The following article was comprised for the January edition of Saginaw Township Living magazine. 

When Alex McCarthy walks the halls at Nouvel Catholic Central, you instantly see a smiling face and a pleasant demeanor. Don’t let that fool you though, McCarthy has been a shining, competitive athlete for Nouvel the past three years, excelling in sports that don’t always come to mind when you think of high school athletics.

“I started bowling (and golfing) when I was 2 years old,” McCarthy stated. “My grandparents used to watch me and we would always be at the alley or the golf course, depending on the season of course.”

All of that time on the lanes has paid off for McCarthy. In 2023, he became the first bowler in school history to win an individual MHSAA state title. He also led the team to a Regional Title and 10th place finish at States.

While the success he had last year was evident, he is not settling for past achievements. In the off-season, McCarthy has participated in multiple bowling tournaments, and worked hard with his coach Brian Montini to continue improving.

“I want to see if we can win Regionals again as a team and make the top 5 at States,” said McCarthy. “Of course I’d like to win again, but I think now that I have accomplished that goal, I don’t put as much pressure on myself. I want to see the team win too.”

While he is a humble student-athlete, he also is one of the top golfers in not only Saginaw County, but in the state of Michigan. He won an individual Regional title in 2023 and finished 12th at States. He also has been putting time in the off-season making changes to his swing and can be seen in the Nouvel Performance Training Center weekly, hitting the weights to improve his power and flexibility.

Golf may be his favorite sport, but he looks fondly upon both sports that his Grandparents instilled a love for.

“If it was warm and sunny we would golf. If it was rainy or cold, we would bowl. Living in Michigan, you get a lot more of the latter.”

McCarthy looks to now become the first Panther to win a state title in both sports in 2024.