Linden Athletic Monthly May/June

A Message From the Athletic Director

Wow, what an amazing ending to the 2025-2026 school year from an athletics stand point. Our spring sports teams and individuals did not disappoint and were recognized both as teams and individuals at the state level. We had teams win FML Championships and individual athletes receive All-State recognition. Congratulations to all of our athletes and their parents for having such an amazing year. The work that I see our student athletes put in on a daily basis absolutely pays off!

With that said, to compete at a high level the training has to be done throughout the year, not just during season. I'm a firm believer that great players are made in the off season. Even though I know a lot of our programs are doing summer training now, please don't forget that you are only a kid once and it is okay to take some time for yourself and do family things. Communication with coaches regarding time missed is key! Enjoy your summer and it won't be long before August 11th is here and we are at it again!

Enjoy and Go Eagles!

Yours in Educational Athletics,

Pete Gleason

Athletic Director

Linden Community Schools

Madelyn Ciesielski and Adoniah Delgado were voted Linden's Female and Male State Bank Athletes of the Year.

Linden High School Honors 2026 Choice One Bank Athletes of the Year

Linden High School is proud to recognize Madelyn Ciesielski and Adoniah Delgado as the 2026 Choice One Bank Female and Male Athletes of the Year, honoring two exceptional student-athletes who have excelled in competition, the classroom, and the community.

Madelyn Ciesielski concluded an outstanding volleyball career as a four-year starter, four-time All-League selection, First Team All-League and All-Region honoree, and four-time Athlete of the Week.

A two-year captain, she led with positivity, toughness, and an incredible work ethic while also giving back as a youth volleyball coach and community volunteer. She maintained a 3.5 GPA while taking dual enrollment classes at Mott Community College and was actively involved in FCA, Peer-to-Peer, local food pantry service, and youth programs throughout the Linden community. This fall, she will attend Grand Valley State University to pursue a career as a physician's assistant.

Adoniah Delgado leaves Linden as one of the most accomplished wrestlers in school history. A four-time league champion, two-time district and regional champion, All-State wrestler, and three-year team captain, he finished his career as the school's all-time wins leader while setting the single-season pin record. Off the mat, he maintained a 3.62 GPA, earned his Electrical Certificate through dual enrollment, and devoted countless hours to serving through Village Bible Church, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Snuggle Snacks, youth wrestling, and the Linden Athletic Department. He will continue his wrestling career while studying Electrical Engineering at Indiana Tech.

Both Madelyn and Adoniah embody the very best of Linden High School through their leadership, service, academic achievement, and commitment to excellence. Their impact on the school and community will be felt for years to come, and Linden proudly congratulates them on this well-deserved recognition.

Adoniah Delgado was honored as one of the top athletes in Genesee County for his wrestling accomplishiment and Aiden Moore was honored for his Football, Basketball and Track accomplishments. Good job boys!

The 2026 Track & Field season will be remembered as one of the most successful in recent Linden history. Both the boys and girls programs demonstrated exceptional talent, dedication, and competitive excellence throughout the season, producing league champions, regional medalists, state qualifiers, and multiple school record holders.

Boys Team Highlights

The boys team showcased tremendous depth and speed throughout the season, earning recognition at every level of competition.

• 6 athletes earned All-League honors.
• 8 athletes earned Regional medals.
• 6 athletes qualified for and competed at the MHSAA State Finals.
• 6 additions were made to the Linden Top-10 All-Time Performance List or established new grade-level records.
• 2 new school records were set, with both relay teams earning All-State honors.

New School Records

4x100 Meter Relay – School Record (42.59)

• Dane Hurd
• Aiden Moore
• Braylon Bouwman
• Dylan Dreasky

4x200 Meter Relay – School Record (1:30.04)

• Aiden Moore
• Braylon Bouwman
• Dylan Dreasky
• Dane Hurd

These record-breaking performances highlight the dedication and hard work of a talented group of athletes who represented Linden with pride throughout the season.

Girls Team Highlights

The girls program continued its tradition of excellence, finishing among the top teams in both league and regional competition.

