DEARBORN — The experience of twin distance runners Anthony and Michael Hancock from Dearborn Divine Child is pretty typical of the havoc the COVID-19 pandemic is playing with the lives of 200 Catholic League athletes who are taking their talents to the college level this fall.
In the spring, Anthony was seeking to repeat as the state’s 3200-meter champion in Division 2 and for the third year in a row the Catholic League championship.
He had won nearly eighteen 5,000-meter races in his prep career, including the Catholic League cross country championship for the last two years.
Michael had established his own reputation running in his brother’s shadow in CHSL and MHSAA races.
Those aspirations were quashed in mid-March when schools were closed due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. No schools meant no sports. The MHSAA suspended the remainder of winter sports and cancelled the entire spring sports schedule.
“We definitely didn’t like it,” Anthony said, “but we went with the flow.”
Anthony and Michael accepted athletic scholarships to the University of Michigan. They had other offers, but “we wanted to go to Michigan,” Anthony said.
They reported to U-M on Aug. 13 for voluntary workouts and were quarantined in a hotel. Both tested negative for COVID-19 and moved into dorms this past weekend.
Online classes begin Aug. 31, which they will take in the dorm. “We were online for the last two months in high school,” Anthony said. “We got our work done. It won’t bother us.”
Anthony will be studying for an engineering degree, Michael in business.
In the meantime, the Big Ten announced the postponement of fall sports competition and conference championships.
Official cross country training started Aug. 19. Runners have been assigned into four intrasquad teams of six members — Anthony and Michael are on opposing teams — for the “Not Big Ten COVID Championships.”
Of course, wearing face masks and practicing social distancing is required campus-wide.
“We wear masks on some our easier workouts,” Michael said. “Practices are good. We push each other.”
Some 201 CHSL athletes move on to collegiate competition
Hundreds of local athletes will be playing sports at the collegiate level this fall. Here are those of which Detroit Catholic is aware.
Allen Park Cabrini (5)
BASKETBALL — Emma Delcotto (Oakland CC). SOFTBALL — Vivianna Gonzalez (Franciscan University), Caleigh Muglia (Aquinas), Michaleigh Vallimont (Central Michigan). SOCCER — Declan Moloney (Wheeling University).
Ann Arbor Fr. Gabriel Richard (11)
FOOTBALL — Andrew Covert (Valparaiso), Allejandro Rollan (Lawrence Tech). GYMNASTICS — Kaitlyn Donovan (Illinois State). HOCKEY — Grace Waldo (Aquinas). LACROSSE — Riley Cesarini (Ursinus College), Brady Karcher (Siena Heights), Matt Montgomery (Indianapolis University), Parker McFarlane (Albion), Chris VonKoss (Dominican). SOCCER — Kim Flaherty (Aquinas). VOLLEYBALL — Emily Graham (Illinois Tech).
Ann Arbor Greenhills (1)
TENNIS — Sahil Deenadayalu (Case Western).
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (16)
BASEBALL — Smith Casper (Davenport University). BASEBALL/HOCKEY — Jack Geraghty (Concordia). BASKETBALL — Jon Brantley (Lafayette College). FOOTBALL — Collin Hubbs (Heidelberg), Luke Newman (Holy Cross), Greg Piscopink (Albion), Jonathan Tillman (Grand Valley State). HOCKEY — Anthony Paredes (Lawrence Tech). LACROSSE – Owain Braddock (Indianapolis), Mason Everly (Rutgers), Jay Frye (Roanoke College), Jordan Hyde (Utah), Jack Lockwood (Marist College), Franz Rabb (Yale), Drew Randall (Denison University). LACROSSE/HOCKEY — DJ Dixon (Wesleyan University).
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (1)
FOOTBALL — Jack Fairman (Penn).
Bloomfield Hills Marian (4)
FIELD HOCKEY — Kate Biglin (Central Michigan). VOLLEYBALL — Christine Audette (Tufts University). SOCCER — Anna Leonard (Babson College). SWIMMING — Lauren Sielicki (Boston College).
Chesterfield Austin Catholic (2)
CROSS COUNTRY — Marcelina Powalka (Ave Maria University). SOCCER — Hayley McQuade (Rochester College).
