DETROIT — Volleyballer Elena Guc is traveling the farthest among the 192 seniors from Detroit-area Catholic high schools continuing their prep athletic careers on the collegiate level.
It’s about an eight-hour flight from Cardinal Mooney High School in Marine City to the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
“Someone suggested I visit the campus. My mother and I did, and I fell in love with it,” she said.
Elena, a 6-foot lefthander, only started playing volleyball in her freshman year. She progressed quickly enough to lead the Cardinals her senior year to a 6-0 league record, 10-6-1 overall, and a district title. “I picked the game up pretty fast," she said. "I love it.” She also played basketball her sophomore and junior years.
Elena, who intends to major in National Security & Emergency Management, will be leaving for Fairbanks in early July. The volleyball schedule begins with the Hawaii-Alaska Challenge on Aug. 19-20 with four games in Honolulu, Hawaii, before returning for a 26-game schedule thru Nov. 12. The Nanooks — the school’s nickname — play in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (NCAA Division II).
Here’s the lineup of where Catholic League seniors will be playing in college:
Allen Park Cabrini (4)
BASKETBALL — Ania Ghazzawi (Oakland Community College). FOOTBALL — Ryan Kugelman (Alma). SOFTBALL — Ella Nowc (Henry Ford Community College). SWIMMING — Lily Heath (Aquinas).
Ann Arbor Fr. Gabriel Richard (12)
BASEBALL — Colin Danek (Alma), Nate Dawson (Siena Heights). BASKETBALL — Olivia Gentit (Concordia). CROSS COUNTYRY/TRACK — Gianna Hoving (Northern Michigan). DANCE — Sarah Grace Tan (U.C. Santa Barbara). GOLF — Shane Heiser (Adrian). SOCCER – Jordan Aiello (Indiana South Bend), Janelle Aiello (St. Mary's), Lainey Garbarz (Saginaw Valley State), Cece McCarthy (Grand Valley State), Anthony Redente (Lawrence Tech). SOFTBALL — Catherine O'Donohue (Ferris State).
Ann Arbor Greenhills (3)
GOLF — Beau Brewer (Methodist University), Cale Piedmonte-Lang (Hamilton College). TENNIS — Mert Oral (Michigan).
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (10)
BASEBALL — Jake Coulter (Central Michigan), Kevin Mathews (Belmont Abbey), Patrick MacLean (Hillsdale). FOOTBALL — Andrew Agbay (Hillsdale), Ryan Ervin (Northwood), Cole Lacanaria (Lawrence Tech), Zach Moraitis (John Carroll), Luke Sands (Ave Maria University). LACROSSE — Gavin Corcoran (Hope College), Paul Fortino (Penn).
Bloomfield Hills Marian (7)
GYMNASTICS — Lauren Holt (Yale). SOCCER — Isabella Agrusso (Michigan State), Maria Askounis (Carnegie Mellon University). SWIMMING — Julia Waechter (Miami). VOLLEYBALL — Ava Brizard (North Carolina State), Sarah Sylvester (Texas Christian), Sophie Treder (Brown).
Clarkston Everest Collegiate (5)
BASEBALL — Johnny Nedwick (Franciscan University), CROSS COUNTRY & TRACK — Erin Booms ( Ave Maria University). SOCCER — Lucas Cross (Franciscan), Abby Milosch (Ave Mari), Charlie Reichert (Ave Maria).
Dearborn Divine Child (19)
BASEBALL — Owen Avery (Grand Valley State), Justin Holton (Siena Heights University), John Millen (Siena Heights University). BASKETBALL — Ashley Hill (Madonna University). BASKETBALL, LACROSSE — Abbey Scott (Siena Heights University). FOOTBALL — Brady Ploucha (Central Michigan), Lorenzo Vitti (US Naval Academy). GOLF — Julia Lizak (St. Mary's College, Notre Dame University), Leila Saad (Michigan-Dearborn), Zeinab Saad (Michigan-Dearborn). HOCKEY — Joseph Borucki (Adrian College). LACROSSE — Jenna Allie (Siena Heights University), Carmen Foster, (Lawrence Tech). SOCCER — Matthew Cadena (Carnegie Mellon University), Ashlyn Lange (Northwood University), Mia Thomson (Nyack College). SOFTBALL — Sarah Norton (Kalamazoo College). VOLLEYBALL — Katelyn Mulka (Madonna University), Riley Tople (Heidelberg University).
Detroit Cristo Rey (1)
LACROSSE — Jose Bartolon Ramirez (Valparaiso).
Detroit Loyola (5)
FOOTBALL — Anthony Garrett (Glenville State College), Jason Hardy (Grand Valley State), Rahmon Murray (Independence Community College), Josh Nichols (Michigan), Kirron Wilson (Alma).
University of Detroit Jesuit (6)
BASEBALL — Ryan Kruse (Northern Kentucky). BOWLING — Jack Sisco (Siena Heights), Joe Wager (Siena Heights). FOOTBALL — Mike Mathis (Oberlin College). SWIMMING — Christian Bouchillon (Southern Methodist), Charlie Bruce (Boston College).
Farmington Hills Mercy (12)
BASKETBALL — Sarah Cunningham (Grand Valley State). BOWLING — Maggie Russell (Rochester University). SOCCER — Soraya Puerto-Khalil (Detroit Mercy), Alyvia Sanom (Michigan Tech), Makenna Sanom (Michigan Tech). SOFTBALL — Kendall Spivey (Villanova). SWIMMING — Madeline Basa (Grand Valley State), Katie Hermann (Hope), Maureen Lynch (Aquinas College). TRACK & FIELD — Allison Koehler (DePauw). VOLLEYBALL — Lizzie Kitchen (Jacksonville), Amina Robinson (George Washington).
