6 – Wednesday, Nov, 7 2018 – North Pointe

SPORTS
UPCOMING
GAMES The Long Run Taking a look at the cross
country season and their
outstanding achievements.

GIRLS VARSITY
ICE HOCKEY
Away Game against
Northville High School
on Sunday, Nov. 11 at
4:30 p.m. in the gym
BOYS VARSITY
BASKETBALL
Away game at Divine
Child High School on
Friday, Nov. 30 at 7
p.m.
BOYS VARSITY
ICE HOCKEY
7:50 p.m. home
game at East Side
Hockey Ice Arena
against University of
Jesuit High School
on Friday, Nov. 30
Sophomore Preston Nava rre creates new record
By Adam Schwartz
PAGE EDITOR
For sophomore Preston Navarre, a member of
the boys Cross Country team, the Mac division
race on October 18 was a special one. Navarre ran
a 5 kilometer race with a time of 16.08 seconds,
breaking the past sophomore record set by any
student at North.
THE EXTRA MILE | Varsity runner Preston Navarre
at a race. “Running with the upperclassmen
just being a sophomore, looking at them last
year when I was freshman just looking at how
fast they were and how fast they could run...
and now this year that’s what I’m doing.” Na-
varre said.
“When I run, I just kind of do my thing. If I
break a record then I do it. It didn’t really seem
like I broke a huge record. People are like it was
amazing, but to me, it just felt like a normal race,”
Navarre said. “I’m just doing what I have to do,
kind of like if someone saves the day, they’re not
doing anything they’re just being a normal person.”
Navarre said being a member of Cross Country
has provided him many opportunities to improve
his social skills and teamwork. He said he has
gained many friends, which has boosted his
confidence level while in turn improving his
growth mindset.
In addition, English teacher and head
coach of the boys Cross Country team Diane
Montgomery, feels that Navarre is getting great
running experience and sees much potential
for him in the future, especially since he is
already running with the senior captains.
“We have a really strong team this year and Preston
has been a really big part of that. The seniors
that he’s now running with in competition, Will
Hofmann, Garrett Schreck and Kuvin Satyadev,
have been really great and receptive to having him
in one of their groups,” Montgomery said. “It’s
very powerful to be able to run in a pack and to
have a pack of four downfront. What we have is
really awesome.”
Junior Jack Day feels motivated by what
Navarre has done. To Day, in addition to the
natural ability that Navarre has, Navarre puts
in the work and sets his mind to what he does.
“I’m really inspired by Preston because it
shows that he has a lot of natural ability,” Day
said. “But, he also puts in the work as well, so
it shows you can do what you put your mind to.”
Montgomery sees a lot of opportunity in Navarre
in the next few years with Cross Country.
Montgomery believes Navarre is getting great
racing experience with the senior captains, and
said she believes he can be one of the top runners
in the state by his senior year.
Above just breaking records, Navarre said that
friendships and teamwork are an important part
of being on a team and working together as one.
“To me, it honestly means good friendship. To
me, that’s one of the big keys. You can’t just be on
a team and be by yourself. Having that good bond
with the other team will really help you in a race,”
he said. “Not just the practice and mindset, but
having people with you is a big part of actually
being on the Cross Country team.”
Navarre said he can see himself with
Cross Country in the future, and hopes
it will help him in getting accepted to
colleges if his times will allow him.
“In the future, I see myself being in the top,
like my true potential opened,” Navarre said.
“Outside of high school, I can see myself
running in college, potentially going to a
decent college if they’ll let me in with my
times. I think it could get me really far.”

