Track & Field

D'Erika Varenhorst of Ludington competed in basketball, volleyball and track in her high school career with the Orioles and basketball proved to be her top game. In all, she earned eight varsity letters while an Oriole. Varenhorst was one of just a few Ludington girls basketball players to be named to the Associated Press, BCAM and Detroit Free Press Class B All-State teams in school history. Vare ...Read More...

Ken Papes was a stand out all-around prep athlete at Free Soil, being a state-class sprinter, long-jumper and shot-putter in track and field. In hoops, he averaged more than 25 points per game as a senior and had 1,459 points for his career for Free Soil, tops for the school's history. In baseball he was a part of the Free Soil baseball team that won 54 consecutive games, primarily working as the ...Read More...

Ed Papes was a three-sport star for Free Soil High School, graduating in 1967. In track and field, he held the school record in the 100-yard dash (10.4 seconds) and also helped set school records in the 880- and mile relays. As a basketball player, Papes was a key member on Pirate teams that advanced to the Class D state semifinals in 1966 and 1967. He led the latter squad in scoring at 18.2 point ...Read More...

Kada Knizacky, of Mason County Eastern, was chosen the Mason County Sports Hall of Fame’s Femaie Scholar Athlete of the Year. Knizacky earned a total of 15 varsity letters in her four-year athletic career at Eastern. She lettered four times each in cross country and track and field, three times in volleyball, twice in basketball and once each in softball and soccer. In track and field, Kni ...Read More...

Charles Dennis was a two-time state mile champion for Ludington High in 1931 and 1932. In both years, his coach, Mitch Read, entered him in the University of Chicago National Interscholastic Track and Field Championships, which drew elite athletes from all over the United States. Dennis was fifth in the mile in 1931 and second in 1932. He attended Michigan State College where he lettered in track ...Read More...

A 1963 graduate of Mason County Eastern, Rich Leonard was one of that school's finest all-around athletes. He was the leading scorer and rebounder during one of Eastern's most successful runs in basketball. He was also an outstanding athlete in track and field, baseball, and football. Growing up on a farm in Fountain, Leonard grew into a 6-foot, 3-inch, 220-pound slugger who is arguably the finest ...Read More...

Jay Stielstra participated in track and field, football and basketball in all four years of his high school career. In track and field, he long-jumped 22 feet, 9 5/8 inches, setting a school and Mason County record that still stands. It is the oldest county record still standing. In 1950, Stielstra was the Class B state champion in the 180-yard hurdles with a time of 20.9 seconds. In 1951, he fini ...Read More...

Chris Conrad earned four letters in track and field, three in cross country and one in soccer. He holds school records in the 400-meter dash and was a member of Mason County Central's state-championship 3,200 meter relay team along with Jake Hernandez, Dan Deller and Jake Lauber. The winning time posted by this team, 7:54.74, was a new school record. He was all-conference and team captain in cross ...Read More...

An outstanding guard, Glenda (Gruno) Krebs scored 1,044 points with a single-game high of 37 in her high school basketball career, the first girl at Mason County Central to go over a thousand. Said her former teammate and current Mason County Hall of Fame board member Christy Christmas, "Called 'Girl-Guard Gruno' because most thought she played like a guy - she could dribble the ball 'like a guy' ...Read More...

Chelsea Henderson competed in four different sports at Ludington High School, earning varsity letters in volleyball (2 years), basketball (3 years), cross-country (1 year), and track (4 years). In track & field she earned all-conference honors four times, qualified for the state meet three times, and was academic all-state as a freshman on the mile relay. Chelsea also garnered all-conference h ...Read More...