Second class of Hall of Famers inducted

SECOND CLASS

Year two of NHS HOF includes plenty of legendary Mustangs

By Brad Emons

The second class of inductees into the Northville High Athletics Hall of Fame can only be described as “distinguished.”

This most recent group of honorees – recognized at a dinner and ceremony on Oct. 15 at the Italian American Club of Livonia – featured not only athletes, but also coaches, administrators and teams who made an impact on the Northville community while earning success on and off the field and serving as role models for today’s student-athletes.

Northville athletic director Brian Samulski put together a selection committee. Here’s a capsule look at the 2022 inductees.

KAREN BAIRD

An accomplished threesport athlete, Baird was named basketball MVP (1988) and softball MVP (1989) for the Mustangs.

In softball, she helped Northville to its first WLAA Western Division title in school history (1988) and was named All-Conference. In basketball she helped the Mustangs to the first district crown in school history (1986) and was named All-Western Division. She also played soccer for the Mustangs (1986-87).

In college, she was a threetime All-MIAA selection and league MVP at Albion College.

Baird is currently the head softball coach at Lawrence Tech after being the head coach 10 seasons at Eastern Michigan and six at Albion College.

CLARK COUYOUMJIAN

An accomplished runner, Couyoumjian set the 1,600-meter school track record in 1982 with a time of 4:17 to earn All-State honors after finishing runner-up in the Class A finals. He also held the Cass Benton cross country course 5-kilometer mark of 16:01 set in 1981.

Couyoumjian earned AllWestern Six, All-Regional and All-State with top 10 cross country finishes in 1980 and 1981, while in track he was AllLeague and All-Regional in 1981 and 1982.

A member of the track and cross country teams, Couyoumjian graduated from Central Michigan University in 1986. His son Nick is a senior middle distance runner at Indiana University and former Northville All-Stater.

WES GATES

Gates earned four varsity letters in golf and three in hockey for the Mustangs from 2006-2009, while being named the Mustangs Athlete of the Year in 2009.

In 2009, he was the MHSAA Division 1 golf finals individual medalist while earning AllState Dream Team honors that season. He was also a first-team All-Stater in 2008 and was a four-time All-KLAA and twotime All-Region selection.

In hockey, Gates was named to the 2009 All-State Dream team and was a two-time AllKLAA selection. He helped Northville to No. 1 rankings in both the 2008 and 2009 seasons, while leading the Mustangs to an upset 5-4 win over Novi Detroit Catholic Central in the Division 1 preregional.

Gates went on to have a standout college career at Bowling Green State and played on the professional mini tours in Canada and Florida. He is currently a territory sales rep for Adidas Golf in Philadelphia.

FRED HOLDSWORTH

A standout in both baseball and football, the class valedictorian turned down college scholarship offers in both sports after being drafted in the 21st round by the Detroit Tigers on June 4, 1970.

As a right-handed pitcher for the Mustangs, Holdsworth still holds school records for most wins (13), lowest ERA (0.20) and most strikeouts (186) in a season. He also is only one of three pitchers to throw a nohitter for Northville.

As a three-time WayneOakland League selection, Holdsworth led Northville to two outright and one league co-championship. He was also All-League and All-Area in football as well.

When he made his debut with the Tigers on July 27, 1972, he was the youngest player in the American League. He went on to pitch for the Baltimore Orioles, Montreal Expos and Milwaukee Brewers (where he retired in 1980). In 72 MLB appearances, Holdsworth had a 7-10 overall record and a 4.40 ERA in 182 innings pitched.

JERRY IMSLAND

After earning a total of eight letters, including three in football, three in basketball and two in baseball, Imsland went on to play football at

the University of Michigan where he lettered as a split end in 1968-69 following a oneyear stint at the University of Kentucky.

During his prep football career at Northville, Imsland was named All-League, AllSuburban and made several All-State teams, while setting receiving records for most receptions (15), yards (231) and TD catches (2) in a game. He had the most yards receiving in a career (1,129) and most TDs by the end of his career.

A member of the Class of ’66, Imsland was also prolific in basketball scoring 812 points in 57 career games, including a single-game high of 35. He was a three-time All-League and AllSuburban West selection.

Imsland, who worked as a union rough carpenter, passed away on Oct. 20, 2021 at the age of 73.

LAUREN METAJ

Wearing No. 33, Metaj was a standout for the Mustangs in four different sports including volleyball (1995-97), track (1995-96) and soccer (1994), but is best remembered for her prowess in basketball (199497) where she was a four-year varsity starter.