Madison Heights Bishop Foley (6)
BASKETBALL — Melanie Moore (Rochester University). CHEER — Kelly Graczyk (Alma College). FOOTBALL — Dylan Gough (Bellarmine University), Grant Gutierrez (John Carroll). SOCCER — Aidan Fitzpatrick (Adrian College). SWIMMING — Danielle Tews (Saginaw Valley State).
Marine City Cardinal Mooney (5)
BASEBALL — Nick Garcia (Ave Maria University), Tommy Rice (Saginaw Valley State), Nathan Super (Heidelberg College). SOCCER — Trista Walker (Illinois College). VOLLEYBALL — Elena Guc (University of Alaska Fairbanks).
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (8)
BASEBALL — Caleb Shrewsbury (Siena Heights University). FOOTBALL — Gavin Witaszek (SUNY Alfred State College). SOCCER — Kelsey Beggs (Indiana Wesleyan University), Andrew Pope (Adrian College), Mason Vanisacker (Adrian College). TRACK — Gabriel Iott (Siena Heights University), Madison Ruhlig (Spring Arbor University). VOLLEYBALL — Kate Collingsworth (University of West Georgia).
Novi Detroit Catholic Central (32)
BASEBALL — Connor Apligian (Kellogg Community College). BASKETBALL — Cooper Craggs (Oakland University). FOOTBALL — Conner Bell (Kalamazoo College), Declan Byle (Michigan), Kamron Davenport (Saginaw Valley State), Ben Flake (Trine University), Chad Harpster (John Carroll), Mohamed Jaffer (John Carroll), Jermeir Reliford (Olivet College), Owen Semp (Valparaiso), Raid Zerki (Saginaw Valley State). GOLF — Liam Casey (Hope), Peter Stassinopoulos (Robert Morris), Neil Zhu (Swarthmore College). HOCKEY — Kaden Hemme (Lawrence Tech), Justin Hubenschmidt (Lawrence Tech), Austin Janz (Grand Valley State), William Jewell (Hope), Connor Miles (Grand Valley State), Luke Radu (Lawrence Tech). LACROSSE — Jack Balmforth (Hope), Jackson Ewald (Detroit Mercy), Mark Picano (Indiana Tech), Parker Sennett (Indianapolis), Cooper St. Clair (Detroit-Mercy). MANAGER — Charles Hunsinger (Central Michigan). RUGBY — Nathan Kipp (Adrian), Owen Kummer (Alabama), Gavin Webb (Western Michigan). SOCCER — Nicholas Licari (Catholic University), Vincent Stockton (Detroit Mercy). WRESTLING — Manuel Rojas (Iowa State).
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Prep (18)
BASEBALL — Ciaran Caughey (Kent State), Jack Crighton (Michigan), Jake Dresselhouse (Michigan State), Nolan Higgins (Michigan State), Ike Irish (Auburn), Brock Porter (Clemson), Nolan Schubart (Michigan), Brandon Skorupski (Davenport), Will Stuligross (Hope College). BASKETBALL — JaVaughn Hannah (Western Michigan), Kareem Rozier (Duquesne). FOOTBALL — Tommy Bauss (Hope College), Charlie Collins (Madonna University), DiCorion Temple (Central Michigan). Ben Meathe (Lawrence Tech), Donny Ogle (Hope College). LACROSSE — Joe Janda (University of Detroit Mercy). ROWING — Connor Whalen (Adrian College).
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (10)
BASKETBALL — Jack Olis (Davenport University). FOOTBALL — Jack Kautz (Missouri). Billy Newman (John Carroll University), Alex Scherle (Rice). GOLF — Joey Maniaci (Albion). SOFTBALL — Jordan Smith (Central Michigan). SWIMMING — Anthony Dupuis (Aquinas College). VOLLEYBALL — Josie Bloom (Virginia Tech), Aly Borellis (Ole Miss), Bianca Giglio (Marshall).
Riverview Gabriel Richard (2)
BASKETBALL — Nick Calhoun (Albion). GOLF — Blake Wagner (Albion).
Royal Oak Shrine (2)
CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK — Clara Losey (Siena Heights). GOLF — Jeffrey Andrus (Central Michigan).
Warren De La Salle (11)
BASEBALL — Eric Anton (Ohio Northern), Seaton Heilman (Kalamazoo College). FOOTBALL — Gavin Grzywacz (Northwood), DeNiro Johnson (University of Saint Francis), Alton Mccullum (Valparaiso), Brady Lowe (Olivet), Tevon Mixon (Independence CC), Devin Schmelter (Lawrence Tech), Seth Ray (Heidelberg University), SWIMMING — Max Swiatkowski (Northern Michigan). TRACK – Carter Kruse (Hope).
Warren Regina (12)
BOWLING — Paige Westergaard Siena Heights). CREW — Lauren Droska (Michigan State). CROSS COUNTRY — Jessica Jarski (Cornerstone), Grace Zdankiewicz (Xavier). ICE HOCKEY — Skylar Croft (Ann Arbor Concordia). SOCCER — Mia Iacona (Canisius), Avery Sikorski (Ferris State), Maddie Spencer-Strong (University of Wisconsin LaPlatte). SOFTBALL — Jenna Holt (Detroit Mercy), Abby Hornberger (Princeton), Adriana James (Indiana Tech). VOLLEYBALL — Reagan Stempin (Notre Dame College in Ohio).
Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes (2)
FOOTBALL — Ben Newby (Olivet Nazarene University). SOFTBALL — Maya Lafnear (North Park University).
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].
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