GAYLORD ― It may be a while before another group of athletes comes through Gaylord High School and has as much success as the Class of 2024 did. If ever.
Gaylord athletes captured four total state championships during the 2023-24 school year (one team, three individuals) while putting up historic seasons in football, softball and beyond. In total, 16 seniors are off to play their respective sports in college, with four headed to Division I schools.
With all that success and talent, the winners of GHS's annual male and female athlete of the year awards for 2024 would have to be well-deserving and well-accomplished members of the senior class to stand out from such a large, talented group, and that's exactly what Ty Bensinger and Alexis Shepherd are, this year's Bernie Kuras Most Valuable Male Athlete and Kim Swem Most Valuable Female Athlete.
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Bensinger was a four-sport star in his final year as a Gaylord Blue Devil, standing out on the football field and wrestling mat before competing for both the Gaylord baseball and track and field teams in the spring. He was one of the standout players for the undefeated, Big North Champion Gaylord football team in the fall, earning all-state honors as a defensive back with a team-high four interceptions, along with 70 tackles. He was also the team's leading rusher, finishing with 1,122 yards and 10 touchdowns.
He was also selected to play in the Michigan High School Coaches Association East vs. West All-Star Game on Saturday, June 22 as one of the best seniors in the state. He used that game to make one more play in a Blue Devil uniform (or helmet), intercepting a pass in the second half to help the West All-Stars hold onto a 13-12 victory.
He was also one of the top wrestlers in the state for the entire 2023-24 season, capping his wrestling career off with a win in the Division 2 190-pound state-title match, one of three Gaylord wrestlers to win a state title in their class.
Bensinger is signed to play football at Northwood University in Midland, Mich.
Shepherd, meanwhile, was an all-state softball player as well as an all-conference basketball player in her final seasons as a Blue Devil.
She is most well-known for her abilities on the softball diamond, a key member of GHS's back-to-back state title runs in 2023 and 2024. This season, she earned first-team all-state honors after hitting .400 with 14 doubles, four home runs, 73 runs scored and 54 RBI.
She was also an All-BNC honorable mention after averaging 5.5 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per game as one of GHS's starting guards.
Shepherd is signed to play softball at the University of Toledo, an NCAA Division I school that is part of the Mid-American Conference.
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
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