Zeeland East Welcomes Adrian Nichols as Varsity Sideline and Competitive Cheer Coach

Zeeland East is excited to announce that Adrian Nichols has accepted the role of Varsity Sideline and Competitive Cheer Coach! She takes over the program from Isabel Withrow, who has faithfully led the team for the past two years.

Coach Nichols brings a wealth of experience to Zeeland East. She served as the head coach at Hamilton from 2017 to 2020, where she helped lead the competitive cheer team to its first-ever regional appearance in 2018, followed by another regional appearance in 2019. She then took over the program at Thornapple Kellogg, guiding their program from 2020 to 2023. Under her leadership, the Trojans captured a conference and district title and finished fifth in the state in 2023. That same year, Coach Nichols was honored as the District Coach of the Year. Most recently, she contributed to the Hartland and Northview cheer programs as an assistant coach.

Beyond coaching, Coach Nichols is a registered MHSAA official and a mentor within the state cheer coaches association.  As a board member of cheer state coaches association (CCCAM), she also serves as the Scholarship Invitational Director.  

She and her family—husband Alex and twin daughters—live in Grandville and are eager to invest in the Zeeland East community.

Throughout the interview process, it was clear that Coach Nichols has the experience, integrity, and vision to elevate our cheer program. We are thrilled to have her lead and develop our student-athletes!

Coach Nichols shared her excitement about joining Zeeland East:
 "I’m excited to continue my coaching career at Zeeland East! My goal is to build a program that competes with the best in West Michigan, fosters a fierce team culture, and makes this program legendary. Let’s go, EAST!!"

Coach Nichols is eager to meet Zeeland East Cheer student-athletes and families.  There will be a meeting for student-athletes and families on April 16th at 6:00 in the back of the Zeeland East Cafeteria.   

GO CHIX!

ZE Girls Tennis plays well in defeat by Holland Christian

ZE played well but lost 6 matches to 2 to perennial powerhouse Holland Christian.  Winning matches for the Chix were Keeley Borman/Kendyll Samora (1D) who came from behind to beat HC by a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.  ZE second doubles team of Mahalia Vis and Elizabeth Rogovich remained undefeated on the year beating HC 6-4, 7-5.   

Girls Varsity Tennis defeats Unity Christian

The Chix defeated Unity Chr. by a score of 6 to 2.  The win moves ZE to 3-0-1 in league play and 13-3-1 overall.  The Chix travel to Holland Christian on Wednesday in a battle of unbeatens.Hudsonville Unity Christian - 2, Zeeland East - 6, Singles:No. 1 - Jayda Velzen, Hudsonville Unity Christian def. Anna Steenwyk, Zeeland East, 4-6 , 6-4 , 6-1 ;No. 2 - Evelyn Kwiatkowski, Hudsonville Unity Christian def. Taya Schanski , Zeeland East, 6-7 (1), 6-4 , 6-4 ;No. 3 - ThyAn Kleikamp , Zeeland East def. Faith Adema, Hudsonville Unity Christian, 6-3 , 6-4 , -;No. 4 - Trinh Kleikamp, Zeeland East def. Kylynn Vugteveen, Hudsonville Unity Christian, 6-0 , 6-2 , -;Doubles:No. 1 - Keeley Boerman, Zeeland East - Kendyll Samora, Zeeland East def. Ella Gruppen, Hudsonville Unity Christian - Arianna Nikkel, Hudsonville Unity Christian, 6-0 , 6-2 , -;No. 2 - Elizabeth Rogovich, Zeeland East - Mahalia Vis, Zeeland East def. Lexi Ensing, Hudsonville Unity Christian - Addi Vugteveen, Hudson

Chix Tennis Beast West in Close Match, 5-3

Sr. Anna Steenwyk helped guide the Zeeland East Varsity girls tennis team to victory during their nail biting match against Zeeland West. The girls had a challenging home match against Zeeland West and took home the win with a score of 5-3.Steenwyk stated “ The game changing moment for me was when I was down 2-5 in the second set. I just played as hard as I could. West makes me more nervous because they are in our conference and it's our rival team. Anna’s motivation kept her going strong even though she didn't win her match, but she had an amazing come back. Coach Jed had many positive things to say about Anna. Coach Jed said “ Anna is our leader and is the best player we’ve got. Everybody else plays off her. They are able to be successful, because she's playing the toughest person on the other team” she takes one for the team and plays the toughest players to help her teammates bring home victories.  

