Chris Barnett, ‘97
Chris Barnett used his hands to leave Albion with every school receiving record. He graduated with the school standards for most receptions, yards and touchdown catches in a season and career.
A three-time all-MIAA pick, he led the league in receiving yards in 1994 and 1995 and ranked second in 1996. He hauled in eight touchdown passes in 1994 to finish second in the league in scoring. In all, Chris rolled up 1,289 yards and 17 touchdowns in 15 contests against MIAA rivals from 1994-96.
His career totals were 149 receptions for 2,534 yards and 28 touchdowns. In fact, he was the first Briton receiver to roll up 2,000 career receiving yards.
His best game came in the Britons’ 51-9 non-league romp over DePauw on Sept. 29, 1996. He matched Bob Basselman’s record for most receptions in a game with 11 and he tacked on the records for receiving yards in a game with 282 and the longest touchdown reception at 93 yards.
Currently residing in Madison Heights, Chris is a sales manager for Belmont Equipment and Technologies. He and his wife, Lisa, are the parents of Parker, Payton, and Andrew.
Jason Beglin, ‘97
With Jason Beglin on the defensive line in 1996, Albion was able to limit opponents to less than 95 rushing yards per game and the Britons held five of their 10 opponents to nine points or less.
Jason finished the season with 47 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss, 10 of which were sacks.
Based in Rochester, Jason has forged a career in the pharmaceutical industry where he currently serves as a clinical sales specialist for Ironwood Pharmaceuticals. Jason and his wife, Cammy, are the parents of Jack and Katherine.
John Bennink, ‘02
John Bennink used his speed to star on the football field and on the track during his career as an Albion athlete.
John twice achieved All-America status and all-MIAA recognition on the track three times. He won the league title in the 400-meter hurdles his first year with a time of 52.67 seconds, a mark that still stands as the league record. His time of 52.36 seconds in a third-place finish in the 1999 NCAA Championships still stands as the school standard.
A two-time all-MIAA pick at receiver, John was a member of three league champion football squads. He racked up 995 receiving yards during the 2001 season, a figure that still ranks as the school standard, and finished the 2000 and 2001 seasons with 1,627 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.
John has taught German and served as the head track & field and assistant football coach at Clarkston High School since 2004. He and his wife, Krista, are the parents of a daughter, Georgia.
Timothy Czarnecki, ‘00
Tim Czarnecki netted three all-MIAA first team awards by shooting the basketball through the hoop. He was the best shooter from the field in the league for three years running, knocking down nearly 63 percent of his attempts in games against league rivals from 1998-2000. Thanks to his shooting prowess, he averaged nearly 15 ½ points in league games during the 1999-2000 campaign.
Tim was also among the league’s rebounding leaders. He pulled down nearly 8 ½ boards in league games in 2000, the third-best average in the MIAA. He was also fifth in 1999 and eighth in 1998.
Tim also was a three-year letter winner in baseball and he achieved all-MIAA second team status after launching three homeruns in games against league rivals in 1997. A career .310 hitter, Tim slugged 20 doubles and 14 homeruns and drove in 79 runs.
A sports science major at Albion, Tim advanced to Marymount University where he completed a doctoral degree in physical therapy. He currently serves as director for the Centers of Excellence at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, Ga.
Tim and his wife, Amy Schreiber Czarnecki, ’99, are the parents of Addyson and Ian.
Paul Holdren, ‘74
Paul Holden achieved all-MIAA distinction in 1974, wrestling his way to the league championship in the 158-pound weight class.
His career took off after suffering five losses in the last two weeks of his first year as he ripped off 38 victories in his final three seasons. He was 6-0 until an injury derailed his junior year and he went on to achieve a 17-0 record as a senior. He held 11 school records upon graduation.
Paul jumped into teaching after graduation, but took a break to work on a master’s degree in divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky. Paul pastored churches in Michigan, Kentucky and West Virginia from 1985-92, but has since returned to the teaching profession, currently teaching biology in the Genesee Intermediate School District.