• Finished 2nd in the Flint Metro League.
• Finished 3rd at the Regional Meet.
• 11 athletes earned All-League honors.
• 12 athletes earned Regional medals.
• 10 athletes qualified for and competed at the MHSAA State Finals.
• 12 new performances were added to the Linden Top-10 All-Time Lists.
• 9 indoor or grade-level records were broken.
• 3 school records were established.

New School Records

3200 Meter Run

• Addison Josephson – 11:23.54

Discus

• Elena Boss – 120'5"

4x800 Meter Relay – 9:39.84

• Sidney Shepard
• Emma Durling
• Courtney Floeter
• Addison Josephson

A Season to Remember

The accomplishments of the 2026 Linden Track & Field teams are a testament to the commitment of our student-athletes, coaches, and families. From league championships and regional success to state-level competition and record-breaking performances, this season exemplified what it means to be an Eagle.

Congratulations to all of our athletes and coaches on an outstanding year. The future of Linden Track & Field remains incredibly bright.

COACH BEN COX

Dylan Dreasky, Dane Hurd, Braylon Bouwman and Aiden Moore on the podium at the MHSAA State Finals. They not only broke the school records this year in the 4x100 and the 4x200 relays they also finished All-State. Congratulations boys....Go Eagles!

Linden Softball turned in another standout campaign in 2026, finishing 24-15 despite replacing six starting seniors from the 2025 roster, four of whom advanced to play college softball. The Eagles remained ranked by the Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association throughout the season for the third consecutive year and proved competitive from start to finish, with seven of their 15 losses decided by a single run.

Linden’s season was highlighted by a number of individual honors and memorable performances. Freshman Addison Piotrovsky earned First Team All-Conference recognition after batting .500 and setting two Linden single-season records with 30 walks and a .616 on-base percentage. Junior Tessa Zilisch was named Second Team All-Conference as a pitcher following an 11-win season with a sub-3.00 ERA, while freshman catcher Kendall Jeric also earned Second Team All-Conference honors after hitting .383 and driving in a team-best 49 runs. In the outfield, Lilly Ciesielski and Olivia Turvey received Second Team and Third Team All-Conference recognition, respectively, and Addison Siegwald anchored the infield with 142 defensive chances while posting a .475 on-base percentage. Linden also placed four players on the All-District team: Addison Piotrovsky, Addison Siegwald, Tessa Zilisch, and Lilly Ciesielski.

The Eagles opened the season in dramatic fashion during a snowstorm, when Zilisch delivered a walk-off three-run home run against Brighton, and closed the year with a strong showing in the district championship game, where Linden came up just short in a 2-0 loss. Other season highlights included a thrilling comeback victory over Fenton after trailing 3-2 in the top of the seventh inning and a tightly contested 2-1 game against league champion Clio in which Siegwald recorded 11 plays at shortstop.

The Junior Varsity program proved solid this year with a 26-6-1 record and was guided thoughtfully by head coach Randy Oryszczk and his daughter Chelsea. The improvement shown by the JV girls is encouraging for the future. Some highlights included a sweep of Howell, and a triple play pulled off vs. Armada, and on the final day of the season a win vs Davison!

Linden’s Varsity roster featured seven freshmen, one sophomore, five juniors, and four seniors, underscoring both the team’s youth and its promise for the future. The program also recognized its senior class of Lily Guntharp, who will continue her softball career at Schoolcraft College, Kyla Harding, an Academic All-State honoree, Miranda Richardson, and Hailee Elder.

Linden Softball extends its appreciation to the community, Linden Little League, scorekeeper Corey Piotrovsky, announcer Lance Siegwald, Elizabeth Bontekoe, Katey Schurtz, Rosa Spannagel, Pete Gleason, and the Linden administration for their continued support throughout the season.

GO EAGLES!!!!!!

COACH DARLING

The Linden Boys Varsity Golf team had a very successful year. The senior led team finished the Regular Season with a 10-1 record and tied for 1st place in the conference. After a tough fought 3rd place finish at the Postseason Flint Metro League Tournament the team finished 2nd overall in the conference. At the MHSAA Regional Tournament the team finished Top-10 with Lucas Sensor barely missing out on qualifying individually for the State Finals by only 1 stroke. Throughout the year the team earned many honors, finishing top-10 at every tournament as well as multiple individual accolades. Lucas Sensor and Pierce Harris earned 1st Team All-Conference while Gabe Titsworth and Weston Teffner earned 2nd Team All-Conference. The JV team also had a very strong year, finishing the season by winning the Kearsley JV Invitational, which will help lead to continued success for the program in the coming years.

