Realigned prep seasons also heads list from 2007.

Alisha Glass

It was a busy year in sports in Leelanau County – both on and off the courts and fields of play.

While several high school teams from the county posted district and regional championships, perhaps the most significant news involving prep athletics was a court-ordered change in when some sports are contested.

Norsemen fans in Suttons Bay will also long remember a special season of fall sports. Suttons Bay’s football, volleyball and boys’ soccer teams all made nice post-season tournament runs, and Norsemen cross country star Ben Wynsma earned all-state recognition. The sophomore sensation, and senior Amber Therrien of Glen Lake, were the only two county runners to receive All-State honors in track in 2007.

Several new boys’ basketball coaches this fall added to the year’s storyline. When the hoops season tipped off in November, Jason Stowe of Leland was the only head coach to return to the sidelines. New coaches were welcomed at Glen Lake, Leelanau School, St. Mary, Northport and Suttons Bay. The roster of new mentors includes the Wildcats’ Jeff Tropf, who starred at Central Michigan University and was an NBA draft selection.

It was also a unique year involving golf. An 11-year-old girl became the youngest female to ever record a hole-in-one at Leland Country Club, and a Leelanau golfer recorded the longest-ever hole-in-one at Elmbrook Golf Course in Traverse City when he aced a 340-yard par-4 hole. Another golfer, Billy Rankin of Cedar, is believed to be the first player from the county to ever post a top-10 finish in the Michigan Open.

Marissa Treece

In sailing, skipper Ted Peterson won the Roger Applebee Memorial Trophy for most points accumulated during the Northport Bay Yacht Club series of summer races. Tom Gallery, who earned four straight first-place finishes aboard ISEA early in the season, came in second to Peterson in the final standings.

But some of the biggest news of all was generated by a pair of young women who will likely go down as two of the most celebrated athletes in Leelanau history – Alisha Glass of Leland and Marissa Treece of Glen Lake.

Here is the list of the top 10 stories of 2007, as compiled in a survey of the Enterprise newsroom staff:

1 - How could Alisha Glass top her performance in 2006, when she led Leland to a state volleyball title and earned female athlete of the year honors from the Detroit Athletic Club? By being a member of the nation’s best college volleyball team. Glass played a leading role in guiding Penn State to the NCAA women’s volleyball championship earlier this month. When Penn State beat Stanford for the title, it is believed that Glass became the first athlete in county history to be part of an NCAA championship team.

Shane MacDonald (left) and Blaine Fritz
helped lead Suttons Bay to a "Final Four"
finish in soccer.

2 - Marissa Treece of Glen Lake concluded her illustrious prep career as a runner at Glen Lake in an appropriate place: the winner’s podium. In June, Treece won three state titles – one in record-breaking fashion – at the state track and field championships. The three titles came on top of the seven state championships she’d already earned while running for the Glen Lake cross country and track teams. Like Glass the year before, Treece was named the Detroit Athletic Club’s female athlete of the year. She enrolled at Notre Dame, and in her first event for the Fighting Irish cross country team, the freshman finished first.

3 - When the U.S. Supreme Court in April denied a request from the Michigan High School Athletic Association to hear an appeal concerning a change in when some sports seasons are held, it touched off major changes in the county. The biggest switch involved girls’ basketball, which moved from the fall to the winter, and girls’ volleyball, which became a fall sport after being contested in the winter for many years. The changes, ironically, came during a realignment of the Northwest Conference, which added Leland, Buckley and Benzie Central to its ranks. Leland’s departure left just Northport, St. Mary, Leelanau School and Traverse City Christian in the Cherryland Conference.

4 - Showing a “never quit” attitude, Suttons Bay’s boys’ soccer team culminated a magical season by reaching the state’s “Final Four” before being eliminated by eventual Division IV champion Muskegon West Michigan Christian. The Norsemen shared the Northwest Conference championship with Leland, and added District and Regional titles before finishing with a 21-6-1 mark. During the season, which included five wins in the playoffs, Suttons Bay was led by the “Blaine and Shane” show. Blaine Fritz had 30 goals and 15 assists, while Shane McDonald posted 29 goals and 23 assists.

Suttons Bay soccer players gave the
"No. 1" sign as they hoist their Regional
championship trophy on Oct. 25 after beating
Lincoln-Alcoma. The Norsemen advanced
to the state "Final Four" before losing.

5 - The St. Mary baseball team has been good for several years. The 2007 team, however, was very good. The Eagles not only won their seventh straight Cherryland Conference title, but also added their first Regional title in nearly six decades. St. Mary fell to Rudyard in the quarterfinals, but not before racking up 28 wins during the a storybook season. “It was a terrific season,” said coach Steve Plamondon. “And when we reflect back, it was a very special year.”

6 - Bigger and better. That’s how cycling fans described the second running of the Tour de Leelanau race held in Leelanau County Sept. 15. Crowds of supporters lined county roads and villages as many of America’s top racers raced through Leelanau. Garrett Peltonen won the men’s race, and Tina Pic took the women’s title. Race organizers also said the 2008 race will likely be held in May so it doesn’t compete with the Tour de Missouri endurance race.

7 - It took an undefeated team to finally slow down Leland’s boys’ basketball team, which reached the Class D Regional in March before bowing out to 23-0 Bellaire. Despite having a team dominated by underclassmen, Leland won a District title and won the Cherryland Conference mark with a 7-1 record. The Comets finished the season with an 18-5 overall record,

8 - When the regular season ended in football this year, Suttons Bay found itself in a familiar spot: the playoffs. The Norsemen qualified for the postseason playoffs for the ninth straight year, and also added a co-championship in the Northwest Conference. After beating Kingsley in the first round of the playoffs, 41-8, Suttons Bay earned a date with Montague in the Division 6 District finals. The Norse lost in the final moments of the game, 23-20, to finish the year at 9-2. During the season, running back Anthony Stewart set a school record with 23 touchdowns and 1,431 yards.

9 -  In the final season of playing volleyball as a winter sport, Suttons Bay and Leland both posted memorable years. Leland won its 15th consecutive Cherryland Conference title and ninth consecutive District title in Class D, while Suttons Bay earned a Class C District title. Leland finished the year with a 49-16-1 record, and six members of the team along with coach Laurie Glass were also part of the 2006 Class D state championship team. Suttons Bay reached the state semifinals for the second straight year and posted an overall record of 52-13-2.

10 - Not many runners from Leelanau County earn an invitation to compete in the Boston Marathon. Especially runners who are 71 years old. That’s what happened to Janet Weiler of Empire, however. The Empire woman placed fourth in the “over 70” age group at the marathon, which was held on April 16. Weiler, who didn’t begin distance running until 2003, is also an avid swimmer and bicyclist. “I was surprised when they told me I finished fourth. I wasn’t exactly disappointed,” she added.