Boys Varsity Baseball vs. Zeeland West High School

Zeeland East hosted rival Zeeland West in an OK Black conference double-header on Tuesday.  The Chix came out victorious in both games by scores of 9-3 and 6-3.In game one, Max Mulder pitched a complete game in the victory.  Mulder walked one and scattered 3 hits while striking out 7.  All 3 runs were unearned.Offensively, Zeeland East tallied 9 hits led by Mulder and Cam Jaworoski who each had 2.  Peyton Davis also added a bases loaded double to break the game open with 3 RBI.In game 2, Derek Baxter recorded the win on the mound.  Baxter hurled 6 innings, walking just one batter and scattering 5 hits.  Baxter struck out 7 batters and gave up 2 runs.  Gavin Weighmink recorded the save, pitching the 7th inning.Offensively, Caden Hunderman had a pair of big hits in the game, recording the first RBI of the game.  Quincy Thome added 3 hits, a triple, 2 RBI and 2 stolen bases.  Mason Raade also added an RBI triple.The Chix move their record to 12

Varsity Golf 7th at Hamilton Jamboree

The East Varsity Golf team finished 7th on Tuesday in the Hamilton Jamboree held at Diamond Springs.  Scoring for the Chix were Kolton Gentry, Reid Blondin, Aiden Bareng, and Evan Schuberg.  The Chix will travel to the Meadows on Friday for the Ottawa County Invitational.  

Girls Varsity Lacrosse Dominates Jenison High School 19-2

The Zeeland Girls' Lacrosse Team dominated 19-2 in their game on Friday (April 25) against Jenison High School. Zeeland West player Saige Canfield said, “Going into this game, we knew from past experience it would be one of our easier games, but we still put our best foot forward and pushed until the end. We tried out new things and let girls who haven't scored yet get a chance to. Overall, it went well.” Leading the team statistically was Sr. Audrey Durham with 7 points, Skylar Hundley with 2 assists, and Maggie Albrecht with 5 ground balls. At half-time, the girls were leading 14-1. Coach Brooke Vanderstelt stated, “It was a great game for us. We were able to put our best foot out there and make sure all of our players got a chance to play. It was a really good, high-scoring game.” The Birds held strong in offense and defense, leading to their dominating win. The Zeeland East varsity lacrosse team has a home conference game vs. Mona Shores (Norton Shores, MI) on Wednes

ZE Girls Varsity Tennis outlasts Zeeland West

The Chix won the nearly 4 hour match with sisters ThyAn (3S) and Trinh Kleikamp (4S) winning exciting third set tie breaks.  The Chix move to 2-0-1 in league play and 12-3-1 overall.  ZE travels to Unity Christian on Tuesday and league leading Holland Christian on Wednesday.Zeeland West - 3, Zeeland East - 5,Singles:No. 1 - Emily Haskill, Zeeland West def. Anna Steenwyk, Zeeland East, 6-2 , 6-4 , --- ;No. 2 - Harley Brown, Zeeland West def. Taya Schanski , Zeeland East, 6-0 , 6-0 , --- ;No. 3 - ThyAn Kleikamp , Zeeland East def. Halle Reider, Zeeland West, 2-6 , 6-3 , 7-6 (3);No. 4 - Trinh Kleikamp, Zeeland East def. Analiece Yin, Zeeland West, 6-7 (5), 6-3 , 7-6 (4);Doubles:No. 1 - Kendyll Samora, Zeeland East - Keeley Boerman, Zeeland East def. Brooklyn Quillan, Zeeland West - Samantha Edwards, Zeeland West, 7-5 , 6-0 , --- ;No. 2 - Elizabeth Rogovich, Zeeland East - Mahalia Vis, Zeeland East def. Lily Mendoza, Zeeland West - Elise Fobar, Zeeland West, 6-1 , 6-3 , --- ;No.

Zeeland Girls Water Polo falls to Hudsonville 2-18

Zeeland Girls Water Polo fell to Hudsonville 2-18. Zeeland started and ended the match slow struggling to score. Zeeland managed to score early in the match on a shot from Sr. Ava Levandoski. Entering the 2nd quarter they scored again but came to a halt offensively. The 2nd half was no different, entering the new half down 2-10, Zeeland struggled to get hot and were shutout in the 2nd half. “We played well but I felt like we needed to move around a bit more.” said Jr. Arianna Hamacher.  “They are a very good team, we struggled to move the ball around, but we fought especially after losing our goalie in the 3rd quarter,” Said Head Coach Zac Geschwendt.

Varsity Golf 7th at Spring Lake Jamboree

The East Varsity golf team finished in 7th place on Monday in the Spring Lake Jamboree held at Spring Lake Country Club.  Scoring for the Chix were Kolton Gentry, Reid Blondin, Zac Hopke, and Tate Salas.  The Chix will travel to the Meadows on Friday for the Ottawa County Invitational.  

Volleyball Handles Grandville 2-0

The Zeeland Boys Volleyball team beat Granville at home Thursday night 2-0. They won the first set 25-4. They took the second set, 25- 12. Sr. Elliott Bell stated, “The second set was closer than it should have been, but we pulled through in the end”. Bell ended the game with a 500 hitting efficiency on the night. He also had 10 kills, 1 block, and 5 serves. Head Coach Chris Linderman said, “I was really proud of my team for the way they came out playing against Grandeville”. 

