Eight Exceptional High School Athletes to Watch In 2023-24

Students from Traverse City, Benzie, Buckley, Cadillac, and Gaylord are on the list

By Craig Manning | Sept. 2, 2023

A football player bound for a Big Ten powerhouse. A basketball star breaking high school records set decades ago by an eventual NBA legend. A golf prodigy who was already one of the state’s best players during her freshman and sophomore seasons.

These sentences describe just a few of the marvelous student-athletes that northern Michigan gets to count among its ranks.

With fall sports underway and another school year in the offing, here are eight local athletes that we’ll be following closely throughout the 2023-24 school year.

Natalie Bourdo

School: Traverse City Central High school
Sports: Tennis and volleyball
Graduation year: 2024

Proudest accomplishment: Given that Bourdo is one of those rare star high school athletes who excels almost equally in two different sports, it’s hardly surprising that she says her proudest accomplishment so far is “being a four-year varsity player” in both tennis and volleyball.

Goal for the year: “My goal is to keep improving and grow as both a player and a leader,” Bourdo tells Northern Express.

Next steps: Bourdo isn’t ready to give up either of her athletic pursuits. “I am planning on playing club volleyball in college and continuing to play tennis for the rest of my life,” she says.

Why we’re watching: On the tennis court, Bourdo was one-half of an exciting dynamo of talent last season, teaming with her best friend—2023 graduate Isabella Fochtman—as the Trojans’ top doubles team. Together, the two tallied a 23-6 season, clinching the Big North Conference championship and a regional title before losing to Troy in the quarterfinals of the Division 1 state championships. Their strong performances were instrumental in adding a 41st year to Central’s streak of consecutive state finals appearances.

In addition, Bourdo was part of a Trojan volleyball team that made it all the way to the regional finals last season. Rockford ultimately kept Central from a win, but Bourdo and her teammates—many of whom are returning from last year’s lineup—are adamant about building an even better season this fall. If they can win a regional title, it would be a historic first for the Central volleyball program.

In both sports, we’re excited to see whether Bourdo can improve upon strong junior seasons to reach even higher highs this school year.

Aiden Harrand

School: Buckley High School
Sports: Cross country, basketball, softball, track and field
Graduation year: 2024

Proudest accomplishment: Harrand’s favorite feat so far, she says, is “pulling off the distance triple”—that is, winning titles in the 800, 1600, and 3200-meter races at last year’s Division 4 state track and field finals—to lead Buckley to its first-ever state title in track.

Goal for the year: “Last year I was aiming for the goal of running 4:49 in the 1600, and I accomplished that,” Harrand says. The goal for this year? Simple: Run even faster!

Next steps: Next year, Harrand will join another northern Michigan running phenom—2023 Benzie Central grad Hunter Jones—at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, where she’ll run cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track.

Why we’re watching: Last season’s distance triple—and the historic state title it helped bring home to Buckley—are reasons enough to be excited for Harrand’s senior season. But the star runner is also much more than that one (very consequential) track meet. Harrand tallied four personal bests during the 2023 track season (58.88 in the 400 meters, 2:11.46 in the 800, 4:49.71 in the 1600, and 10:54.9 in the 3200), and all of that was after a 2022 cross-country season that saw her win 11 out of 12 races—including a Division 4 individual state title.

As the latest in a recent crop of superb local runners—from Benzie Central’s Jones to 2022 Traverse City Central grads Luke Venhuizen and Julia Flynn—Harrand is keeping the region’s presence at the top of the state running hierarchy alive. All three of those athletes clocked best-ever performances during their senior seasons, so it stands to reason that Harrand’s final high school year should be something to behold.

Brandon Meyers

School: Traverse City West Senior High
Sport: Hockey
Graduation year: 2024

Proudest accomplishment: Meyers shares two accomplishments he’s particularly proud of in the context of Titan hockey: being named captain of the team and making the Division 1 all-state second team last season.

Goal for the year: “As a team, my goal is for us to win the Big North Conference—and win a regional championship,” Meyers says. “Individually, my goals are to be all-state first team, make Team Michigan, and sign to a junior hockey team for next season.”

Next steps: Meyers has his eyes on a junior hockey career immediately after high school, in hopes of eventually receiving an offer to play for a D1 college program. “When my playing career is over, I would like to pursue coaching,” he adds.