BOYS JUNIOR
VARSITY
Senior Sa ra Michalik brea ks old-set record
BASKETBALL By Maggie Carron
PAGE EDITOR
Home game against
Senior Sarah Michalik qualified for states in girls
Chippewa Valley varsity Cross Country and has been added to the list
High School on for the top 10 fastest 21 century runners at North.
Tuesday, Dec. 4. at “I’m very excited because it’s my first year going
5:30 p.m. in the gym (to states) and it’s definitely a cool way to round off
my senior year,” Michalik said.
Kickstarting her freshman year, Michalik joined
Cross Country to be with her friends. She said she
knew how great and how close the team developed, so
she decided to be a part of it. The group takes part in
many activities to create lasting connections between
BOYS VARSITY teammates, such as pasta parties and team sleepovers.
SWIMMING Michalik believes friendships within the team not
only help inspire each other, but also make sure that
they learn to support one another no matter what.
Home meet at 6 p.m. “My teammates give me motivation (when running). We
on Tuesday, Dec. 4 are all just really close and encouraging to each other,”
at the pool against
Avondale High
School
Michalik said. “We always pick each other back up.”
Junior and fellow varsity runner Sarah Seagram
looks to Michalik for inspiration and motivation to
improve her running.
“(While) working with her last year and
throughout this summer, Sara has really
pushed me to become a better runner because
she is our number one runner,” Seagram said.
Since joining the team, Michalik said she worked
extremely hard to get to the level she is at now. The
amount of training she puts in, despite the weather
being a challenge, has helped her achieve the goals
she sets for the season. A big accomplishment she has
made was beating her time from last year. For most,
going from a runner to an elite runner is a very difficult
transition, but her times prove the level of improvement
Michalik has accomplished as an athlete.
“I really wanted to get a barrier breaker,
which is just beating my best time from last
year,” Michalik said. “That was my main goal
which I accomplished. Freshman year, I started
by running a 30 minute, and then I was able to
run a 19.27 so I improved in my time.”
Varsity and junior varsity coach Elizabeth Michaels
is not only impressed, but inspired by her runner. She
enjoys how all of the runners inspire each other and
put in the effort together. She is proud to see Michalik
improve as an athlete and in many other aspects.
“I feel so proud and inspired. She is such a
hard worker, so motivated, reflective and school
oriented,” Michaels said. “It is so cool to see
her set goals, and go after them, and when
she doesn’t make them she just recovers and
just keeps trying, which is really inspiring.”

BOYS VARSITY
WRESTLING

Away tournament
at Ferndale High
School against
multiple opponents
on Saturday, Dec. 8
at a.m.
GROWTH | Michalik’s coaches are very proud of her. “She has totally TEAM WORK | Michalik admits that her team isnpires her everyday to
changed as an athlete. She has gone from a runner to an elite run- push to be a better runner. “We are all just really close and encourag-
ner and it’s a hard transition to make but she has come a long way,” ing to each other. We pick each other back up,” Michalik said.
Michaels said.

QUICK HITS Three sports, with three

players in three columns
By: Julia Magnan
INTERN

Varsity Volleyball with Regan Sliwinski
Senior Regan Sliwinski,
who was inspired by her
mom to pursue a career
in volleyball, has been
playing it all throughout her
childhood. Her mother has
inf luenced her by coaching
her for many years, and has
also been one of her number
one supporters.
Sliwinski doesn’t just
have a love for volleyball
specifically, but rather for
a multitude of sports. While
she is interested in basketball
as well, she decided to focus
on volleyball year round,
partly because of all the
previous training she has
been given by her mother.
“If I were to play another
sport, I would probably
be playing basketball year
round, but I play volleyball
year round,” Sliwinski
said. “ I have been playing
volleyball all throughout my
childhood, (which is why)
I chose it (over the other).”
JV B Soccer with Michael Villenueve
To freshman Michael
Villeneuve, getting immersed
in soccer is the best part of
playing the sport. Playing
for 8 years, he feels his
connection with the sport is
one that has grown over time,
and one that will continue to
grow.
“It’s always been a passion
of mine,” Villeneuve said,
“It’s always just been fun to
play with people I know and
get immersed in the game.”
Although the season didn’t
quite go as planned, it was
still a hit in Villeneuve’s eyes.
“Well, we only won one game,
but that didn’t mean the season
wasn’t enjoyable,” he said.
He believes his team has
come a long way since the
beginning of the season and
that even though the season
was not as successful as it
has been in the past, it was
nonetheless important.
“The team still improved
a lot from where it began,”
Villeneuve said, which is
why he thinks it was still
significant, providing an
opportunity for everyone
to learn and grow their
skill sets along the way.
Varsity Girls Ice Hockey with Mackenzie Stockwell
Ju n ior Macken zie when he was you nger so I
Stock wel l has be en t hought I’d g ive it a t r y.”
playi ng ice hockey for A lt hough playi ng
fou r yea rs, a nd has be en hockey is a passion t hat
apa r t of Nor t h’s tea m r u ns t h rough her fa m i ly,
si nce her f resh ma n yea r. Stock wel l wou ld prefer
Stock wel l was not t he to ke ep it at a hobby a nd
f i rst g i rl i n her fa m i ly to as not h i ng more. “I play
play hockey. She says her be cause I love t he spor t ,
g reatest i n f luence is her but playi ng pro has never
sister, who pla ns to play rea l ly crosse d my m i nd.”
for col lege, a nd work s
ha rd to be t he best player
she ca n be ever yd ay.
“I chose hockey be cause
it was a spor t most g i rls
d id n’t play,” Stock wel l
sa id. “My d ad playe d