Bessemer Speediest for 1st Time since '51
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2018
KINGSFORD — It had been a long time since a Bessemer track team was last crowned Upper Peninsula champion.
A very long time.
The Speedboys changed that in convincing fashion Saturday, scoring 151 points for their first title since 1951, when they were competing in Class C.
Two-time reigning champ Rapid River was runner-up this time with 84 points, and Pickford took third at 45 in the U.P. Division 3 Finals at Flivver Field.
“Last year we lost by four points after winning every meet before the Finals,” said Bessemer assistant coach Tracy Rowe. “We were pretty hopeful coming in here. Our depth helped us out.”
The Speedboys won the first four running events and finished with nine firsts.
They began their quest with a victory in the 3,200-meter relay, covering the eight-lap race in 8 minutes, 31.15 seconds.
“The 3,200 relay set the tone for the day,” said assistant coach David Rowe. “We emphasized concentrating on the present, and the guys weren’t intimidated. This is something everybody was a part of. Our cross country team (co-op Gogebic Miners) won the U.P. (Division 2) title last fall, and the distances are where we racked up the points.”
Senior Isaiah Aili set a U.P. meet record in the 800 at 2:01.08, topping the previous mark (2:01.45) by Munising’s Brett Hannah run three years ago.
“I knew it was a big race, and there was a lot of competition,” said Aili, who was runner-up in the 1,600 (4:45.66). “I thought to myself, ‘I don’t want to lose this race.’ This means a lot to our school, team and coaches who have been there for us all year.”
Aili also helped the Speedboys win the 1,600 relay (3:37.74), as did senior Brayden Tomes, who took the 100 (11.92), 200 (23.7) and 300 hurdles (41.94).
“I can’t think of a better way to end my career, especially with all my teammates,” said Tomes. “This has been our goal since last year. We wanted to come back here and take the title.”
Uriah Aili added a first in the 3,200 (10:25.29) and took second in pole vault (11-6), and sophomore Jamie Jett captured the 110 hurdles (16.97), took second in the 300 hurdles (44.11) and anchored the winning 800 relay (1:36.72), nipping Rapid River sophomore Tyler Sundling at the wire.
“One of the negative things is our handoffs weren’t as good as usual,” said Jett, who made up a 10-15 yard deficit in the anchor leg. “I like that distance (200 meters). I think 100 meters is a little too short, and I die a little in the end of a 400. I had a good start and used the three-step in the hurdles. I’ve been working on that, and I find it increases my speed (over the four-step).”
Junior Andy Aspinwall was also part of the 800 relay, and Tyler Busch added a first in shot put (46-6).
“We knew it would be real close with (Rapid River),” said Aspinwall. “I think they were our best competition. They’re a real good team.
“It’s awesome to go home with the U.P. title.”
Rapid River senior Logan Hardwick earned his third straight discus title (144-11), and junior teammate Gunnar Larson was runner-up (138-11).
Classmate Lucas Sundling won the 400 (53.06), followed by Tyler Sundling (54.0).
Cedarville sophomore Thomas Bohn set a U.P. meet record in the 1,600 (4:33.24), shaving 77 hundredths of a second off the previous best by Rapid River’s Tyler Crossman (4:34.01) in 2008.
“I knew I had to go out hard and tried to set the pace early,” said Bohn. “I knew there would be a lot of good runners. Bessemer especially had good runners. They have a good program.”
Bohn was runner-up in the 800 (2:02.8) and 3,200 (10:37.25).
PHOTOS: (Top) Bessemer’s Isaiah Aili outdistances the field in the 800. (Middle) The pack takes a turn during the 1,600. (Photos by Cara Kamps. Click for more at RunMichigan.com.)
Preview: Past Multi-Race Champs Highlight Impressive Field Returning to Kingsford
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 30, 2025
Plenty of candidates appear prepared to step into the spotlight at this weekend’s Upper Peninsula Boys Track & Field Finals.
Several returning champions return across the three divisions to be hosted Saturday at Kingsford High School, including distance standouts Luke Hill of Houghton, Dan Goss of Munising and Kalvin Kytta of Chassell after all three won multiple Finals titles a year ago. Pickford’s Gunner Bennin also is back after winning multiple races in 2024, and Menominee’s Darrent Butler joins Kytta as past champs looking to win for the third-straight year.
Preliminaries will begin the day at 9 a.m. local (Central) time. Tickets cost $11 and are available digitally only via GoFan.
MHSAA.tv will live-stream the meets beginning at 9 a.m. (CDT)/10 a.m. (EDT), viewable with subscription. Check out the Boys Track & Field page for meet information and lists of all qualifiers. Those described as "seeded" below have received those seeds based on Regional performances or early qualification during the regular season.