Why we’re watching: Last year, West got off to a rocky start, losing six games straight to start the season and only scoring nine goals combined across those contests. But the Titans found their groove as the season went on, notching huge victories over schools like Gaylord and Petoskey (both 8-0 shutouts) and winning their “Battle of the Paddle” rivalry against Big Rapids 4-1 to end the season.

Meyers was instrumental in that turnaround, leading the Titans in goals scored (19) and adding 20 assists, to participate in a total 39 points across West’s 25-game season. The Gaylord game was the crowning achievement, with Meyers scoring five of the eight goals and assisting in the other three.

Now a captain, Meyers is hoping to use last season’s promise as a springboard for an even better year. His lofty ambitions to make Team Michigan—the combined state squad that “represents Michigan high school hockey against the top high school hockey states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, & North Dakota) at the CCM NIT Tournament in Minnesota”—should make the senior forward’s year even more exciting. That tournament draws scouts from the NHL, junior hockey leagues, and Division 1 university programs, so it could be just the opportunity Meyers is looking for.

Carissa Musta

School: Cadillac Senior High School
Sport: Volleyball
Graduation year: 2024

Proudest accomplishment: The Cadillac volleyball team had its best season in history last year, with the Vikings taking their first trip ever to the Division 2 state championship finals. The team ultimately fell to North Branch in the big game, but Musta still points to the banner season—and specifically, the runner-up state finish—as the biggest athletic accomplishment of her career so far.

Goal for the year: This season, Musta has her mind set on winning a conference title for Cadillac and “making it down to Battle Creek again” for another crack at a state title.

Next steps: “I have no definite future plans, but may end up playing at the college level,” Musta tells Northern Express.

Why we’re watching: Cadillac’s opponents—including North Branch in the state finals—consistently struggled to find a way to get around Musta, who stands 6-foot-4 and plays as middle hitter. In the championship match alone, she recorded 16 kills and seven blocks. She was even more dominant (17 kills and nine blocks) against Divine Child in the semifinals, which Cadillac won in five sets. Musta ultimately ended the season with 505 kills, 189 blocks, and D2 all-state honors.

Even though the Vikings went home without a trophy last year, the state tournament weekend was a big one for Musta—especially after she’d watched from home the previous season, recovering from COVID-19 as her team got eliminated in the semifinals. Now, the question is whether Musta can lead a talented Cadillac team to the state championship title that eluded the Vikings last season. If we were betting types, we’d bet yes.

Brady Pretzlaff

School: Gaylord High School
Sports: Football and basketball
Graduation year: 2024

Proudest accomplishment: A superb 2022 football season earned Pretzlaff first-team all-state honors from the Associated Press and, eventually, a full-ride athletic scholarship from the University of Minnesota. He points to both as high-water marks of his sports career so far.

Goal for the year: “I want to win as many games as possible this season,” Pretzlaff says. At minimum, he’s hoping Gaylord can clinch a conference title and make it back to the playoffs. “And from there, we are just looking to make as deep a playoff run as possible,” he adds.

Next steps: As mentioned above, Pretzlaff is off to Minneapolis next year to play Division 1 college football for the University of Minnesota.

Why we’re watching: Gaylord football had something to prove last season. The Blue Devils hadn’t had a winning football record since 2018 and entered the 2022-23 school year with three rough campaigns—a pair of 2-7 seasons in 2019 and 2021 and an abbreviated 1-6 run in 2020—fresh in their collective memories.

Fortunately for Gaylord, the football program had a few exceptionally gifted juniors come into their own last season, Pretzloff included. The star linebacker led a stellar defensive line (coached, incidentally, by Brady’s dad) that allowed just 157 points across 10 games—compared to over 240 points allowed on average for the previous three seasons. Pretzloff himself racked up 115 tackles, five sacks, and two interceptions, including a late-in-the-game interception in the season opener that allowed the Blue Devils to win a 15-14 comeback thriller against Lake Fenton.
Now, with 21 of last season’s 22 starters returning for 2023, we have a feeling Gaylord might be in for its best football season.

We won’t be the only ones watching Pretzloff this season. The senior was recently dubbed “northern Michigan’s most elite football talent” and “one of the top 20 best players in the entire state,” by MLive, and his status as a committed recruit (and scholarship athlete) for a Big Ten football powerhouse will surely draw eyes.

Anthony Ribel

School: Traverse City Central High School
Graduation year: 2024
Sport: Basketball

Proudest accomplishment: Ribel has a few feathers in his cap that he’s particularly proud of. One is starting for the Trojans as a Division 1 basketball star every year of high school. Another is making the Associated Press all-state second team last season. His proudest accomplishment, though? In March, Ribel eclipsed 1,000 points in his high school basketball career.

