July 2023 Issue of Varsity Monthly Thumb Magazine

NATHAN
FELTNER
CASEVILLE
TRACK
PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
Athletes are selected as the Players of the Month for their athletic
accomplishments, leadership roles, and community impact.
GABBY
CRUMM
USA
SOFTBALL
Congratulations!
Rebecca Moeller
Deckerville - Pole Vault
State Champions
Olivia Findlay
Marlette - High Jump
Alex Affer
Peck - Long Jump
Kyle Affer
Brown City - Shotput
Nathan Feltner
Caseville - 400 Meter Run
Dalton DeBeau
Frankenmuth - Discus
NATHAN FELTNER BEGAN RUNNING THE 400,
TO BETTER HIS PERFORMANCE IN THE 100 AND
200. LITTLE DID HE KNOW IT WOULD BECOME HIS
SIGNATURE EVENT. THE JUNIOR PUT CASEVILLE
TRACK & FIELD ON THE MAP, WINNING THE 400 AT
THE DIVISION 4 STATE FINALS.
“It feels great knowing that all the hard work has paid
off for me,” said Feltner.
Winning the 400 was the culmination of a banner day
for Feltner, as he just missed the 100 finals, finishing
ninth (11.44). He followed that with a fifth in the 200
(22.99).
In the 400, he was in the second to last heat and pitted
against Folwer’s Ford Phillips. Feltner and Phillips were
nearly inseparable for the race, with Feltner recording a
time of 50.76, to Phillips’ 50.77.
“Going into it, I knew he was a fast runner,” Feltner said.
“My thing was just stay ahead of
him the entire time. Around the
120 mark, was when he started
to catch up, so I knew I had to
speed up even more. By the end
of the race, I was just hoping I had
enough.”
This season marked the first
time in Feltner’s career that he
was mostly healthy. Besides a
right knee that swelled from time
to time, he was in relatively good
shape.
It’s a far cry from a knee injury
he dealt with as a freshman and
hip injury as a sophomore. “Compared to last year, it
feels a lot better,” Feltner said. “I was placing low in
everything, and it felt terrible; because I was hurt. This
year, it felt good to run like I could.”
ARTICLES BY PAUL ADAMS
GABRIELLA CRUMM DOES IT ALL ON AND OFF
THE FIELD FOR THE USA SOFTBALL TEAM. ON THE
FIELD, SHE IS ONE OF THE BEST CATCHERS IN THE
STORIED HISTORY OF THE PROGRAM.
Crumm calls the game for her pitchers and runners
barely test her arm.
At the plate, she bats No. 3 in the lineup, where during
the regular season, she hit .420, driving in 30, with 45
runs scored and 10 doubles.
She is the team’s unquestioned leader. When USA was
trailing 3-1 in the state championship game, Crumm
gathered the team to calm them down. “I came in after
that inning and said: ‘We’ve been
put in situations where someone
has scored on us, and we’ve
responded,” said Crumm. “They
score on us some more, and we
respond. All I’m looking for is a
response’”.
Crumm led the response with a
single to lead off that inning and
eventually scored on a Jenna
Gremel home run.
Off the field, she watches out
for the younger players to help
them maintain the high standards
of the program. “In our hotel, I
roomed with Erin Jubar, Olivia Green and Natalie DeGroat
because I wanted to go with the young ones and make
sure their nerves were calmed down,” Crumm said. “It
means a lot to me to know that Erin and Liv have one,
Nat has two. It’s so great that you get to leave that legacy
and get to keep working with younger ones that keep
coming up.”
Team captain is the role she cherishes most. “I love
my job as team captain,” Crumm said. “I couldn’t ask
for anything better. I love being the one that gets to
motivate.”
USA Softball
2023 MHSAA Division 4 State Champions
4 July 2023 CONTACT US AT 989-673-5826 VIEW FREE ONLINE AT WWW.VARSITYMONTHLYTHUMB.COM PURCHASE PRINTS AT WWW.MISPORTSPHOTOS.COM
VIEW FREE ONLINE AT WWW.VARSITYMONTHLYTHUMB.COM PURCHASE PRINTS AT WWW.MISPORTSPHOTOS.COM CONTACT US AT 989-673-5826 July 2023 5