Athletics Roundup: Where East Lansing High School Winter Sports Teams Stand
As East Lansing High School students return for a new semester, the school’s six winter sports teams will continue with the second halves of their seasons.
ELHS Athletic Director Nikki Norris has seen the teams’ triumphs and defeats ever since she stepped into her role eight years ago.
“They represent our values – and win with class and lose with dignity,” Norris said.
Following up last season’s run to a state championship, the ELHS varsity boys basketball team has had an exceptional start to the season, winning its first 13 games. The Trojans will have a few more games before the 2K26 Showcase at Grand Rapids in early February, where Michigan’s top basketball programs compete.
Norris is optimistic the team can make another run to the Michigan High School Athletic Association State Championship game.
“They definitely have the potential to do that,” she said. “We’ve got some strong teams that we’re going to face, but I really like the makeup of our team.”
The varsity girls basketball team has also had a good start to the season, as the team has won seven games and lost just three, according to the MHSAA’s website.
Norris said it has been encouraging to see plenty of support for the girls basketball team this year, with high attendance at games.
Interest in the wrestling team has been growing. A few years ago, girls wrestled on the same team as the boys at ELHS. However, the girls now have their own team, after the MHSAA started a state tournament for girls wrestling.
Senior Mya Terranova was the first girls wrestler at the high school to qualify for a state final, and she continues to build her legacy, recently earning her 50th career win.
Some of the school’s other teams are co-op’s with other schools, the Eastside Stars hockey team being one of them. The varsity boys hockey team combines student athletes from East Lansing, Haslett, Okemos, Bath and Owosso.
The Stars have compiled a record of six wins, 10 losses and a tie this season, according to the MHSAA’s website.
The gymnastics team is also a co-op, as East Lansing teams up with Dewitt and Lansing Catholic. The team is growing, with both an A and a B team competing at gymnastics meets.
“We’ll have 14 girls that can compete today, which is great. I attribute a lot of that to my coach. She’s very enthusiastic, she’s very knowledgeable, and she meets kids where they are,” Norris said.
Gymnastics coach Angela Madden started a summer youth camp to cultivate interest in the program, and Norris says it has built excitement about the sport.
ELHS also has a bowling team, and tons of fans have come to the alley to show support at competitions.
“What’s really cool about that sport is that they’re all competing at the same time,” Norris said. “It’s like one big family. There’s just a lot of camaraderie, and I enjoy that.”
Although the bowling program isn’t large enough yet to have a girls junior varsity, Norris said there are students every year who join the team without having bowled before.
East Lansing also has a competitive boys swim and dive team this winter, where several of the boys are expected to qualify for the state meet. They have only had a few meets so far, but the team is about to enter the thick of the season, with the league championships scheduled for the end of February.
While sports are important to school culture, Norris is also proud of the support that students show their classmates in other extracurricular activities.
“They support each other in the musical and all things. I think that’s one of the things that makes East Lansing very special–its support. Not only from our students, but our staff,” Norris said.
The varsity girls basketball team even held a staff appreciation game last week, where each player chose a staff member to thank at the game. Along with competing, Norris sees community engagement as critical in high school athletics.