ZE Tennis Defeats Wayland but loses tight match to Byron Center

Our Girls Tennis Team knocked off Wayland, Thursday afternoon by a score of 8 to 0.  Anna Steenwyk (1S) led the sweep:In the second match of the day, Byron Center beat the Chix 5 matches to 3.  Winning for ZE was Trinh Kleikamp (4S), Keeley Boerman/Kendyll Samora (1D) and Mahalia Vis/Elizabeth Rogovich (2D).  The Chix are 11-3-1 on the year.    Monday the Chix will celebrate Senior day and then take on the Dux at 4pm.  Zeeland East - 3, Byron Center - 5,Singles:No. 1 - Sharon Okoh, Byron Center def. Anna Steenwyk, Zeeland East, 6-2 , 6-1 , --- ;No. 2 - Mallory Johnson, Byron Center def. Taya Schanski , Zeeland East, 6-0 , 6-1 , --- ;No. 3 - Kristina Ha, Byron Center def. ThyAn Kleikamp , Zeeland East, 6-4 , 6-4 , --- ;No. 4 - Trinh Kleikamp, Zeeland East def. Syd DeVos, Byron Center, 6-1 , 6-2 , --- ;Doubles:No. 1 - Kendyll Samora, Zeeland East - Keeley Boerman, Zeeland East def. Leah Myhre, Byron Center - Saraiah Okoh, Byron Center, 6-7 (5), 6-3 , 10-5 ;N

Boys Varsity Baseball vs. Spring Lake High School

Zeeland East traveled to Spring Lake on Thursday to finish their 3-game OK Black series.  The Chix jumped out on top early scoring first with an infield single by Aidan Jaworoski, scoring Derek Baxter.  In the top of the 3rd, Derek Baxter delivered a huge three-run home run to extend the lead to 4-0.  The score would remain at 4-0 until the bottom of the 6th inning when Spring Lake strung together 3 hits a walk and a few ground outs to tie the score at 4.  Spring Lake would finish the job with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 7th to win by a score of 5-4.Zeeland East pitcher, Mason Raade hurled a gem for the Chix.  Raade pitched 5 scoreless innings, striking out 5 and allowing 4 hits.Quincy Thome led the way offensively with 3 hits in the game.  Zeeland East falls to 10-3 overall and 6-3 in conference play.  The Chix travel to Hudsonville on Saturday for their annual Eagle Invite tournament.  

ZE Tennis defeats Holland 7 matches to 1

The win moves the Chix to 1-0-1 in league play and 10-2-1 overall.Holland - 1, Zeeland East - 7,Singles:No. 1 - Ahava LeFebre, Holland def. Anna Steenwyk, Zeeland East, 6-0 , 6-3 , --- ;No. 2 - Taya Schanski , Zeeland East def. Kate Ferguson, Holland, 6-3 , 6-0 , --- ;No. 3 - ThyAn Kleikamp , Zeeland East def. Sydney McFarland, Holland, 6-4 , 2-6 , 6-0 ;No. 4 - Trinh Kleikamp, Zeeland East def. Abby Sanchez, Holland, 6-1 , 6-2 , -;Doubles:No. 1 - Kendyll Samora, Zeeland East - Keeley Boerman, Zeeland East def. Haleigh Souder, Holland - Evelyn Lewin, Holland, 6-1 , 6-4 , --- ;No. 2 - Elizabeth Rogovich, Zeeland East - Mahalia Vis, Zeeland East def. Kiernan Grigg, Holland - Amaya Hallacy, Holland, 6-4 , 6-0 , --- ;No. 3 - Pippa Boerman, Zeeland East - Olivia Grotenhuis , Zeeland East def. Lucy Green, Holland - Ally Valentine, Holland, 7-6 (5), 6-1 , --- ;No. 4 - Taylor Bouws, Zeeland East - Kasey Fisher, Zeeland East def. Amelia Chmura, Holland - Rilee Hoebbel, Holland, 6-4 , 6-1 , --- ;

Varsity Golf 7th at Zeeland West Jamboree

The East Varsity golf team finished 7th on Wednesday in the Zeeland West Jamboree held at Crestview.  Scoring for the Chix were Kolton Gentry, Reid Blondin, Tanner Treacy, and Zac Hopke.  The Chix will travel to Spring Lake Country Club on Monday for the Spring Lake jamboree.  

Zeeland Girls Water Polo falls to East Kentwood 12-6

Zeeland East girls water polo took the loss against East Kentwood 12-6. Zeeland East started the game down in the first quarter led by goalie Sr. Emily Pyle “We knew this would be a close game going into it and we played really well.” said Pyle. The Chix held their ground and pulled their deficit closer trailing only down one entering halftime. Entering the second half the Chix started to lose traction and would eventually fall to the Falcons. “We played a really competitive game, probably the best this season in terms of doing the little things right,” said Coach Zac Geschwendt on the loss.

