2024 Division 1 Player & Coach Of The Year

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='156293' first='Ella' last='Craggs']</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":724086,"width":"236px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/11/D1-Final-4.jpg?w=719" alt="" class="wp-image-724086" style="width:236px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='156293' first='Ella' last='Craggs']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Setting yourself above the rest of the field in Division 1 was no small feat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That goes for the Northville volleyball team, and for its setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156293' first='Ella' last='Craggs']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs played the best of the best all year, beat the defending champions in a regional semifinal classic, then finished the goal of winning the program's first state championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Throughout the way, Craggs was there keeping everything together on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the year, Craggs put up over 1,000 assists for the Mustangs. That included 91 over her two matches at Kellogg Arena.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It wasn't just her setting play that stood out, though. Craggs also was very consistent in her defensive play and came through with a lot of timely digs and blocks on the postseason run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With a talented group around her, Craggs always knew the right place to go with the ball and spread out the hitting well to keep opponents from being able to anticipate what Northville was going to do.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For that reason, Craggs has been selected as Prep Dig Michigan's 2024 Division 1 Player of the Year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Honorable Mentions: </strong>Mercy setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156295' first='Campbell' last='Flynn'] </strong>won Miss Volleyball for a good reason. Her four-year career with the Marlins is hard to match. This year, Flynn had a lot of pressure leading the defending state champs, but she handled expectations well and had Mercy as one of the best in the state again. The only crime is that Mercy's showdown with Northville took place so early in the postseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rockford made its return to appearing in a state final this year and junior outside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226900' first='Liv' last='Hosford']</strong> was a big reason why. Along with being one of the offensive leaders of the Rams, she also led the team in digs and blocks and was second in aces. Hosford really showed her all-around ability this year and will go into 2025 as a POY candidate again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Coach of the Year: Sarah Lindstrom</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":724082,"width":"241px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/11/D1-Final-19.jpg?w=808" alt="" class="wp-image-724082" style="width:241px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There wasn't much debate this year, as Northville's <strong>Sarah Lindstrom</strong> gets the honor of being named 2024 Prep Dig Michigan D1 Coach of the Year after bringing the school its first state championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lindstrom has had Northville knocking on the door of a title each of the last three years with the team, but this year she was able to put it all together with a veteran group that believed in themselves.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The title may just represent the 2024 squad, but Lindstrom has built Northville into something special and taking that hardware from the Mustangs won't be easy in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Honorable Mention: </strong>Rockford always seems to have an interesting mix of young talent, but still plays at a high level. That was no different in 2024, which speaks to the coaching job <strong>Kelly Delacher </strong>did this season and does year-after-year. Delacher fought through a challenging bracket on the West side of the state to reach the final and give Northville all it could handle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the impressive stories in D1 this year was Utica Eisenhower and its rise toward the top of the rankings with a lot of young talent. Head coach <strong>Caitlin LaPratt </strong>did a great job getting this group to gel together and reach an elite level. A quarterfinal appearance was marred by a big injury, but should have the Eagles coming in with a lot of expectations and confidence for the 2025 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->