2015

Perhaps no person is as synonymous as the voice of Ludington football and basketball as Rod Beckman. For 40 years, Beckman was the play-by-play voice of both programs on the airwaves of WKLA and for a year of basketball at WMOM. And when he wasn't delivering sports on the air, he continued to play in a sport where he excelled — baseball and softball. He was a member of the Custer VFW teams long ...Read More...

The Ludington gymnastics program in the late 1970s was dominant, and that was partly thanks to the work of Rae Jean, then known as Debbie Hineline. She was a three-time All-State selection in 1976, 1977 and 1978. She was the first Ludington gymnast to win an all-around state championship, doing so in 1978, as she won state titles in three individual events: vault, uneven bars and floor exercise. I ...Read More...

Carl Mayhand was a record-setting runner at Mason County Eastern, leaving the school with seven records in tow. He went on to be an All-American during his junior college days and had to turn down a full scholarship to Auburn University because of family commitments. But in high school, he was tough to beat in cross country and track. He owned state titles in the 1980 state cross country meet and ...Read More...

Greg Melchert was an outstanding baseball and football player as well as wrestler at Mason County Central, and he found his greatest success in baseball. He played at Western Michigan and went on to pitch in the Detroit Tigers farm system for Lakeland and Utica. He was an All-State special mention in baseball. He was a three-time state qualifier in wrestling, finishing fourth as an individual and ...Read More...

Lee T. Snyder was a one-man wrecking crew one fine spring day at the 1954 Class B state track meet. The Ludington Oriole single handedly gave his school the state runner-up trophy as he won state titles in the pole vault and high jump while taking second in the low hurdles and third in the long jump. Snyder's prowess wasn't limited to the track as he was a member of the boys basketball teams and f ...Read More...

Although Matt Urka saw his playing days with baseball cut short by an accident, his love for the stick-and-ball game never subsided. He helped to sponsor fastpitch softball teams and he organized what was one of the premier fastpitch softball tournaments in the country over the Memorial Day weekend, turning MacPhail's field in Scottville into a fastpitch paradise with a who's who of players and te ...Read More...

Brandy Thomas left her mark on the walls of Ludington's Hawley Gymnasium and all anyone had to do was look at the track record book. Thomas set new school records in the discus and shot put numerous times throughout her high school career while also participating in volleyball and basketball. She is a four-time Lakes 8 Activities Conference champion in the shot put and a four-time state qual ...Read More...

Noah Dobrzelewski brought leadership to the field and the pool in his years at Ludington High School as he competed in football, swimming and diving and track and field. Dobrzelewski swam for four seasons for Ludington, earning the Coaches' Award in his ninth grade year and following that with Most Valuable Swimmer honors his sophomore through senior years. Dobrzelewski also earned honorable me ...Read More...