Athletics

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The Ocelots will join The Great Lakes Six Hockey Conference beginning in the 2026-2027 season.

The Schoolcraft College Men’s Ice Hockey team has found a new conference home beginning next year.

The Ocelots will join The Great Lakes Six Hockey Conference beginning in the 2026-2027 season. Schoolcraft will be the lone two-year college in the conference. Other members of The Great Lakes Six Hockey Conference include Adrian College, Davenport University, Calvin University, Purdue University Northwest and Trine University.

Schoolcraft has competed as an independent in Division 2 of the American Collegiate Hockey Association since the program launched two years ago. They will remain a member of the ACHA’s Division 2 as a member of the GL6.

The move comes as the Ocelots have proven to be a formidable opponent in the short time the program has competed. The team has currently posted an 18-3-1 record this season, currently sitting in third place in the ACHA’s Division 2 Independent standings. They are currently ranked #5 in the ACHA D2 Central rankings.

“We’re proud to accept this invite and join a conference where the member institutions share similar academic and athletic values,” said Patrick Yelsik, Schoolcraft College Athletic Directory. “This move makes sense for us on multiple levels and positions us for an exciting future.”

The Ocelots play their home games at the Farmington Hills Ice Arena in Farmington Hills, Mich. For more information on the team, visit schoolcraftocelots.com.

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Brown, a member of the Michigan Army National Guard, recently came back to his alma mater to perform the national anthem at the men’s and women’s basketball games Nov. 8.

Michigan Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Tim Brown took his Ocelot Pride to one of the most unlikely places on the planet several years back: Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.

Sgt. 1st Class Tim Brown sings The Star-Spangled Banner before the Schoolcraft College women’s basketball game against Clark State College Nov. 8.

Brown, a Schoolcraft College alumnus, was deployed at the United States military base in Cuba when he heard they were hosting a college fair. Wanting to share his positive experience, he reached out to the Veterans Center for some swag. He set up a display and represented Schoolcraft College to his fellow soldiers, telling them about the wonderful programs in areas such as business the College offered.

“I emailed the Veterans Center and I was like ‘Hey, they’re doing a college fair, and I would like to represent Schoolcraft,’” he said. “So, they sent a bunch of T-shirts.”

Brown’s love for Schoolcraft College has lasted for years, and he recently got another way to showcase his affection for his alma mater: he returned to campus to sing the national anthem before the men’s and women’s basketball games Nov. 8 against Clark State College, a fitting honor just days before Veterans Day.

A longtime musician, Brown found himself singing beginning in elementary school. While attending Southfield-Lathrup High School, he earned two varsity letters for musical performance. But then graduation came, and Brown wasn’t sure what his future would look like. So, he enlisted, first joining the Air Force in active duty and later in the Michigan Army National Guard. Since then, he’s risen in rank and become a platoon sergeant, overseeing soldiers and participating in several deployments to places such as Afghanistan, Lebanon and more.

After spending time in the service, Brown began to explore options for higher education. After initially enrolling at another institution, he decided he needed a change of scenery. Brown had heard about the Homeland Security program at Schoolcraft College and decided to transfer.

Here, he utilized the Veterans Center and enrolled in classes. He graduated with two associate degrees: one in Homeland Security and another in criminal justice. Utilizing his education, Brown currently works for the Michigan Department of Corrections, a position he thoroughly enjoys.

He said the center played a major role in helping him adjust to life as a student, rather than life as a soldier. “It is so hard to come back from an active war zone to home. That adjustment is extremely hard,” Brown said. “I needed the structure. I needed the support. I needed Pam to tell me, ‘This is what it is, this is what I recommend.’”

Brown still makes time to visit campus, popping in to say hello to the current staff of the Veterans Center. Brent Landau, executive director of the Veterans Center, said Brown is always welcome.

“It’s always a pleasure to see Tim stop by and offer support for anything he may need,” Landau said. “He is just one of many veterans we’ve served that have gone on to do incredible work, and we’re happy to have played a role in assisting in his education.”

Despite joining the workforce, Brown has never let the music go. He’s had the opportunity to perform at a handful of military events, and even large-scale sporting events: he performed the National Anthem at a Great Lakes Loons minor league baseball game on the Fourth of July in Midland, and at a Detroit Tigers game on Juneteenth this summer, an experience Brown will never forget.

“That was awesome. It was electric,” Brown said. “Everybody was extremely nice.”

Education continues to play a role in Brown’s life: he is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Purdue University and hopes to complete it next year.

His advice to fellow veterans looking to earn their degree? Stay locked in.

“Block out the noise and focus on the mission,” Brown said. “The mission here is to learn and to graduate so we can take what we learned and apply it to a profession outside.”

