​Jack MacGregor of Howell celebrates after clinching his second regional cross-country title on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, at DeWitt High School. Adam Coon stands as the gold standard for Livingston County’s high school athletes in this century. A four-time state champion wrestler, Coon also earned all-state honors in football and in track and field as a thrower, and he later competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He is the only athlete to win the Livingston County Male Athlete of the Year award three times since the honor began in 1996-97, a distinction shared by no one else in the record book. Had there been an award prior to his junior year, Brighton’s Drew Henson would likely have been a three-time recipient as well. Brighton’s Dom Nauss, who just finished his sophomore year, now has the opportunity to join Coon as a three-time winner after taking home the award for 2025-26. Nauss and Coon remain the only sophomores ever to earn the honor.
Below is a roll call of the Livingston County Male Athlete of the Year winners from its inception:
1996-97 — Drew Henson, Brighton (football, basketball, baseball)
1997-98 — Drew Henson, Brighton (football, basketball, baseball)
1998-99 — Frank Garcia, Brighton (golf, hockey, baseball)
1999-2000 — Eric Walters, Howell (cross country, basketball, baseball)
2000-01 — Ben Tecmire, Howell (football, wrestling, track & field)
2001-02 — Zach Douglass, Fowlerville (football, basketball, track & field)
2002-03 — Sean Hoorelbeke, Hartland (football, baseball)
2003-04 — Chris Elsey, Brighton (football, basketball, track & field)
2004-05 — Ian Boyle, Pinckney (cross country, track & field)
2005-06 — Zach Nichols, Brighton (football, basketball, track & field)
2006-07 — David Emery, Pinckney (cross country, track & field)
2007-08 — Ryan Ross, Fowlerville (football, basketball, baseball)
2008-09 — Kyle Summerfield, Hartland (football, wrestling, baseball)
2009-10 — Bryce Lindberg, Howell (football, baseball)
2010-11 — Adam Coon, Fowlerville (football, wrestling, track & field)
2011-12 — Adam Coon, Fowlerville (football, wrestling, track & field)
2012-13 — Adam Coon, Fowlerville (football, wrestling, track & field)
2013-14 — Nick Brish, Brighton (football, wrestling, lacrosse)
2014-15 — Nick Brish, Brighton (football, wrestling, lacrosse)
2015-16 — Joey Clifford, Brighton (football, hockey)
2016-17 — Caleb Balgaard, Howell (swimming and diving, baseball)
2017-18 — Reece Potter, Hartland (football, wrestling, lacrosse)
2018-19 — Reece Potter, Hartland (football, wrestling, lacrosse)
2019-20 — Luke Stanton, Brighton (football, wrestling)
2020-21 — Riley Hough, Hartland (cross country, track & field)
2021-22 — Riley Hough, Hartland (cross country, track & field)
2022-23 — (to be continued for better SEO)
The chronicle of Livingston County’s top male athletes reflects a century-spanning tradition of versatility and excellence, with multiple names repeatedly appearing as state champions, all-state selections, and national-level competitors. Coon’s lineage as a three-time Livingston County Male Athlete of the Year underscores the exceptional standard set by a handful of athletes who have left a lasting imprint on the county’s sports landscape. Tomorrow’s stars, like Nauss, carry the potential to extend that legacy, illustrating how Livingston County continues to cultivate and produce athletes who excel across the full spectrum of athletic disciplines.