In 1997, Metaj earned firstteam All-State and Detroit Free Press All-Metro honors in basketball. She was honorable mention All-State (1995 and 1996) and a three-time AllWestern Lakes selection as well. As a freshman she was named All-Division.

Metaj went on to play hoops at Northwood University (19982001) where she still holds the school record for career points (1,465) and steals in a game (10).

RALPH REDMOND

Wearing a variety of hats at NHS, Redmond spent 10 years as the school’s athletic director, 32 years as a track and cross country coach, and 15 years as a JV and assistant varsity football coach. He also served as an assistant principal.

He earned his most success as a coach in track and field guiding the Mustangs to three regional and two league titles. He also guided the Mustangs to a 9-0 JV football record.

MALLORY WEBER

The 2012 Northville High Female Athlete of the Year made her mark in soccer where she was a four-year varsity letter winner, three-time team MVP and captain her junior and senior years.

Weber, a two-time All-Stater and three-time All-KLAA selection, scored a total of 64 goals and added 28 assists, and was a Miss Soccer and Gatorade Player of the Year finalist.

She also played 2½ seasons for the Mustangs basketball team.

After accepting a scholarship to Penn State, Weber was a fouryear starter who helped the Nittany Lions to the 2015 NCAA Division I championship where she was named to the College Cup All-Tournament team. That same year she earned All-Big Ten first-team honors and was a finalist for the Soccer News Net College Boot Award.

During her PSU career, she scored 100 career points (36 goals, 28 assists) and helped her team to three Big Ten titles. She was also first-team All-Big Ten in 2013.

She currently is a member of the Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) after being drafted in the second round by the New York Flash in 2016. She has made 85 NWSL appearances including stints with the Portland Thorns and Utah Royals.

Weber has also played professionally for Adelaide United Football Club of the W-League in Australia and has also been a member of the U.S. Under-20 and U-23 national teams.

PETE WRIGHT

The 1978 Male Athlete of the Year earned a total of seven letters in football, basketball and baseball. In football, Wright was named All-Western Six and All-Area in 1977 and was also All-League and All-Area in baseball where he was team captain in 1978.

Wright also distinguished himself in the coaching ranks where he was the Northville varsity girls basketball coach from 1995-2008 after serving as a JV and varsity assistant from 1984-91.

He guided the Mustangs to Western Lakes divisional titles in 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2001. Northville also won WLAA conference playoff titles in 1996 and 2000.

Wright, who graduated from Michigan Tech and was an engineer in the automotive industry before retiring, currently still serves as the Northville varsity assistant girls basketball coach under Todd Gudith.

1984 GIRLS SOCCER TEAM

Under the direction of coach Stan Smalec, the Mustangs captured the coveted MHSAA Open Class championship with dramatic 5-4 shootout victory over Livonia Stevenson in a match decided by eight penalty kicks on June 2, 1984 at Flint’s Atwood Stadium.

The 17-4-1 Mustangs advanced to the finals with a 5-1 semifinal victory over Kalamazoo Loy Norrix after winning both the district and regional titles.

Members of that 23-member roster included Julie Anger, Jill Berner, Sue Borthwick, Lisa Cahill, Kelly Coutts, Dianne Dragon, Tricia Ducker, Kim Flading, Jill Gallagher, Nicki Grasley, Jill Jensen, Jill Kilner, Kathy Korowin, Jenny Kuffner, Sue LaChance, Kerry Lenaghan, Amy Nieuwkoop, Julie Nowka, Kim Pettit, Roxanne Seraian, Cheryl Spaman, Linda Townsend and Gaynelle Wagner. Doug Lyon also served as an assistant coach.

BILL MCLAUGHLIN

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

A longtime supporter and fan of Northville athletics, McLaughlin was the longtime voice of the Mustangs as their public address announcer as well as team statistician.

McLaughlin was a longtime Northville resident who was involved in Republican Party politics serving as state chairman (1969-79). He was credited with bringing the Republican National Convention to Detroit in 1980 where delegates nominated Ronald Reagan to the first of his two terms as President.

McLaughlin also served thenGov. William Milliken as state commerce director from 197981 and also was president of the Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau from 1981-1995.

Nominations for the fall 2023 class are now open by using the link: https/forms.gle/ u2EiJS3mCNiuFKYi19.