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The team will take the ice beginning in the 2024-2025 season and play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

ocelot head logo

Schoolcraft College is excited to announce the addition of men’s ice hockey to their field of varsity level sports. The team is slated to begin play in the fall of the 2024-2025 season.

This will be the first intercollegiate ice hockey team that the college has launched as part of the Schoolcraft College Athletic Department. All team members will be full-time students and follow the academic/eligibility guidelines of the college athletic department and their governing body.

The announcement is another step forward in accomplishing the goals set forth in the institution’s plan to add athletic opportunities for the student body, while also expanding enrollment within the college. The plan includes an effort to provide student-athletes the opportunity to compete at a higher level, while gaining collegiate experience as a student-athlete. The program hopes to also elevate the college’s profile and inspire the campus and surrounding communities to enthusiastically embrace Schoolcraft College athletics.

With the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) currently offering no sponsorship in ice hockey, the Ocelots will be a member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). The program will play as a Division-II independent and will be one of a limited number of two-year colleges that participates in the ACHA.

Livonia native Dan Phelps has been hired to serve as the Head Coach of the newly-formed program.  Phelps comes to Schoolcraft with 24 years of coaching experience, including 10 years at the high school level, six in Tier I youth hockey, two at the junior hockey ranks and six seasons in collegiate hockey, where he was the ACHA DI Head Coach, and ACHA Hockey Director at Adrian College.

“I’m extremely grateful and honored to be given this opportunity to lead the program for Schoolcraft College.  I’m looking forward to the journey ahead and building a sustainable program that Schoolcraft College is proud to have in their athletic family,” Phelps said. “I’d like to thank college president, Dr. Glenn Cerny and Athletic Director Patrick Yelsik, for their diligence in the work already put in, and their support to field a first-class program. I look forward to working with them as the program takes fruition.”

As part of the athletic department’s family, the program will receive the opportunity to the amenities available to all the College’s sports teams. The goal is to play a hybrid schedule, competing with programs across all three ACHA divisions, which are predominantly all four-year institutions. As a member of the ACHA, the program will be a non-scholarship sport.

“This is yet another example of the College’s commitment to athletics and using it as a vehicle to contribute to our enrollment goals as well as increasing the opportunities that our students are afforded beyond the classroom,” Yelsik said.  “It’s the epitome of a win-win.”

Home ice for the Ocelots will be Mike Modano Ice Arena in Westland.

“Adding men’s hockey as a top-level sport is a no-brainer for Schoolcraft College,” Cerny said. “Being located in such a hockey-rich community such as Livonia, I can’t wait to cheer on the Ocelots when they take to the ice next year.”

The roster for the inaugural team is currently being constructed. For those interested in becoming a part of the program, please submit a recruiting questionnaire or reach out to the coaching staff through the college athletics website at www.schoolcraftocelots.com.

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Ocelots on all teams did outstanding academic work

Schoolcraft College will recognize its top student-athletes on all teams from the 2021-22 year with a ceremony on Friday, July 15. Awards from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) are noted. Congratulations to all!