Dearborn Divine Child (18)
BASEBALL — Nate Raniszewski (Schoolcraft CC). BOWLING — Jonathan Ligenza (Madonna), Emma Uetz (Madonna). CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK — Anthony Hancock (Michigan), Michael Hancock (Michigan). FOOTBALL — Colin Kelly (Butler). GOLF – Mahmoud Sadd (Michigan-Dearborn). LACROSSE — Lauren Busuito (Albion), Anthony Floro (Madonna), Jeffery Harrison II (Ann Arbor Concordia). SOCCER — Aiden Bruce (Siena Heights), Chase Markavich (Adrian), Amber Morgan (Fort Wayne St. Francis), Madelyn Stack (Madonna). SOFTBALL — Sidney Croskey (Lawrence Tech), Marina Johnson (Ave Maria University), Georgia Ploucha (Rochester University). TRACK — Simon Jones (Detroit Mercy).
Detroit Loyola (1)
FOOTBALL — Derrick Harmon (Michigan State).
University of Detroit Jesuit (1)
FOOTBALL — Dorian Mausi (Duke).
Farmington Hills Mercy (19)
DANCE — Anna Buckman. (Grand Valley State). LACROSSE — Keiley Black (Albion). ROWING — Ashley Doyle (Ohio State), Chloe Pulick (Michigan), Isabelle Sawicki (Michigan). SAILING — Jenna Kozal (Marquette), Marina Lamphier (Drexel University). SOCCER — Makena White (Lawrence Tech). SWIMMING — Alex Callaghan (Lynn University), Lindsey Case (Hope), Julia Coffman (Michigan State), Isabella Genise (John Carroll), Kylie Goit (Michigan State), Emily Guerrera (Xavier), Tierney Janovsky (Providence College), Sarah Puscas (Grand Valley State). TENNIS — Jocelyn Smith (Adrian). TRIATHLON — Mackenzie Foy (Liberty University). VOLLEYBALL — Jessica Mruzik (Michigan).
Macomb Lutheran North (9)
BASEBALL — Ryan Patterson (Ann Arbor Concordia). BASKETBALL — Tessa Briney (Oakland CC). CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK — Noah Starkey (Ann Arbor Concordia). EQUESTRIAN — Leah Jasky (Sacred Heart University). FOOTBALL — Angelo Basilisco (Adrian). LACROSSE — Samuel Saje (Ann Arbor Concordia). SOCCER — Leah Titran (Alma), Emily Mathews (Purdue). VOLLEYBALL — Kennedy Dolmage (Oakland).
Madison Heights Bishop Foley (10)
BASEBALL — Braden Mussat (Kalamazoo College), Liam Pollock (Oakland). BASKETBALL — Trent Graves (Madonna). BOWLING — Jenna DeSantis (Siena Heights). CHEER — Natalie Katsaros (Madonna). FOOTBALL — Klayton Cornell (Madonna), Luke Juricic (Hillsdale). SOCCER — Quinlan Grobbel (Madonna). SOFTBALL — Victoria Fuller (Albion), Brooke Imrick (Aquinas).
Marine City Cardinal Mooney (6)
BASEBALL — Nick Bastian (Rochester College), Trent Burns (Rochester College). BASKETBALL — Nolan Julio (Madonna). CHEER — Mary Lauria (Madonna). FOOTBALL — Ethan Rogus (Adrian). VOLLEYBALL — Madison Gregoire (Michigan-Dearborn).