Goal for the year: Last season, the Trojans beat Petoskey 71-64 in a thrilling overtime game to clinch their first Division 1 district championship in 17 years. That win followed a last-minute come-from-behind win over Sault Area to win the quarterfinals and a double-overtime victory against Marquette in the semifinals. Central’s season ultimately ended in a 64-47 loss to Mount Pleasant in the regional semifinals, despite 22 points, four rebounds, and two assists by Ribel. This season, he’s dedicated to taking the next step and winning the Trojans a long-awaited regional championship.

Next steps: Ribel says he’s looking forward to “playing college basketball in the future,” though he doesn’t know where just yet. “I also plan to study business, possibly finance,” he adds.

Why we’re watching: Are you familiar with the name Dan Majerle? Of course you are. As perhaps the most famous alumnus of any northern Michigan high school, “Thunder Dan” went from a successful career with the Trojans to an All Star NBA career and even an Olympic bronze medal. Well, last season, Ribel scored over 600 points to break Majerle’s junior season scoring record. He’s one of the few players in Central history to pass the 1,000-point threshold, and to do it as a junior. With those stats—and numerous games last season with more than 30 points in a night—we can’t wait to see what senior year holds for TC Central’s new god of thunder.

Grace Slocum

School: Traverse City St. Francis High School
Sport: Golf, cross country, track, hockey
Graduation year: 2025

Proudest accomplishment: Slocum says her proudest accomplishment so far is simply “being able to balance several sports while also maintaining a high academic focus.”

Goal for the year: “For this golf season, I would like to lower my tournament average and improve my performance in the larger tournaments,” Slocum says.

Next steps: The only underclassman on this list, Slocum still has another two years of high school—and thus, a lot of time to figure out her post-graduation plans. “But I would love to keep playing golf in college if there is a good fit,” she shares.

Why we’re watching: We’re going to make a prediction: Grace Slocum will bring home an individual state title by the time her high school golf career is over.

The St. Francis phenom very nearly did just that last fall, shooting 72 and 79 over two rounds to clinch third place in the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 4 girls golf finals—just two strokes off the lead.

Though Slocum was just a sophomore last year, that podium finish was her second top-10 state finals performance. As a freshman, she shot 81 and 85-stroke rounds—good for eighth place. With two seasons left to go—and with the strong improvement Slocum showed between freshman and sophomore year—the sky seems to be the limit for this St. Francis standout. Slocum’s strong play is also helping to elevate her team. At last year’s D4 finals, the Gladiators finished 10th, tying the best result in program history.

While golf is her forte, Slocum somehow finds time to be a four-sport athlete. For instance, while golf and cross country are each fall sports, she competes in both. Last fall, she even finished 33rd in the Division 3 cross country state meet—and third for the Gladiators—to help St. Francis claim a state championship title. She also runs track and plays hockey for the K-Stars, a club team based in Kalkaska.

Danny Wallington

School: Benzie Central
Sports: Football, baseball, and wrestling
Graduation year: 2024

Proudest accomplishment: Though he’s a busy three-sport athlete, Wallington is proudest of being named an all-state catcher last season; he was the lone all-state athlete on Benzie’s baseball team, which had a banner year and is eyeing an even better one in 2024.

Goal for the year: Wallington wants to “bat over .500” during the upcoming baseball season, which would mean getting a hit during at least half of his at-bats.

Next steps: Baseball is Wallington’s top focus this school year. He says he’s ready to start contacting “a bunch of coaches,” with the hopes of landing an offer to play college ball next year.

Why we’re watching: Benzie Central is quietly becoming an athletic powerhouse. During the 2022-23 school year, the school achieved some of its best-ever performances in multiple sports, baseball included. Wallington led the Huskies to a 22-16 winning record, a district championship title, and a spot in the regional championship game. He batted 0.478—the best on the entire team—and scored 30 runs while driving in an additional 35 runs. All-state honors followed, and Wallington is ready to repeat them and improve upon last season’s successes when baseball rolls back around in the spring.

In the meantime, though, Wallington has some other work to do—first, as starting quarterback for Benzie’s varsity football team. On the gridiron, Wallington stepped into the quarterback position for the first time ever last season, and the result was the Huskies’ first appearance in a district championship in 19 years. This year, with more experience as QB under his belt, Wallington has his mind set on taking things a step further and winning that district title.