Paul remained active in wrestling as coach of high school teams at Flint Northwestern from 1975-81 and Burtin-Bendle from 1996-97 and he launched the program at Mott Community College in 2002.
Paul resides in Holly with his wife, Karen. They are the parents of Anna, Joshua, Alyssa, Jarret, Andrea, John, Keith, and Amanda.
J. Matthew Lowman, ‘97
Matt Lowman was a four-time all-MIAA performer and he helped the Britons claimed the 1994 league championship by a margin of 60 strokes.
His best season was 1995 when he finished second in the league with a 76.9-stroke average and earned medalist honors in league jamborees played at the Duck Lake Country Club and Forest Hills Golf Club.
He was the medalist in six league jamborees during his career, including a score of 70 at Duck Lake in 1993 and a course-record round of 71 at the Winding Creek Golf Club in 1994.
Nicholas E. Morgan, ‘04
Nick Morgan produced points in the hurdles events to boost Albion to the MIAA men’s track & field championship and a 13th place finish in the NCAA Championship in 2004.
A native of Flint, Morgan earned individual league titles in the 110- and 400-meter hurdles events to leave Field Day with the MIAA’s Most Outstanding Runner award.
He went on to compete in the NCAA Championship for the third time in his career, and it proved to be the charm as he pulled away from a tightly-grouped field to win the national championship. Getting a boost off the second-to-last hurdle, Nick completed the race in 14.56 seconds. His preliminary time of 14.39 seconds still stands as the Albion record.
Nick won 10 MIAA titles in all. He was a three-time league champion in the 110-meter hurdles, also winning the event in 2002 and 2003.
Nick graduated with a degree in psychology and he went on to the National University of Health Sciences where he completed a doctoral degree in naturopathic medicine in 2011. He lives in Okemos where he owns the Center for Integrative Wellness. Nick also serves on the board of directors of the Genesee County STEM Academy.
Virgil Petty, ‘99
Virgil Petty is the only man in the long history of the MIAA to win the 100-meter dash all four years.
His best time in the event was 10.75 seconds in a preliminary heat during the 1997 MIAA Field Day. He went on to beat the field in the final with a time of 10.79. Virgil also won the MIAA title in the 200 meters in 1996.
Virgil added a pair of first team all-MIAA awards as a running back for the football team. He rushed for 1,551 yards and 25 touchdowns in three seasons against league rivals from 1996-98. The 21 touchdowns and 126 points he scored during the 1997 season still stand as school records. He also shares the school standard for most touchdowns scored in a game with five.
A speech communications major at Albion, Virgil has worked as a network engineer for the State of Michigan and Wayne State University.
Chris Schuurman, ‘94
Chris Schuurman was Albion’s ace on the mound for the 1993 and 1994 baseball seasons. An all-MIAA pick both seasons, Chris helped the Britons share the league championship with Adrian in 1993 and he was promoted to league MVP in ’94.
A three-year letter winner, Chris compiled a 12-1 record against league rivals with 71 strikeouts in nearly 96 innings over his career from 1992-94. Boosted by 44 strikeouts against just 14 walks, Chris achieved a 1.09 earned run average against league rivals, a figure that ranked second-best in the league, in 1994.
An economics and management major at Albion, Chris currently works as a territory manager for Merchants Insurance Group. He and his wife, Wendy, are the parents of Janna, Ellie, and Korrie.
Katherine Waters Sobolewski, ‘00
Katie Walters was an all-MIAA performer and Albion Most Valuable Swimmer all four years during her Briton career, swimming the 100 and 200 butterfly and 200 individual medley. She achieved her highest honor in 2000, winning the league championship in the 200-yard butterfly.
“Katie is a wonderful addition to the Athletic Hall of Fame,” her coach, Keith Havens, said. “She was a hard worker who had a great attitude and was a wonderful team leader.”