Novi Detroit Catholic Central (34)
BASEBALL — Cooper Donlin (Mesa Community College), Adam Falinski (Ashland University), Tyler Harris (Hillsdale), Reagan Paulina (Oakland), Daniel Rumberger (Trine University), Blake Salamon (Northwood University), Jake Zeeb (St. Clair County CC). BASKETBALL — Josiah Smith (Carnegie Mellon University). BOWLING — Tyler Jackson (Concordia). CROSS COUNTRY — Luke Perelli (Michigan State). FOOTBALL — Zachary Carey (Grand Valley State), Cody Daraban (Michigan Tech), Cole Price (Wayne State), Easton St. Clair (Heidelberg University). HOCKEY — Louis Finnegan (Grand Valley State). LACROSSE — Connor Baratta (Rutgers), Sean Cunningham (Hope College), Gavin Flynn (Lourdes University), Jakob Hemme (Detroit Mercy), Marco Mularoni (Hope), Jack Rioux (Aquinas), Jacob Sposita (Colgate), Ryan Sullivan (Michigan), Ethan Zupko (Massachusetts-Lowell). RUGBY — Shawn St. Germain (Western Michigan). SWIMMING — Connor Brownell (Oakland), Mario McDonald (Ohio State), August Thielking (Kalamazoo College). WRESTLING — Josh Edmond (Missouri), Derek Gilcher (Indiana), Steven Kolcheff (Old Dominion), Logan Sanom (Bucknell), Marc Shaeffer (Old Dominion), Brendin Yatooma (Michigan).
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Prep (10)
BASEBALL — Cooper Mills (Kalamazoo College), Logan Wood (Michigan). BASKETBALL — Lorne Bowman (Wisconsin). FOOTBALL — Kam Arnold (Boston College), Anthony Enechukwu (Western Michigan), Daniel Mason (Saginaw Valley State), Jason Vucinaj (Toledo), Alex Weber (Hope College). LACROSSE — Cooper David (Siena Heights), Quinn Kennedy (Davenport).
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (10)
CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK — Jennifer Ohlsson (Oakland). FOOTBALL — Nalin Fox (Purdue), Connor Gaeschke (Northern Michigan), Julian Lee (Hillsdale), Antonio Popp (Hope). GOLF — Brian Marx (Hope College). LACROSSE — Spencer Wittebort (University of Tampa). SOCCER — Justina Gaynor (Butler), Itala Gemelli (Dayton). SWIMMING — Rhianna Hensler (Notre Dame).
Riverview Gabriel Richard (11)
BASEBALL — David Zubor (Aquinas). BASKETBALL — Angela Cabalang (Aurora College), Jacob Kowal (Hiram College). CROSS COUNTRY — Lily Green (Detroit Mercy). FOOTBALL — Kenny Esquible (Hudson Valley CC), Quin Hess (Concordia), Aiden Olle (Madonna). SOFTBALL — Chelsea Collins (Toledo). TENNIS — Claire Colbaugh (John Carroll), Isabelle Hawley (Wisconsin Lutheran). VOLLEYBALL — Bella Kandes (Grand Valley State).
Royal Oak Shrine (6)
CROSS COUNTRY & TRACK — Ellie Kendell (Michigan State). FOOTBALL — Marty Massucci (Lawrence Tech). HOCKEY — Sarah O’Brien (Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota). LACROSSE — Nick Mayry (Concordia University Chicago). SOCCER — Allison LaPoint (Central Michigan). SWIMMING — Jenna Mackey (Hope).
Warren De La Salle (16)
BASEBALL — Ryan Drake (Adrian), Jacob Gumieny (Mott CC), Gabriel Kirck (Olivet College), Dominic Manion (Rochester University), Brendan Pochmara (Hillsdale), Anthony LaRocca (Indiana Tech). DIVING — Justin Burke (Northern Michigan). FOOTBALL — Brian Babich (Grand Valley State), Jack Herndon (Tiffin University), Ricky Pearson (Albion), Jordan Rogers (Albion), Grant Toutant (Ohio State), Jadan Vizina (Concordia University), Michael Young, Jr. (Eastern Illinois University). LACROSSE — Kyle Betleg (Lourdes University), Josh Smith (Lawrence Tech).
Warren Regina (6)
HOCKEY — Riley Brengman (Ohio State), Celesta Paolucci (St. Anselm College). SOFTBALL — Jacqueline Jozefczyk (Albion), Maddie Gracin (Hope), Alana LaRue (Northwood). SOCCER — Kate Feskorn (Winthrop).
West Bloomfield Frankel Jewish Academy (1)
VOLLEYBALL & BOWLING — Hannah Resnick (Lawrence Tech).
Wixom St. Catherine of Siena (3)
CHEER — Madison Wasen (Alma). HOCKEY — Payton Luff (Long Island University). SOFTBALL -- Maddie Campagna (Saginaw Valley State).
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].
