GAYLORD ― If you were looking for some of the best male athletes in Northern Michigan this past season, you didn't have to look far past Otsego County.
Gaylord-area schools were home to some of the most talented athletes the state had to offer, a group complete with future Division I athletes, all-state honorees and legacy athletes with names familiar around Gaylord and Johannesburg. It seemed like every week, someone else was doing something notable, whether it was setting a new record, signing with a college program, or a lengthy list of other accomplishments.
All that made the race for this year's Gaylord Herald Times Male Athlete of the Year that much closer, but in the end, no one outshined Gaylord's Ty Bensinger in 2023-24, earning him the first of two GHT AOY awards to be handed out.
Bensinger was a rare four-sport athlete for Gaylord in his senior year, excelling on the football field and wrestling mat before splitting his time between track and baseball in the spring.
The senior was an all-state defensive back for the undefeated GHS football team in the fall, securing a team-high four interceptions along with 70 tackles. He also led the team's run-first offense, finishing with 1,122 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, helping the team to its second-ever district title, its first conference title in 20 years and a two wins over their rivals from Petoskey in the same season.
Players of the Year:Ty Bensinger, Alexis Shepherd win Gaylord's Male and Female Most Valuable Athlete Awards
All Star:Gaylord's Ty Bensinger intercepts a pass during MHSFCA East vs. West All-Star Game
Bensinger followed that up with an elite winter on the wrestling mat, spending nearly the entire season as the state's top-ranked 190-pound wrestler. He ran into a bit of controversy in the final match of his career, winning due to an illegal slam from his opponent, but he walked away from the sport as one of three individual state champions for Gaylord this season and one of five state championship wrestlers from GHS over the past three years.
Once spring rolled around, Bensinger had seemingly accomplished everything he needed to in a Blue Devil uniform, but he decided to push himself even further, running the 100-meter, 200-meter, 4x100-meter relay and 4x200-meter relay for the track team while playing a role on a Gaylord baseball team that finished 25-13-1.
And still, he wasn't done making Gaylord proud; most recently, Bensinger was selected to play in the MHSFCA East vs. West All-Star Game at Lawerence Tech, intercepting a pass during a 13-12 victory for the West All-Stars.
"Oh man, it was so fun," said Bensinger. "Great group of guys. It was so fun to get close with them over just three days. I mean, we went through hell together. 100 degrees on this field and we were here for like six hours yesterday, four hours the day before. It was good, it was good to get close with this group of guys. They were super fun to play with."
Bensinger encompasses what made the GHS Class of 2024 so special; a no-nonsense, hard worker with talent and potential oozing out of him, it is a combination of elite physical play and a strong character that made Bensigner one of, if not the best example of what a high school athlete can achieve.
He is off to Northwood University to play football, one of 17 GHS seniors signed to play a sport in college.
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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