Katie went on to earn a doctorate of veterinary medicine from Michigan State and she currently works as an associate veterinarian at Advanced PetCare of Oakland. She lives in Oakland with her husband, Michael, and their son Ethan.
1996 Football Team
Albion blitzed its league rivals, outscoring them 293-67, to gain the last of eight consecutive MIAA championships. The Britons were especially impressive in consecutive weeks, scoring a 41-0 victory over Adrian and a 54-0 victory over Olivet.
Led by MIAA Offensive MVP Kyle Klein, who passed for 1,014 yards and nine touchdowns, and Ray Henke and Virgil Petty, who combined to run for 1,080 yards and 16 touchdowns, the Britons still hold the MIAA record for highest scoring average in a season and they rank third in average rushing yards per game.
Lineman Jason Beglin was the MIAA’s Defensive MVP. Beglin was joined by Henke, receiver Chris Barnett, offensive lineman Jason Carriveau, inside linebackers Neil Johnson and William Webster, defensive back David Lefere, defensive lineman Pat Slone, and kicker Mike Zacha on the all-MIAA team.
All-MIAA second team picks included: Andy Boyd, Scott Gurke, Scott Harris, Kyle Klein, Brian Mack, Brandon O’Connell, Virgil Petty, Mick Rennick, and David Rockwell.
Other team members included: Kevin Curtis, Ryan Maki, Mike Oursler, Tom Raven, Jared Spybrook, Paul Thompson, Chad Abbuhl, Rob Britt, John Gatti, Jamie Glinski, Ray Henke, Matt Henne, Neil Johnson, Mike Jones, John Lloyd, Trent McPheeters, Rusty Mitcham, Joe Pesci, Kevin Rod, Brent Stein, Jamaine Wourman, Troy Wyman, Chad Able, Brian Allen, Shane Bies, Michael Boyle, Mike Brocavich, Jason Carriveau, Ryan Casey, Matt Corona, Tim Corradin, Jr., Ricardo Cotto, Joshua Epstein, Chris Hohlbein, Scott Jesue, Vince Jesue, Matiss Kukaimis, Ian Leahy, Zack Loeprich, Matt McDonald, Yuri Minnick, Brent Nieb, Gabe Priddy, David Roche, Scott Salla, Brad Scheck, Damon Sewell, Bryndon Skelton, John Stadelman, Sam Talsma, Brad TerHaar, Matt Thomas, Dan VanderHart, Eddie Ward II, Rudy Webb, Bill Webster, Michael Williams, Brent Zimmerman, Ryan Ananich, Terry Bailey, Donald Bantilan, Jeff Barker, Colby Bettis, Steve Bowers, David Brown, Matt Byl, Dave Clark, Caleb Conklin, Adam Conrad, Clay Crooks, Kenneth Dixon, Nate Forney, Clifton Foster, Nick Gates, Ryan Giacolone, Ben Gitler, Matt Gray, Zachrril Hamby, Dan Hanlon, Tom Harrison, Dan Horn, David Houck, Brett Imsland, Jim Imsland, Dan Jaskowiak, Damon Jones, John Lessway, Jason Macuga, Andrew Maki, Joseph Mathis, Ryan Maurer, Mike McGee, Kevin McLaughlin, Richard Nicks, Chris Peterson, Mark Pielong, Adam Pringle, James Richards III, Adam Rojeski, Aaron Schmitt, Ryan Sergent, Brian Seymour, Ryan Shaw, Chris Sherry, Brandan Snook, Jeff Staley, Marc Staley, Mike Starkweather, Paul Stencel, Greg Stortz, Ryan Strother, Jon Sweeney, Brian Taylor, Rodney Thomas, Jason Tighe, Jay Todd, Jerome Van Orman, Matthew Ventura, Nikolai Vitti, Donald Wallenfang, Jason Whalen, Pat Worrell, and Jason Zimmerman.