Grosse Pointe News - Local History Archives

GROSSE POINTE NEWS, AUGUST 9, 2012
4A
NEWS
POINTER OF INTEREST
McNelis ready to dive for Yale
By Bob St. John
Sports Editor
Grosse Pointe North's
James McNelis is taking
his diving to the collegiate
level.
The 18-year-old graduate
narrowed his choice to
University of Michigan,
Harvard and Yale. After
taking his official visits, it
was Yale all the way.
"I'm very excited about
attending Yale and diving
for a Division 1 school,"
McNelis said. "It's a great
opportunity and I can't
refuse."
McNelis' new head
coach is Tim Wise, who
led the Bulldogs to a 6-2
record a year ago. This is
Wise's third season at the
helm. One of Yale's assistant
coaches is Chris
Bergere, who was U-M's
head coach for eight years
and coaches several topnotch
collegiate divers.
McNelis moves to Yale
Aug. 26 and school starts
soon after. His first collegiate
meet is Oct. 27 at
Colgate in a tri-meet with
Lehigh.
The long season continues
through Dec. 1, then a
month-long hiatus follows.
When the holidays
are over, McNelis and the
Bulldogs continue the
schedule competing
against Ivy League foe
Cornell at Ithaca, N.Y,
Jan. 7.
The Ivy League Championships
run Feb. 28
through March 2 at
Providence, R.I., and the
NCAA Zone Diving takes
place March 8 to 10.
The NCAA Championships
are set for March 21
to 23.
i4 afe
"Yale is the best, fiffor
me with great coaches
and teammates," McNelis
said. "I have been training
hard during the summer
to improve my diving and
ready myself for NCAA
competition."
He was the No. 1 diving
recruit in the nation for
Yale. He earned Ail-
American diving status at
North, plus made All-
State in diving his junior
and senior years. He
missed earning All-State
honors his sophomore
year by less than one
point.
His high school diving
coach was Tom Mulhern,
who also dove while at
Indiana University. Other
diving coaches who have
been influential in
McNelis' development
are five-time Olympic
coach and 43-year diving
coach at U-M, Dick
Kimball, as well as threetime
Chinese Olympic
diver and present U-M
diving coach, KZ Li.
"I am fortunate to have
such great coaches to
push me to become a better
diver," McNelis said. "I
want to be the best I can
and these coaches make
sure I reach my potential."
During his senior year
as captain of the North
boys' swimming and diving
team, McNelis finished
fourth in the finals
with 397.95 points. St.
Johns' Brennan LaBar
won the title with 453.10
points, followed by
Berkley's Elliot Liftman
with 440.75 and
Birmingham Groves'
Aaron Harris with 421.70.
"The guys who finished
ahead of me at states are
very good divers,"
McNelis said. "It was a
solid meet for me."
In the 2010.state finals,
McNelis placed ninth
with 356.10 points.
McNelis played other
sports at North, including
James McNelis
football and tennis. He also
played football in middle
school.
However, when push
came to shove, McNelis
gave up other sports to focus
on diving. The extra
work paid off.
When he graduated
from North, McNelis
earned the U.S. Army
Scholar Athlete Award,
Scott Paavola Memorial
Athletic Award and
Scholar Athlete.
He competed at the
USA Nationals in diving
for Michigan Diving
Academy, too.
His dedication also
came in the classroom
where he graduated with
a 4.18 grade point average.
McNelis earned an AP
Scholar award, GPN
Parents Club Scholarship,
2011 National Council of
Teachers of English
Achievement Award in
Writing, scholarships to
study art at Cranbrook
Art Institute's 2010 and
2011 summer art programs,
Grosse Pointe
North Outstanding
Achievement Award for
Junior Level English and
Grosse Pointe North
Modern - and Classical
Langu£g|bs Awards for
Spanish IV
Other awards he won
include certificates, silver
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF PHILIP MCNELIS
James McNelis has been an All-State diver at Grosse Pointe North and heads to
Yale University to continue his athletic career.
keys and gold keys for
drawing, along with several
others in art. He was
also a four-time winner of
Great Frame Up Creative
Self-Expression Award
and William Mitchell
Language Arts Award.
He is in the North
Academic Hall of Fame
for earning a grade point
average above a 4.0 and a
member of Phi Beta
Kappa.
McNelis is working out
in preparation for his
freshman year of diving at
Yale and ready for the
tough academic standards
of the Ivy League
institution.
He is also spending
quality time with his parents,
Philip and Julia, and
brother, William, before
leaving for New Haven at
the end of this month.
City-Farms Fishing
Rodeo set Saturday
GROSSE POINTE the first fish, largest fish
FARMS AND CITY — and largest game fish.
Organizers of the Grosse Sponsors are:
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Family Fishing Rodeo Childrens Hospital
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breakfast of doughnuts,
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hot dogs, chips and pop.
• 10:30 a.m.: Awards
ceremony, free prizes for
all, free mountain bike
raffle and drawings of
prizes for parents.
Contestants provide
their own fishingpoles.
Prizes and trophies are
awarded to catchers of
Mark Sanford family
Kolojeski family
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Tom Graves family
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Jim Farquhar family
John Shook of Fifth
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Grosse Pointe Farms
Crowthers Carpet &
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Greco Tide Agency.
Grosse Pointe Florists -
Moe's Bait Shop
Grosse Pointe Farms
Boat Club
Grosse Pointe News
Harper Sport Shop
Higbie Maxon Agney
Realtors
Jerry's Club Party Store
Merit-Woods Pharmacy
Lund Distributing
National Coney Island
Farms Pier Park
Concession Stand
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Whistle Stop Hobby
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Wilson & Cain, PA.
"Chip" Gibson Painting
Village Kroger
Shane and Sara
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Healthy Living Medical
Supply
Brian Potter family
Leo Beil family
Chris and Sharon
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Christine's Portraits
Mickey and Kathy
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Brian and Juli Suarez
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Grosse Pointe News
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