players in the state in Division 4, and in this entire area regardless of division. Sienko was state runner-up last season and Conley made the semifinals, although Conley was the CAAC White champion as well.

Got a little behind on these daily round-ups, so I'm catching up on the top performances; these are from Wednesday.

FOUR STARS

4. Eaton Rapids soccer senior Ryan Tomlinson: He's been scoring goals in bunches, and added three more in a 7-2 win over Jackson Northwest.

3. Mason volleyball senior Kaleigh Lound: The Bulldogs are off to a 14-2-4 start, and Lound's hitting is a big part. She had 19 kills in a three-set win over Charlotte.

2. Ionia cross country senior Nick Wharry: Fell just four seconds shy of equaling his best time of last season in winning the Corunna Invitational large-school race in 16:21.

1. Saranac cross country junior Jenna Klynstra: Won the Beal City Invitational by 2 minutes, 6 seconds, with a time of 19:15.

 

Now this is more like it. Tuesday's area high school results included upsets, close wins and league and statewide implications. Here are four of the top performances.

FOUR STARS

4. Ionia volleyball junior Rachel Wayne: In what had to be one of Ionia's best volleyball wins in a long time, the Bulldogs downed CAAC Red preseason coaches favorite Fowlerville in five sets. Wayne had 18 kills and six aces as Ionia improved to 4-3-2 after going 15-26-4 in 2010.

3. Haslett golf senior Erin Lawrence: The Vikings made a significant move toward winning the CAAC Red title with a 177-179 win over reigning champ DeWitt. Lawrence was low scorer with a 40.

2. Lansing Catholic golf sophomore Jacqueline Setas: Shot a school-record 32 at home course Groesbeck as the Cougars defeated Corunna 153-246.

1. Grand Ledge tennis senior Trevor Stoimenoff: In a match of reigning all-staters, Stoimenoff downed CAAC Blue foe Lioyikane Mavoungou of Eastern 6-3, 6-4 in what had to be one of the biggest regular-season matches in the state so far this fall.

Fall sports are hitting their respective strides with more than 50 events most days. Mondays are still a little slower, but that doesn't mean the events are less significant. Here are our top four performances including a couple that could have implications in the standings as the season goes on.

FOUR STARS

4. Williamston soccer junior Matt Sovis: Scored all four goals as the Hornets downed Jackson Lumen Christi 4-1.

3. Ionia golf Margot Cook: Shot a 40 as the improving Bulldogs defeated St. Johns 191-207  and moved to 3-2. Ionia was picked to finish fifth in the CAAC Red.

2. Mason golf senior Paige Winkler: In a battle of returning all-leaguers, Winkler shot 42 to edge Waverly's Allison Goodman by three strokes. The Bulldogs won the match 191-207.

1. East Lansing tennis junior Eric DeWitt: Won a hard-fought No. 1 singles match 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 against Holt's Daniel Yu to give the Trojans a 5-3 edge in the final team score.

Here are our top four performances from Wednesday's local high school events.

4. Lakewood tennis seniors Adam Barker and Anthony Haskin: Although the Vikings lost to Williamston 5-3, Barker/Haskin won a big match at No. 1 doubles 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-0. 

3. Everett volleyball junior Cheyenne Houghton: Had a team-high nine assists as the Vikings got their first win of the season over Holt. 

2. Lansing Catholic cross country junior Emma Frost: Won the Ovid-Elsie Invitational in 18:56, one minute and five seconds faster than the runner-up. 

1. Lansing Catholic cross country senior Zachary Zingsheim: Won the boys race of the Ovid-Elsie Invitational in a blistering 16:17. 

Few mid-Michigan teams were in action Friday or Saturday, but we'll include Thursday's results as well for this summary as Labor Day weekend basically begins that night. Here are our best of the non-football performances -- for those, see the post "Extra Points." 

4. Lansing Christian soccer Jacob Helder: Scored the lone goal in the Pilgrims' 1-0 win over Hillsdale Academy. Those two teams finished Nos. 8 and 9, respectively, in last season's final Division 4 state poll. 

3. Leslie cross country Audrey Tremaine: Ran a 20:27 to win the Marshall Invitational by 30 seconds. 

2. St. Johns cross country Kerrigan Smith: Ran a 19:51 to win the Corunna Invitational against some of mid-Michigan's most elite runners. 

1. East Lansing cross country Alex Townsend: Ran a 17:04 to win the boys race at the Corunna Invitational by seven seconds. 

With only a few competitions after tonight, most of this week's high school action came early this week -- and especially Wednesday. Here are our top performances from a loaded night of results.

FOUR STARS

4. Pewamo-Westphalia volleyball junior Madison Smith: Led the Pirates with 14 kills and 11 blocks in a three-set win over Dansville. This match almost always has CMAC title implications.

3. Okemos soccer senior Connor Johnson: Scored a goal and added an assist as the Chieftains downed St. Johns 2-1. Earlier this season, the Redwings beat Lansing Catholic and appear to be one of the area's most improved teams.

2. Saranac cross country junior Tim Young: Ran a speedy 17:17 to win his school's home invitational and finish a minute ahead of a number of top contenders.

1. Lansing Catholic tennis senior Peter Murray and junior Jake Johnson: Won a tough No. 1 doubles match in three sets -- 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 -- to give the Cougars a final edge in a 5-3 win over East Lansing.