The season started off strong with 15 new athletes joining the team, 10 freshmen and five from other varying grades.
“The boys’ team accomplished more than what was hoped for,” said Captain Luke Suliman (‘24). “Qualifying for regionals was a major longshot, [and] thankfully everyone helped contribute to the team on that day which was the most important day on the ‘calendar’.”
The boys’ cross country team began the year seeded 7th in the region and finished 3rd. Some of the standout runners in each grade include Suliman, who ran 15:34, and Mason Jett (‘24) with a time of 15:52. Bruno Cifaldi (‘26) ran 16:57, and Matthew Guikema (‘27) ran 17:14. “[My] favorite memory was seeing everyone enjoy the process of training and watching people begin to truly enjoy the sport,” said Suliman.
In her fourth year coaching the team, Skyline Girls’ Cross Country Head Coach Serena Kessler said, “A highlight from this year is our 10th place finish at the Jackson Invitational and a 4th place finish at the Holly Invitational where we beat our regional rival, Dexter.”
At the second SEC Red Jamboree, Allison Mayer (‘24) ran 18:37.5 for 4th, making her the second fastest in Skyline program history. Skyline finished fourth at the SEC Red Championship and third at Regionals.
At the 2023 MHSAA Cross Country State Finals on November 4th, Skyline’s top runner was Becca van Lent (‘27) with a time of 19:01, a personal best, making her the third fastest D1 freshman in the state. Van Lent also set a Skyline freshman record this season.
Mayer, van Lent, and Irie Scrase (‘27) raced at the Michigan Meet of Champions where they finished 83rd, 84th, and 92nd respectively.
Skyline Crew rowed in three regattas and a scrimmage this fall. “The team was faster on average this year than year in the past,” said rower Luke Jordan (‘24).
The team hosted Head of the Gallup, where they won the girl’s varsity and junior varsity (VJV, any rower except novices) quad and JV eight.
At the Arctic Classic, Jordan and Keria Hale (‘25) stood out, each winning their single by 12 seconds. “The guy that won states last year, I beat by 12 seconds,” said Jordan. Skyline dominated the regatta winning half of the 26 races; on the boys’ side, they took the varsity and JV singles and doubles, VJV four and novice quad; the girls’ took the varsity single, varsity and JV double, JV four, novice and VJV quad, and JV eight.
They ended their season at the Blake Haxton Regatta in Columbus, where Hale and Alex Harrington (‘25) dominated the girls’ varsity double by 55 seconds, and Jordan and Leo Castilho (‘25) came out on top in the boys’ varsity double. They also won the girls’ varsity quad and took second and third in the boys’ varsity quad. “The team definitely had a strong fall season,” said captain Sarah Shriberg (’24), “[at] the Blake Haxton regatta … we had a lot of impressive medaling and overall really good results.”
Skyline Football had a rough season this year, going 1-8, but still making progress from last year’s winless season. “The beginning of the year started off shaky due to coaching changes,” said Football team captain Coleman Grengs (‘24), “but everyone on the team was committed to creating a tight-knit bond with one another.”
Skyline started the season off with a win against Burton Bentley 30-18, which “gave [them] a lot of confidence going into conference play,” said Grengs. Injuries hindered the team early in the season, but Grengs was “still really proud of how the team responded.”
This season won’t go down as the best in Skyline Football history, but more was accomplished than was shown by their record. “The team really became a family by the end of the season. My time is over with Skyline Football,” said Grengs, “but I’m still confident in the future of [the program] to use the adversity we faced this season as motivation.”
Skyline Field Hockey found much success this year finishing 16-3-2. The team went 1-2 at the Max Field Hockey High School National Invitational, which featured the top two teams from each state across the country.
Skyline pulled off two regular-season wins against Pioneer, beating them 5-1 and 6-4. “It felt really good to win against them and beat them,” said Captain Cami Wiseman (‘24).
They made it to the State Championship game, but Pioneer scored in the last quarter, handing a 1-2 loss to the Eagles. “We fought really hard,” said varsity player Maeve Kilbride (‘27), “and even though it didn’t go our way we will forever remember this season.”
Sadie Schultz (‘24), Maddy Ellies (‘24), Coco Courtright (‘24), Chiara Bichakjian (‘24), and Wiseman all took All-State First Team honors while Lilly Shannon (‘24) made the All-State Second Team. Courtright was named 2023 Michigan Player of the Year.
“It went really well. I had a lot of fun, it was a lot of personal best for everyone on the team,” said Vedha Karkala (26’), who hit a hole-in-one against Marian High School, when asked how she felt the season went. Girls’ Golf started the season off playing at Hartland Glen GC, and out of a total of 23 teams they placed sixth. They later went on to win and place high in the Jim Sander Memorial Tournament, Inverness CC, and the Hudson Mills Tournament.
The team competed in the regional tournament on October 9th. They fell just short of the top three placements necessary to qualify for the State Tournament. Nevertheless, reflecting on their season, the team has much to be proud of.
Skyline placed third after a tight team battle with Saline at the SEC Red Championships, with Pioneer taking first and Saline second.
Seven swimmers and three divers qualified individually for the 2023 MHSAA Division 2 State Meet, where they placed fourth overall as a team. That meet was highlighted by Adrienne Schadler (‘27), who took a state title in the 200 freestyle and placed second in the 500 freestyle.
The squad of Allie Deininger (‘24), Shannen Lee (‘24), Sofia Torres (‘25), and Schadler placed second in the 200 relay and third in the 400 free relay. Deininger had some impressive individual finishes, earning All-State Honors by placing fourth in the 100 freestyle and seventh in the 50 freestyle. Diver Teagan McCallion (‘26) placed eighth on the boards, netting yet another All-State Hono
Boys’ Soccer was hard at work this season going 7-5-1, highlighted by a 2-1 win over Huron and a 3-0 win against Pioneer. Varsity fell short in the district final against Saline, losing 3-0 against the Hornets.
The team had seven regular-season wins, beating rivals Huron, Pioneer, Saline, and Dexter. “I’m always excited to play our big rivals, like Dexter, Huron, and Saline, because the stands always have a lot of supporters,” said varsity player Kareem Almadani (‘27). “It’s always really fun.”
Finishing second in the SEC Red this season was a pleasant surprise. “We have a very young squad so we didn’t expect to do as good as we did,” said Captain Matthew Zwolensky (‘24). “I’m very proud.”
Boys’ Tennis Varsity and JV teams both ended with winning records of 9-5-2 and 9-3 respectively. “We have a really new team,” said Varsity Head Coach Zosia Casterline. “Making sure that all the players and pieces fit together was kind of something I was a little nervous about at the start of the season.”
Varsity had big wins against Huron and Brother Rice. They tied for first place with Pioneer At Regionals where second and fourth doubles both won. The second and third singles also won. Their season ended with a loss at States.
The JV squad had some very memorable highlights this season including beating Pioneer for the first time in about ten years. “That [was] a great win,¨ said JV Head Coach Chris Theriot.
With the loss of nationally acclaimed superstar Harper Murray, the Skyline Girls’ Volleyball Team had to find their footing without her this season. Skyline had a great start to the regular season with a series of wins against Monroe, Ypsilanti, Lincoln, and Dexter. They finished the 2023 season with a winning record, 12-7.
For most sports at Skyline, their biggest rival is either Pioneer or Huron. However, for volleyball, it’s Saline. “They’ve been our biggest rival all four years that I’ve been here,” said Kate Maley (’24). After losing to their rival, Saline, in the district finals during the state tournament, the team is ready for a rematch next season.
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