Following is a glance at team contenders and individuals to watch in all three divisions:
Division 1
Team forecast: Marquette has won the last four Division 1 championships and all but one since 2015. Kingsford has finished runner-up the last three seasons, but Houghton and Negaunee might have the most opportunities to make a push this weekend although the Sentinels’ immense talent and depth again will make them difficult to catch.
Lucas Ballard, Marquette sophomore: He’s expected to take a much larger scoring role after finishing fourth in the 400 and running on a winning relay as a freshman. He’s seeded first in the 800 (1:59.87) and 1,600 (4:36.82) and slated to run on the top-seeded 1,600 relay (3:30.41).
Darrent Butler, Menominee junior: The two-time reigning high jump champion won by four inches last season and is seeded first at that same height (6-2) while also seeded sixth in long jump and set to run on the third-seeded 1,600 relay.
Mathew Frantti, Calumet senior: He’s looking at a potential big finish to his high school career as the top seed in both the shot put (46-3½) and discus (143-9) after finishing third in the shot last season.
Luke Hill, Houghton senior: He won the 800, 1,600, finished third in the 3,200 and ran on the champion 3,200 relay last season. He returns seeded second in the 1,600 (4:38.08) and fifth in the 800 and 3,200, and running on the top-seeded 3,200 relay (8:46.55).
Gabe Litzner, Sault Ste. Marie junior: One of the most highly-regarded distance runners statewide, Litzner won the 3,200 and finished second in the 1,600 last season. He’s seeded second in the 3,200 (9:34.88) and third in the 1,600 (4:40.44) this weekend.
Jacob MacPhee, Marquette junior: He’s back after winning the 400, finishing second in the 200 and running on two championship relays in 2024. He’s seeded first in the 200 (22.53), 400 (51.17) and will run on the top-seeded 800 (1:33.23) and 1,600 relays.
Kyler Sager, Marquette senior: He’s the reigning long jump champ and ran on a winning relay as well last spring. He’s seeded first in long jump (19-11¾), third in the 100 dash (11.32) and will run on the second-seeded 400 relay (45.14).
Division 2
Team forecast: Pickford has won the last two Division 2 titles, with Munising last season’s runner-up and those two also finishing first and second, respectively, at their Regional earlier this month. West Iron County won the other Division 2 Regional and could make a nice jump from ninth at last year’s Final.
John Anderson, Pickford junior: Last season’s high jump champion is seeded first (6-0) with a jump four inches higher than his winner a year ago. Anderson also finished fourth in the 110 hurdles, seventh in the 300 and ran on a runner-up relay in 2024, and he returns top-seeded in the 110 (16.86) and third-seeded in the 300 (46.63).
Gunner Bennin, Pickford junior: He’s looking to add to his 200 and 400 titles and fourth place in long jump from last season, seeded second in the 100 (12.01) and first in the 200 (24.37) and 400 (54.71) and running on the top-seeded 800 relay (1:37.91).
Dan Goss, Munising senior: The reigning champion in the 1,600 and 3,200 is seeded second in the 3,200 (10:57.73), fourth in the 1,600 and 800, and also third in the 400 (55.61).
Jayden Niemi-Alcorn, Rudyard senior: He won the pole vault last season by 1½ feet and has the top seed in that event by six inches this weekend.
Division 3
Team forecast: Newberry rose from runner-up in 2023 to champion last year, but won its Regional this month by only two points ahead of Brimley. Engadine also was a Regional champ by two points, while Lake Linden-Hubbell and Crystal Falls Forest Park won theirs by larger margins. Engadine and Lake Linden-Hubbell are seeking first Finals team titles, and Forest Park is seeking its first since 2010.
Vic Giuliani, Crystal Falls Forest Park sophomore: He debuted last season with a high jump championship and also finished fifth in both the long jump and 100 dash. He’s seeded fourth in the high jump this time and also will run the 200 and 400.
Kalvin Kytta, Chassell senior: He’s won the 3,200 the last two seasons and added 800 and 1,600 championships last year. He enters Saturday seeded second in the 800 (2:09.37) and 1,600 (4:47.27) and third in the 3,200 (11:16.88).
Matthew Rahilly, Newberry senior: After finishing second in the long jump, third in the high jump and running on two top-three relays a year ago, Rahilly is seeded first in the 200 (24.06) and long jump (20-1) and tied for second in the high jump (5-10). He won the long jump and ran on a winning relay as a sophomore.
Michael Rexford, Escanaba Holy Name junior: The reigning long jump champion is seeded second in that event (19-8), tied for the fourth seed in the high jump and expected to run on the second-seeded 3,200 relay (9:11.29).
Ethan Snyder, Cedarville sophomore: He finished second in the 1,600 as a freshman and returns top-seeded in that race (4:44.45), the 800 (2:08.14) and second-seeded in the 3,200 (11:01.70).
PHOTO Marquette's Ford Richardson hands off the baton to Evan Balko in the 1,600 relay on May 9 at the Negaunee Lions Invitational. The Sentinels broke the meet record in the race they had set the previous season. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)