Michigan
Michigan high school bowling coach fatally shot teen grad inside her home before killing himself in murder-suicide: police
A Michigan high school bowling coach fatally murdered one of his former bowlers, who had recently graduated, inside her home before turning the gun on himself in a horrific murder-suicide last week.
Former Bedford High School’s bowling club coach Ryne Leist fatally shot 17-year-old Gwendolyn Smith multiple times at her stepfather’s Bedford Township home on June 14, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office announced.
Smith’s stepfather returned home at around 6 p.m. to discover the mortally wounded teen and her alleged killer, Sheriff Troy Goodnough said during a press conference Wednesday.
Bedford Public School Superintendent Carl Shultz mourned Smith as an “extraordinary young woman” as he shared the devastating news with the school district.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the tragic and heartbreaking news of the loss of one of our own—Gwendolyn Smith, a 2025 graduate of Bedford School,” Shultz wrote in a Facebook post. “Gwen was an extraordinary young woman whose presence left an indelible mark on our school community.”
Leist had gained entry into the home, but officials did not reveal if he had broken into the house or if he was let in.
“At this time, the point of entry and access remains under investigation,” Goodnough said
Smith’s death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner’s office, and Leist died of suicide.
Goodnough didn’t specify the relationship between Smith and her former coach.
“Gwendolyn did not consider the relation between the two of them to be romantic,” Goodnough told reporters.
Leist worked alongside the public school’s bowling club, gaining the gig through the local bowling alley and was not an employee of the school district, officials said.
He had recently resigned from his position at the bowling alley.
Leist had passed the required background checks for youth coaches in Michigan, Shultz told WTOL.
Smith’s stepparents paid tribute to the teen.
“We aren’t supposed to outlive our children. Everyone loved Gwen. She was kind, talented and the best kid an evil stepmother could ask for. My middle daughter my baby was murdered,” Smith’s stepmother, Heather Smith wrote.
The teen’s stepfather, Matthew Kennerson, had celebrated her high school graduation two weeks before her death with a heartwarming social media post.
“Really proud stepdad!” Kennerson captioned the post, alongside a photo of himself with Smith wearing her graduation cap and gown, holding her diploma.
“Love you forever… I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you…” he wrote two weeks later.
Shultz described Smith as a gifted student, a passionate artist and a standout athlete.
“Gwen will be remembered for her kindness, her bright spirit, and the joy she brought to those around her,” he said.
“This tragic and unnecessary loss cannot be explained. It has shaken our entire Bedford community, and our hearts and prayers go out to Gwen’s family and the many friends whose lives she touched so deeply,” he added.
Shultz created a GoFundMe — which has generated over $18,000 — to benefit Smith’s mom.
“I was compelled to really help them out and make sure they had the resources necessary to be able to take care of what they needed to due to this horrible tragedy,” Shultz told the outlet.
“I’m always a parent first, I’m an educator second, but as a parent, I don’t know how you get up the next day. And they’re extremely strong and they’re doing everything they can to hold everything together, but I was just trying to help out as much as I could.”
Michigan
Urban Meyer reacts to Sherrone Moore scandal after coach’s shock Michigan firing
One of the best college football coaches of all time, Urban Meyer, lent some sympathy to Sherrone Moore — or at least his family — in the wake of the former Michigan head coach’s shocking firing last week.
“Last night, I said a prayer for that family,’’ Meyer said on “The Triple Option Podcast,” speaking of Moore’s wife and daughters.
“I mean, you’ve got three little girls,’’ said Meyer, who won a national title at Ohio State a little over a decade ago. “You’ve got a guy that was on top of the road a week ago.”
That changed in stunning fashion, as Moore, a married father of three, went from leading the Wolverines to out of a job, fired in Ann Arbor for cause after the university confirmed he had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
The situation only worsened when Moore was later arrested after he allegedly broke into the home of the staff member, and during an argument, grabbed butter knives and threatened to kill himself.
On Friday, he was charged with third-degree home invasion, a felony, as well as a pair of misdemeanors — stalking and breaking and entering.
Here’s the latest on former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore
Even Meyer, who created some controversy of his own during a brief, ill-fated tenure as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars — when he was seen on video in 2021 that showed him dancing suggestively with a woman who was not his wife and was later fired before finishing his lone season in Jacksonville — was stunned by Moore’s downfall.
“They’re up 6-0 on the Buckeyes at home,” Meyer said of Michigan’s early lead against rival Ohio State on Nov. 29. “And then, also, you wake up, and they’re in this situation. Rivalries aside, this is all human element. Now, this is something that, from what you read, that’s some serious stuff that went on. And just, all of a sudden, you start seeing the impact. Forget football. Who cares about football?’’
