PETOSKEY — Petoskey High School has sent no shortage of athletes to the next level over recent years.
Just last year, the Northmen athletic program celebrated sending nearly 20 student athletes to the collegiate ranks.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnd, the party isn’t over yet.
National Signing Day around the country came Wednesday, Feb. 4, opening another signing period for high school athletes to make things official with college programs.
Petoskey had three athletes ink with schools Wednesday, all at the NCAA Division II level. More PHS standouts are expected to sign later in the spring period.
BRAEDEN FLYNN
Lake Superior State University
Petoskey senior Braeden Flynn has spent just a single season competing as a Petoskey athlete after making the move over from Harbor Springs, but he’s already left an impact.
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFlynn has been a four-year standout on the basketball court between both programs, scoring more than 1,700 points in his career as a three-time all-state selection.
He’ll join a LSSU program led by Steve Hettinga that he just felt like home in.
Petoskey senior Braeden Flynn was joined by his family and Petoskey boys basketball coach Matt Tamm (far left), as he signed to continue his basketball career at Sault Ste. Marie's Lake Superior State Universtiy.“Just the team atmosphere,” Flynn said on what stood out. “The coach is really great, it’s like a brotherhood there. They’re super welcoming and I know the bar will be set really high, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
The Lakes have hit the recruiting trail around Northern Michigan hard over the years and Flynn will join former Petoskey guard Shane Izzard on the roster.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementUnder Hettinga, he knows there will be some hard coaching, but it’s exactly the kind he’s looking for to have his game grow on the court.
“(Hettinga) is hard on everyone, but I wouldn’t want it any other way,” he said. “They play a great style. It’s very loose, but still honed in at the same time, which I’m excited for.”
The Lakers put together a 30-7 season a year ago, 23-9 before that and are currently 11-10.
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Flynn keeps a basketball tradition alive within the family, following parents, John and Amy Flynn, who both starred at Grand Valley State, while his sister, Olivia, signed with Western Michigan a year ago.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhile it’s the opposite end of the state from Olivia, Braeden had his own path to take.
“Lake State just felt right, felt like home, so I’m excited for the next four years,” he said. “It’s really a blessing.”
SARARH BAILEY
Biola University
If you haven’t heard of Biola University, you’re likely not alone in Michigan.
You have to search west just a bit. Or, more like all the way west, as in California.
Petoskey senior Sarah Bailey has the location pretty well down, even one specific detail.
“30 minutes from the beach,” Bailey said, smiling on a February day in Michigan.
Joined by her family and Petoskey pole vault coach Ted Pall (far left), Petoskey senior Sarah Bailey signed with Biola University in Southern California to continue her track and field career.But, while it’s more than acceptable to pick a school for its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, that’s not why Bailey, an all-state pole vaulter, chose Biola’s track and field program.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“When I went there on the visit, I was expecting a whole new environment and everything to be different,” Bailey said. “But, as I was out there, all the pole vaulters came up to me immediately and were friendly. They wanted me to be part of the team. It reminded me so much of our Petoskey team. It just made me want to be there.”
Biola is located in La Mirada, Calif., between Los Angeles and Anaheim.
Bailey, who has also stood out as a volleyball player during the fall, returns as one of the state’s best vaulters ahead of the 2026 spring season.
She set the school record as a sophomore at 9-feet, 9-inches and has gone on to break her own mark multiple times, including in back to back meets to close the season, finishing at 11-feet even in the finals.
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Those marks are of course impressive, though Bailey has big goals of raising the bar even more.
“I’d say my main goal is to make it to nationals, so I’d have to clear 12-3, which, that’s a pretty big goal, but that’s what I’m shooting for,” she said.
Bailey also competes in the hurdle events, finishing third in the conference a year ago in the 100 meter event.
RILEY BARR
Saginaw Valley State University
Golf is one of those sports that doesn’t have to ever end just because the high school years are over.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut, while the game can be played on any given day where there’s an accessible course, there’s one part that can’t be replaced: true competition.
That competitive side of the game is what Riley Barr loves and it’s what she knows she can find at SVSU.
“The competition I feel like is what makes it fun,” she said. “When you go out and play a quick round with friends, you don’t care as much about winning. When you go out and compete, you want to win and that’s what I like.”
Petoskey senior Riley Barr signed with the Saginaw Valley State women's golf program alongside her family on Wednesday.Barr’s competitive side showed in a big way over her career, which included finishing the 2025 fall season as a Big North Conference and regional champion. She shot in the 70s multiple times, including a season-low 76 in Alpena.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOver her career, Barr’s game has been lifted by her play off the tee, something she feels will help at the collegiate level.
“I can hit the ball pretty far, so as you go from 5,000 yard courses to 6,000 in college, that’s where I can have the advantage over everyone else,” Barr said.
She’ll hit the links again soon in the spring, practicing for what’s ahead before summer play begins with the Cardinals. It’s a challenge she’s excited about.
“The competition is going to be a lot harder, but I’m really looking forward and ready to show what I’m really capable of once I get to play there,” Barr added.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementContact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey athletes ink with collegiate programs on signing day
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