Varsity Softball Rebounds to Split Doubleheader with Spring Lake

The East Varsity Softball Team split a double header with Spring Lake at home Tuesday night. The Chix lost the first game 5-17. They had a lead early but errors in the field led to the Spring Lake lead. Sr. Mackenzie Ruimveld went 2 for 3 at the plate to lead the Chix offensively during the first game.  The second game, the East girls won 9-5, Ruimveld went 3 for 3 with 3 RBI to get the win. Coach Julie Groenveld stated, “Our first game we struggled a little bit. We weren't getting our hits down. In the second game we really turned it around. Our defense and offense worked together and I thought it was a great turn around for the second game.”  Jr. Daveyana Phasavo added, “I think the first game we started very strong. The score was very close but we started falling apart but in the second game we did well with keeping our energy together. We got hits and made some adjustments and Kaylee did really good pitching and overall the girls did a really good job keeping us

Boys’ Volleyball Battles Back at Away Tri, Earns Win After Early Setback

Last night, the Boys’ Varsity Volleyball team lost their first game against the Hudsonville Eagles but turned things around and defeated the Kenowa Hills Knights in their second match of the Tri at Kenowa Hills High School. Despite dropping both sets to Hudsonville, with a close first set of 25-18 and a second at 25-15, the boys regrouped and took down the Knights. In reference to the matches of the night, Head Coach Linderman expressed, “We were down our libero, but our team made the adjustments. Hudsonville was a really good team, and they took it to us in the second set. The second match versus Kenowa was pretty big. Although we lost the first set, we came back and won the second set. This match went really well for us. It’s good to see the team stick together and finish positively.” The team lost the first set against Kenozwa with a score of 25-18. Powered by a long-serving streak from Fr. Andrew Colasanti,  the team took control and dominated the second set, winning 25-10. In

Boys Varsity Baseball vs. Spring Lake High School

Zeeland East dropped two games to Spring Lake on Tuesday by scores of 1-4 and 2-11.In game one, Derek Baxter was terrific on the mound throwing 5 and ⅓ innings, allowing only 1 earned runs on 3 hits while striking out 5.  Zeeland East took a 1-0 lead into the 6th inning but couldn't hold on for the win.Mason Raade led the way for Zeeland East offensively with 2 hits.  Max Mulder had a sacrifice fly in the 4th inning to put the Chix on top 1-0. Caden Hunderman and Quincy Thome each added a single.In game 2, the Chix once again jumped out to an early 2-1 lead after a Mason Raade solo home run in the second inning, but again couldn't hold the lead.  Max Mulder struck out 6 batters in 3 innings of work while allowing 3 hits and 5 walks.Ryan Kuzma had 2 hits in the game including a double and an RBI.Zeeland East drops to 10-2 on the season and 6-2 in the OK Black.  They travel to Spring Lake to finish the series on Thursday.

East Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader Over Holland

Zeeland East Baseball hosted a doubleheader against Holland, winning both games. The first game ended with a score of 12-5, and the second game with an 11-8. The Chix had a strong start in the first game when Jr. Ryan Kuzma hit a home run in the 2 inning. At the start of the second game, Holland scored first in the second inning, but the Chix tied it  3-3 at the top of the 3rd inning. Jr Cameron Jaworowski said, “Starting slow, having a tired game 3-3 in the 3rd inning, but coming into the 4th, we fell apart, allowing Holland to score 5 runs. Once we got the last out, our energy came back after scoring 8 runs, putting us in the lead,” Coach Matt Sattler said. “It felt pretty good in the first 5 innings of the first game. Being up 12-0, our guys hit the ball pretty well. Mason Raade was great on the mound; he threw a lot of strikes, keeping them off balance. But Holland crept back up, making us play a few more innings, which I didn’t love. All in all, this early in the year, they w

Zeeland East Varsity Soccer Loses to Unity Christian Soccer 0-2

The Zeeland East girls varsity soccer team was defeated by Unity Christian 0-2. Zeeland struggled to take possession of the ball throughout the game. 15-plus saves by Soph. Sophie Reese helped keep the game within two scores from Unity Christian. Jr. Nayeli Fomunung said, “We did our best, and I think we played pretty well and saw this was the first time we have been tested as a team. We haven't had much competition till now, so I think we did pretty good.” Furthermore, Coach Hunderman exclaimed, “I could not be prouder of my team. I think we left everything on the field. This was one of the first games where we were really tested and had to compete a lot, and it was a whole team effort, and yes, we didn't win, but I'm very proud of how we competed, so nothing bad to say.”