Coach Aue and I want to thank the players and the parents for their support.

Coach Tankersley

Linden Lacrosse had a record setting season in 2026. The team stacked up 15 wins, including 11 in a row and went undefeated in the Flint Metro League. We had a regional play victory over Ann Arbor Skyline. Jimmy Koledo scored his 100th career goal this season and Fischer Mlinarich set a school record with 37 assists. Owen Panaretos lead the team with 77 points overall and the team won the sportsmanship award for the Metro League.

Thank you parents, volunteers and players for a great season...Go Eagles!

Coach James

Congratulations to the Linden Varsity Baseball team on completing the 2026 season. The Eagles finished with a 13-20 record and continued to compete with pride and determination throughout the year.

We would also like to recognize three players who earned All-League honors, including one player who was selected All-District.

Congratulations to our players and coaching staff on their hard work and accomplishments this season.

GO EAGLES!

COACH KENNEY

AVERY VANDERWALL, CARLY DAVIS, ALAINNA DIROFF, ABIGAIL ANSPUGH, MIA BROWN , MIAH GUNDERSON, MADLEYN BEHNKE

Linden had 20 high school lacrosse players volunteer their time and work the massive, successful youth lacrosse tournament this past May. Thank you Linden LAX....

Outstanding! #LINDENEAGLEPRIDE

Alex Bickel - Baseball - St. Claire CC

Jalen Babcock - Basketball - Kyper College

Dylan Dreasky - Football - Bowling Green State University

Radon Love - Football - Grand Valley State University

Jimmy Koledo - Lacrosse - Trine University

Maddox Colson - Lacrosse - Trine University

Emma Angus - Soccer- Wayne State University

Kensey Teffner - Soccer - Butler University

Kaylee Modelski - Soccer - Southern Illinois University

https://linden-mi.finalforms.com/

For new users, please create a new account following the process explained on our athletic website:

https://www.lindenschools.org/o/athletics/page/finalforms-parent-playbook

Important info when registering for next year:

• Select the sports and activities your student would like to participate in.
• While you can complete your forms now, your school/state may have additional or updated forms to sign closer to the fall.
• You can always come back and work in the current 2025-2026 year anytime.

Tuffy could be seen everywhere and we could not be more proud.....Great job!

Thank You, Evan Montague – The Heart Behind Tuffy

For years, Linden students, families, and fans have cheered alongside Tuffy, celebrating victories, lifting spirits, and creating memories that will last a lifetime. While everyone knew and loved the mascot, very few knew the incredible person behind it all.

Today, as Evan Montague is revealed as the face behind Tuffy, we want to express our deepest gratitude for his years of selfless service to Linden Community Schools.

Being a mascot isn't about seeking recognition—it's about giving it. It's about bringing energy to every event, making children laugh, encouraging our athletes, and reminding everyone what it means to be proud to be an Eagle. Evan embraced that role with passion, humility, and an infectious enthusiasm that became a cherished part of our school culture.

Whether it was high-fiving young fans, dancing in the student section, celebrating with our teams, or simply brightening someone's day with a wave and a smile, Evan made every appearance special. His commitment went far beyond wearing a costume; he became an ambassador for school spirit and a source of joy for generations of Linden students.

The countless smiles on children's faces, the excitement in our stands, and the memories created at games and community events are all part of the legacy he leaves behind as Tuffy.

On behalf of the entire Linden community, thank you, Evan, for your dedication, your energy, and your willingness to serve without ever asking for the spotlight. You have represented the very best of what it means to be an Eagle, and your impact on our students and community will be remembered for years to come.

Once an Eagle, always an Eagle.

Thank you, Evan Montague, for being the heart behind Tuffy.

Linden Athletics

Email: pgleason@lindenschools.org
Website: https://www.lindenschools.org/o/athletics
Location: 7201 Silver Lake Road, Linden, MI, USA
Phone: 810-591-0417