Out of just 32 Class B finalists for the statewide MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award announced Tuesday, four of them were Whitehall students.
Vikings Ryan Goodrich and Brady Tate were among the boys finalists, and Cami Kraai and Grace McDowell were girls finalists.
In its 36th year, the Scholar-Athlete program honors high-achieving student-athletes from all over the state. Eight of the 32 finalists will receive $2,000 scholarships underwritten by Farm Bureau Insurance. Class B scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 11.
Three of the four Vikings come from education families: McDowell's father Jerry is the retired former superintendent of Whitehall District Schools; Tate's father Brad is an NBC Middle School teacher, Montague's high school golf coach and a former Scholar-Athlete winner himself, and his mother Susan is a Whitehall teacher (Brady's sister Allison also won an MHSAA scholarship in 2023); and Goodrich's parents, Dave and Carrie, are both Whitehall High School employees and coaches, with Dave a teacher and Carrie a counselor.
Goodrich is a three-sport athlete for the Vikings, playing football, wrestling and baseball. His senior sports season was cut short this year by a knee injury during the football season, but he was still named an all-state first team performer at linebacker by the state coaches' association.
Tate is a leading golfer and tennis player for the Vikings. Tate played No. 2 singles for the Whitehall team that qualified for state this fall and was one of Whitehall's top scorers last spring on the course.
McDowell plays golf, basketball and tennis for the Vikings. She qualified for state as a senior in golf and finished in 21st place, and was No. 1 singles player for the tennis team last spring.
Kraai is a cross-country and track star for the Vikings. Kraai is a three-time state qualifier in the 800-meter run in track and also qualified for state in cross country in 2023.
