3-27-24 Ledger

Wednesday, March 27, 2024 page 11

By Justin Scott

sports reporter

Twenty-two Lowell

student-athletes earned all-

conference honors, this

winter sports season, in the

OK White. Additionally,

several Red Arrows earned

HM all-conference honors,

though HM all-conference

is not awarded for all sports.

Girls basketball - Piper

Rison and Braxcynn Baker

earned all-conference

honors, while Taryn Jackson

and Allison Munson earned

HM all-conference honors.

Competitive cheer

• Maya Schilling and
  Kailyn Gustin earned all-
  conference honors, while

High school All-Conference announced

Josie Hackett earned HM

all-conference.

Boys basketball - Ben

Gaskin was Lowell’s sole

all-conference player.

Wrestling - Wrestling

has the simplest method for

choosing all-conference.

All-conference wrestlers

are just the conference

champion. There is no

honorable mention all-

conference. Lowell’s all-

conference wrestlers were:

Cole Cichocki, Jarrett

Smith, Carter Cichocki,

Jackson Blum, Logan

Dawson, Trevor Boone,

Jared Boone, Owen

Segorski, Tacho Gonzales,

Seth Harver, Kenny

Kinyon, and Casey Engle.

Gymnastics - Julia

Meier and Alexis Clark

were named all-conference

in gymnastics for their

performances this season.

Ski - Cooper Byrne

is Lowell’s all-conference

skier.

Bowling - Rowan

Williams and Cadence

DeWit earned all-

conference honors for girls

bowling, while Caden

Dennie finished HM all-

conference on the boys

side.

Find LHS

Athletics

Photos at

shamrocksports

photography.

smugmug.com

SPORTS

Red Arrow

• ALL CONFERENCE

By Justin Scott

sports reporter

The 2024, Lowell

softball team promises to be

an entertaining and talented

one, returning six starters

from a team that went 23-

11 last year. One of the

key returning players, the

Red Arrows return pitcher,

Megan Lillie, a junior

playing her third year on the

varsity squad.

“I expect big things

from Megan and she is

really taking on a large

part of the leadership, as

well. She has had a full

and great off-season, and I

think it will show! We will

Softball team excited to open season this week

also have some big bats

returning and I am excited

to see the work these girls

have put in. Katie Hofman,

Amaya Jackson, and Jordyn

McClymont can crush the

ball and change the game

in a hurry. Also returning is

Seniors, Sammie Hayes and

Lexi Martin. These two play

some of the best defense in

West Michigan. They are

rock solid at the plate and

I know they are looking

forward to a big season,”

second year, softball varsity

Head Coach, Matt Dood,

said of his team this year.

Lowell has several

games on that schedule

for fans to look forward

to, weather permitting,

of course. On April 10th,

just after Spring Break,

Lowell will be hosting their

Community Day, where

middle school softball

and little league softball

players join the team in

a high-powered matchup

with Hudsonville. May

3rd, Lowell hosts Calvin

Christian for their hero

games; players will play

in honor of someone,

similar to Pink Arrow in

the fall and hero games

done by lacrosse, soccer,

and basketball in recent

years. The Mandy Tichelaar

Softball Tournament,

Lowell’s annual home

tournament, will host three

strong softball programs

in Rockford, Lakewood,

and the upper peninsula’s

Escanaba. May 13th will

be senior night against

Forest Hills Central. All

home games take place at

the Lowell High School

softball field; schedules can

be found on the school’s

website, redarrowsports.

com

Some new faces

to the lineup include,

Claire Mitchell, Ruby

German, Sydney Darling,

Adelayde Gillstrom and

Sophie Konyndyk, that

coaches expect will make

big contributions to this

upcoming season, along

with returning seniors,

Emmah Handlon and Lynsi

Fetterhof.

Byron Center and

Lowell look to be two of the

top teams in the OK White

headed into the season; the

Red Arrows will be aiming

for their first conference

championship since 2019.

“Our goal is to pressure by

having the ball in play. It’s

something we talk about

and will work to execute all

season long. We just want

to keep getting better and

finding ways to be unselfish

teammates who want the best

for each other. That is what

will make us the best team

by the end of the season,”

Coach Dood concluded.

The Lowell program is

closing in on 10,000 runs

scored. They’re at 8,

heading into 2024, with the

1979 season’s run total still

to be figured out. Lowell is

scheduled for doubleheaders

with future conference

opponents Cedar Springs

and Kenowa Hills; hopefully,

weather and field conditions

allow for the team to get on

the field to start their season.

By Justin Scott

sports reporter

After brushing six

inches of snow off their

cars on Saturday morning,

Lowell Crew Club members

were off to row. Not on the

water, although that could’ve

been an adventure. No,

they competed at an indoor

ergatta, set at FHC, where

Lowell crew takes on Springs Sprints

16 different thousand-dollar

ERG rowing machines were

set-up for races that went

from sprints to 2000 meter

races.

Lowell competed,

along with Rockford, FHC,

Northview, FHE, Spring

Lake-Grand Haven, FHN,

and Grand Rapids Rowing

Club, in the indoor event.

It’s a pretty daunting

event that’s been going on

since 2002, even absent a

high number team in East

Grand Rapids. Rowers face

the crowd, standings set up

behind them, and battle for

first place on the stationary

machines. On the water,

you’re out there, alone with

your thoughts and your

team. Here, everything is

right on top of you.

To add on, FHC’s

rowers, well-over 100

strong, form their own

student section. Together,

with the parents, crowding

in front of the athletes, it

makes for a pretty chaotic

event.

Lowell took fourth

place, overall as a team,

out of the eight schools

in attendance, finishing

behind GR Rowing Club,

Rockford, and FHC.

The highlight of the

morning was Logan Bledsoe

who placed third in the

lightweight novice men’s

race. He finished seven

seconds off his personal

record (PR), but his third-

place finish earned him a

medal. It was Lowell’s first

at the Spring Sprints in 17

years.

Connor Rapson and

Patrick Hoke broke their

own school records in their

respective events they set

last month, and nine rowers

placed top t0.

Full Results

Logan Bledsoe - 3rd

Lightweight Novice Men (

seconds off PR)

Lily Collins - 4th

Novice Women (11 seconds

off PR)

Connor Rapson - 6th

Lightweight Men (broke

his own school record by 4

seconds)

Patrick Hoke - 6th Open

Men (broke his own school

record by 2 seconds)

Jacqui Hoke - 8th

Novice Women (9 seconds

off PR)

Mara Carbines - 9th

Open Women (10 seconds

off PR)

Brooke Shellenbarger-

9th Lightweight Women (

seconds off PR)

Grace Brower - 9th

Novice Women (7 seconds

off PR)

Gabs Stodola - 10th

Coxswain (6 seconds off

PR)

Other rowers to compete

were Emerson Vriesman

and Lily Bergeron, who

shaved 20 and 18 seconds,

respectively, off their PRs.

Maya Kemp, Nick Duursma,

Andi Rottier, Emma Bolt,

and Gabriel Selover also

shaved time off their PR,

while Gigi Gates-Dupree

rowed right at her PR

Logan Bledsoe earned a medal for Lowell crew
at the GR Spring Sprints.