2021-22 Individual Academic Awards

Student-athleteHonors
Women’s soccer
Jordan CampbellNJCAA 3rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Cailee CorsentinoAll MCCAA & All Conference
Riley GrahamNJCAA 2nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Emily GurneyNJCAA 3rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Emma HughesNJCAA 2nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Paige KrollNJCAA 2nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Neysa LyonMCCAA All Conference
Adyson McCulloughAll MCCAA & All Conference
Taylor MeadowsAll MCCAA & All Conference
Ceceilya MernattiNJCAA 3rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Adriana SapiaAll MCCAA & All Conference
Faith StaleyNJCAA 2nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Men’s soccer
Gavin BroseNJCAA 1st; All MCCAA & All Conference
John EvangelistaNJCAA 3rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Nicklas LemaNJCAA 2nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Corey MatthewsNJCAA 3rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Alex (James) NevilleNJCAA 2nd ; All MCCAA & All Conference
Joshua PierceAll MCCAA & All Conference
Drew TappenNJCAA 2nd ; All MCCAA & All Conference
Jordan ThomasNJCAA 2nd ; All MCCAA & All Conference
Volleyball
Sedona CoonNJCAA 2nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Hannah FolzNJCAA 1st; All MCCAA & All Conference
Alexa RichardsonNJCAA 2nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Valdes, AndreaAll MCCAA & All Conference
Softball
Sophie BaterNJCAA 3rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Bridget BogdenAll MCCAA & All Conference
Erin BresslerAll MCCAA & All Conference
Kathryn KoszykowskiNJCAA 2nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Madelyn LathamNJCAA 2nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Kiersten MetzNJCAA 1st; All MCCAA & All Conference
Autumn ReedNJCAA 2nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Baseball
Cole AtkinsonNJCAA 3rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Jack CronynAll MCCAA & All Conference
Joseph ElwellNJCAA 2nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Cooper GeanAll MCCAA & All Conference
Garrett HallMCCAA All Conference
Landon KempainenAll MCCAA & All Conference
Joshua MichaelsMCCAA All Conference
Jonathan SabudaAll MCCAA & All Conference
Gabriel SmithNJCAA 3rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Brandon StricklandNJCAA 3rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Women’s bowling
Allison LittleNJCAA 1st; All MCCAA & All Conference
Lydia WesenbergMCCAA All Conference
Men’s bowling
Erik BungeNJCAA 3rd ; All MCCAA & All Conference
Women’s basketball
Shalah ArderNJCAA 2nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Danielle BryantMCCAA All Conference
Natasha CarterNJCAA 3rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Nour ElzeinNJCAA 2nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
LaZae MosleyNJCAA 3rd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Samantha SmithAll MCCAA & All Conference
Justina SzalkowskiNJCAA 1st; All MCCAA & All Conference
Makaiya ThomasNJCAA 2nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Men’s basketball
Ashton NanceNJCAA 2nd; All MCCAA & All Conference
Devin WhiteMCCAA All Conference
Teams achieving NJCAA & MCCAA awards for earning a
3.0 (or higher) GPA
Softball3.35
Women’s soccer3.18

Award criteria:

  • NJCAA Academic First Team: 4.0 GPA
  • NJCAA Academic Second Team: 3.80-3.99 GPA
  • NJCAA Academic Third Team: 3.60-3.79 GPA
  • All MCCAA & All Conference: 3.20 or above GPA
  • All Conference: 3.00-3.19 GPA

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He played at Mott CC and Detroit Mercy, coached at Wayne State

EJ Haralson Jr.
EJ Haralson Jr. is the new men’s basketball coach at Schoolcraft College.

Schoolcraft College has hired EJ Haralson Jr., a veteran former assistant head coach and interim head coach at Wayne State University, as its new men’s basketball coach. His start date is effective July 1, 2022.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome EJ Haralson Jr. to our staff,” said Cali Crawford, Director of Athletics. “He brings a wealth of experience and deep-rooted connections in the Metro area, and checks off every single box that we were looking for to lead our men’s basketball program.”

Haralson Jr. had served at Wayne State since 2003. In addition to his coaching and recruiting duties, Haralson Jr.’s responsibilities also included serving as the team’s academic coach. His success in that role included increasing the overall team GPA by 0.64 over the past four years and maintaining a team GPA over 3.0 each semester for the past three years.

He played two seasons at Mott Community College (1994-96) before transferring to the University of Detroit Mercy (1996-98).

“I’m so excited to get the opportunity to meet young men with a passion for basketball, and it’s my job to get them to understand the other things that come with that,” Haralson Jr. said. “The Michigan Community College Athletic Association is a competitive league; I played in this league and I’ve recruited players out of this league. I know Schoolcraft has had success in the past, so it’s exciting.”

He’s looking forward to meeting with the returning players.

“Whenever there’s a transition of coaches, there needs to be a time and space for the players to understand who I am and for me to understand what they’re going through and create a situation that’s comfortable for everyone, but competitive at the same time,” Haralson Jr. said. “So that’s the first thing – getting to know the returning players.”

EJ Haralson Jr. holding a basketball
EJ Haralson Jr. previously served as a coach at Wayne State University.

Haralson Jr. earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from the University of Detroit Mercy and a Master of Arts in Education from Wayne State. He’s working on his Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Wayne State.

“Coach Haralson will bring integrity, enthusiasm and work ethic necessary to build and sustain a successful program both on and off the court,” Crawford said. “The future is extremely bright for men’s basketball and I look forward to working with him.”

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Student Athlete Support System (SASS) helps them stay on track

Attending classes, studying and completing assignments while life’s demands chew up precious time: It’s the plate-spinning act most college students face on a daily basis. For those who participate in sports, with the additional time commitment due to practices, games and travel, sometimes a plate or two crashes to the floor.

Schoolcraft College’s Student Athlete Support System, or SASS, can help pick up the pieces. This program, one of the most comprehensive among community colleges, serves as both a checkpoint and a way to get students back on track.

Dr. Michael Oliver, now Associate Dean of Career Services, helped form SASS in 1997 to help student-athletes succeed.