Michigan
Yaxel Lendeborg scores 29 points and No. 2 Michigan stays unbeaten with 101-83 win over Maryland
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg had 29 points, a career-best nine assists and eight rebounds, and No. 2 Michigan rallied from a nine-point deficit Saturday night to defeat Maryland 101-83.
Aday Mara scored 18 points for the Wolverines (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten), who overcame a halftime deficit for the second time this season and the first since they beat TCU on Nov. 14.
Michigan scored 100 points for the fourth time in five games.
Diggy Coit made eight 3-pointers and scored 31 points for the Terrapins (6-5, 0-2), who lost center Pharrel Payne to a right leg injury late in the first half and forward Solomon Washington to ejection after he picked up his second technical foul early in the second half.
Coit scored nine of Maryland’s first 10 points and 22 before the break, helping to prevent Michigan from opening a lead larger than six in the first half.
The Terps lost Payne, their leading scorer at 18.7 points a game, with 4:36 remaining before halftime. Yet Maryland stretched its lead from one to 50-45 at the midpoint, then expanded it to 56-47 on Elijah Saunders’ 3.
Washington, who had a first-half technical for celebrating a 3 in front of the Michigan bench, was called for a delay-of-game technical just after Saunders’ basket. His departure left the Terps without their two most experienced and imposing interior players.
Lendeborg took advantage, scoring the next eight points. Mara’s dunk with 14 minutes left made it 64-63 and gave the Wolverines the lead for good.
Elliot Cadeau’s layup with 21.2 seconds remaining got the Wolverines to 100 points for the fifth time this season.
Up next
Michigan hosts La Salle on Dec. 21.
Maryland visits No. 24 Virginia on Dec. 20.
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Michigan
Aquinas College expands automatic acceptance to 2 more West Michigan high schools
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – After beginning a direct admittance program at one West Michigan high school in November, Aquinas College has now expanded the program to cover more classrooms.
The guaranteed admission program, first implemented for graduates of West Catholic High School with a 2.0 GPA or above, has now been expanded to Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids and Muskegon Catholic Central High School.
The partnership will apply to students from all three schools entering college in the fall of 2026.
The direct admission program was described by Aquinas College leaders as offering high school students a “clear path to college success” while also continuing to develop partnerships.
Aquinas College, a private Catholic liberal arts institution located at 1700 Fulton St. E, was founded by the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids in 1886.
The college has enrolled 1,262 students during the 2025-26 academic year, and its new student numbers are up, with 419 new students on campus this fall, up from 311 in 2024-25.
The college’s overall enrollment total is just slightly under the approximately 1,300 students Aquinas recorded across its campus in 2023-24, according to a press release sent out in January 2025.
This year’s partnership announcements do not mark Aquinas’ first direct admittance deal.
The college also has a direct admit bachelor’s in nursing partnership with the University of Detroit Mercy, which allows students to take core curriculum courses at Aquinas and nursing classes from Detroit Mercy faculty.
On Nov. 14, Aquinas announced its direct admittance deal with West Catholic High School.
The school, located at 1801 Bristol Ave. NW, enrolled just over 500 students as of the 2024-25 school year, according to an online school profile.
West Catholic President and CEO Jill Wierzbicki said the initiative simplifies the college application process and offers students a straightforward path to higher education.
On Nov. 20, Aquinas then announced it had also partnered with Grand Rapids’ Catholic Central High School, 319 Sheldon Blvd SE, which enrolls 567 students and is the oldest co-educational diocesan Catholic high school in the nation.
Brian Matzke, vice president for enrollment management, said there’s “no doubt that Aquinas here has had more graduates from Catholic Central than any other school in our history.”
On Dec. 10, the college announced another partnership deal with Muskegon Catholic Central High School, 1145 W Laketon Ave., which enrolled just under 300 students in 2023-24, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Jerry McDowell, Muskegon Catholic Central president, said both the high school and Aquinas share a “deep commitment to developing the whole student — academically, spiritually, and individually.
“This direct-admit program provides our graduates with an exceptional opportunity to transition confidently into higher education while maintaining the Catholic values that guide their formation,” McDowell said.
Aquinas’ listed price for traditional undergraduate tuition is $41,192, according to senior director of strategic communications Dave DeJonge.
Students are eligible for annual merit scholarships between $15,000-$25,000, depending on their GPA and housing status. Additional scholarships may be available. This applies to all students who are admitted to Aquinas.
Matzke highlighted the direct admittance program’s easy transition from one West Michigan school to another, with those accepted to Aquinas able to live on campus or commute from home depending on what best fits their needs.
He also said a growing Grand Rapids job market, combined with support from the college’s career center, contributes to a 97% placement rate for graduates.
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