“Many student athletes struggled academically due to the demands of their sport, demands on their time and their academic load,” he said. “Therefore, to help student athletes be successful academically and graduate with a degree, certificate or successfully transfer, Schoolcraft took ownership and proactively developed a comprehensive academic support program aimed at holding student-athletes accountable for their academics and at the same time provide them with the support needed for them to be successful academically while recognizing the importance of their sport.”

“I work with the student to find out what they need help with. Do they need tutoring? An academic coach?”

Amy Proctor, SASS Coordinator

Amy Proctor is the SASS Coordinator. Essentially, she’s the liaison among instructors, coaches, the athletic director and, of course, the students. Faculty report to her six times a semester (about every two weeks) on the following:

  • Attendance
  • Passing
  • Borderline
  • Failing

“SASS is here to help student-athletes academically,” Proctor said.  “If a student is on the SASS report, coaches, the AD and the student are notified.”

From there, the focus is on finding the root cause of the issue and tailoring an individual solution.

“I work with the student to find out what they need help with,” Proctor said. “Do they need tutoring? An academic coach?”

Dedicated SASS Coordinator

Proctor is well-qualified for this role. As a former standout swimmer in both high school and college, she knows first-hand the challenges of balancing academics and athletics. Further, she adds 23 years’ experience as a counselor at Farmington Hills Harrison High School, where her responsibilities including helping prospective student-athletes stay on track for NCAA and NAIA eligibility.

Proctor generally works to help students improve in five key areas:

  • Time management
  • Textbook reading
  • Memory
  • Note-taking
  • Test taking

“We’re committed to helping the students stay on track to get their associate’s degree,” Proctor said. “Generally speaking, if they hit their deadlines, they’ll be OK.”

Proctor started in the role part-time in March of 2019 ahead of the closure of Farmington Hills Harrison that June.

“I love working with students – I always have,” she said. “Harrison was very special to me, but this has been a perfect fit and is very rewarding.”

Dedicated space in the Physical Education building is available to help student-athletes with their studies.

Recognizing that students arrive from different academic backgrounds and had different resources, Proctor has implemented some technology-based solutions to aid in success.

“You have to meet the students where they’re at, which is on their phone,” she said. “All of the student-athletes are on the Remind app, so for example I’ll text them about JumpStart! sessions or remind them about class registration. Just making sure they’re taking care of the things they need to take care of.”

Office Hours

Proctor’s office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesday as well as 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students also can scan a QR code at the door of her office in the Physical Education Building to make an appointment.

Throughout the year, Schoolcraft College has about 200 student-athletes on 11 teams. From that, Proctor estimates she sees less than one-fourth of that total.

“Most have the ‘student’ part down really well,” Proctor said. “We want everyone to stay on track, so we’re here to assist those who need a little help now and then.”

Inclusiveness is a key part of SASS as well.

“The SASS program continues to evolve,” Oliver said. “With the addition of academic success coaches through Learning Support Services, student-athletes are provided more in-depth academic support.

“Furthermore, Schoolcraft was proactive in addressing the needs of our athletes with disabilities and worked with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) on allowing for a reduced academic load for our student-athletes with a documented disability so they are able to compete as a student-athlete.”

To help positively reinforce academic excellence, SASS and the Department of Athletics has begun recognizing student-athletes of the month and also held a drive-through student-athlete academic honors celebration in July.

In addition, Schoolcraft College was named the 2020-21 National Junior College Athletic Association Academic Team of the Year in Women’s Bowling for achieving the highest grade point average in their sport. As a team, Schoolcraft compiled a 3.59 GPA.

Visit the SASS web page for more information.

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Proceeds benefit Schoolcraft College Athletics

Schoolcraft College will hold a Tailgate Party from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 2, as the Ocelots take on the Muskegon Community College Jayhawks in both men’s and women’s soccer.

Tickets are $20 at the gate, $10 for children ages 6-12. Children 5 and younger are free. Proceeds support Schoolcraft College Athletics. Tickets include Hospitality Tent with hot dogs, hamburgers and more as well as admission to both games. The women’s game is at 2 p.m. with the men to follow at 4 p.m.

Both the Schoolcraft College’s men’s and women’s soccer teams have started the season well.

The soccer fields are on the southeast part of campus, near the St. Joe’s Sports Dome.

Each team is off to an excellent start.

The SC women are 5-1-2, with the only loss against defending national champion Delta in a highly competitive contest. They are coming off a 5-1 victory over Jackson.

The SC men are undefeated at 3-0-2, including an impressive 2-1 overtime victory over No. 14 Lakeland. They shut out Jackson 4-0 in their last match.

Thanks to the Schoolcraft College Foundation for its support of the Tailgate Party.