Marquette Caps Another Dominating Run as UPD1's Best
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 6, 2021
KINGSFORD — The Marquette boys have been the track & field frontrunners in the Upper Peninsula all season.
They also finished the season that way by scoring 140 points in the Upper Peninsula Division 1 Finals on Saturday at Kingsford. Gladstone – which had won the last Finals in 2019 – followed with 93 points, and third-place Kingsford had 65.
“Hats off to Kingsford for putting on such a fine meet,” said Marquette coach Kyle Detmers. “We had some good performances and our seniors were good leaders. Kam Karp had a great day, and the Vanderschaaf brothers going 1-2 in the 1,600 was huge. Cullen Papin nearly won the 800, and Owen Beauchamp, Truman Langlois and Tyranon Dahlin had nice performances.”
Temperatures hovered in the low 90s with a heat index of 99, which is believed to be the hottest U.P. Finals on record.
Sophomore Colin Vanderschaaf took the 1,600-meter run in four minutes, 31.82 seconds, edging his twin brother Carson by nine hundredths of a second.
Carson Vanderschaaf then won the 3,200 (10:24.93), and Papin was clocked at 2:01.41 in the 800, just behind Escanaba senior Derek Douglas (2:00.68).
“It was great,” said Carson Vanderschaaf said. “I was really happy with my 1,600. I took a more conservative approach because of the heat. The breeze helped a little on the home stretch, but it was still hot.
“I’m really excited for cross country this summer. With a summer full of training, I think I can improve.”
Karp won the 200 (23.24) and was runner-up to Calumet’s Dryden Nelson on a lean in the 100 (11.32) with Beauchamp third (11.44).
Nelson also took long jump at 20 feet, 6 inches with Dahlin runner-up (21-1½).
Lincoln Sager added a first for Marquette in the 400 (51.81), edging Houghton’s Donovan Dueweke by nine hundredths of a second.
Douglas’s effort on this hot and humid day was eight hundredths of a second better than his winning 800 time in Tuesday’s Northern Michigan Meet of Champions at Gaylord.
“It was a challenge trying to stay cool,” said Douglas, who will be running for St. Scholastica College in Duluth, Minn. next season. “I was sitting in front of a fan with icepacks on me, trying to stay cool.
“It feels great to get a U.P. Finals win. All the hard work I put in paid off.”
Menominee junior Brady Schultz set the UP Division 1 Finals record and tied the school record in high jump at 6-8, edging Gladstone senior Ethan Milan who matched his own school record at 6-6. Dahlin placed third (5-10).
“It’s good to have that competition,” said Schultz. “We really help each other out. I was happy to get the U.P. record and tie the school record. It really helps to clear 6-8. I was tired when we got to 6-9.”
The previous UPD1 record (6-5) was set by Kingsford’s Jake Richmond in 2004.
Milam previously cleared 6-6 in a triangular meet at Gladstone on May 11.
“My friend Lucas Hughes told me to keep saying to myself ‘you’re going to make it,’” said Milam. “I’m definitely pleased with my season. I set multiple records. Taking a year off (due to COVID-19) made a big difference. I had a chance to take a break. It was definitely refreshing to get track back this year.”
Gladstone senior Blake Servant was a double champion, winning the discus (151-1) and 110 hurdles (15.53), while teammate Calvin Thibault edged Servant in the 300 hurdles (40.80).
PHOTOS: (Top) Marquette's Colin Vanderschaaf (right) out-strides twin brother Carson in the 1,600 Saturday at Kingsford. (Middle) Menominee's Brady Schultz wins the high jump with a UPD1 record 6-8. (Below) Gladstone's Calvin Thibault, left, edges teammate Blake Servant in the 300 hurdles. (Photos by Cara Kamps. Click to see more at RunMichigan.com.)
Lake Linden-Hubbell Boys End Title Wait with 1st Finals Championship
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
May 31, 2026
KINGSFORD — They say there’s a first time for everything.
The Lake Linden-Hubbell boys proved that beyond any shadow of a doubt here Saturday, earning their first Upper Peninsula Division 3 track & field championship with 64 points.
Rapid River was runner-up with 55 and St. Ignace placed third at 46.
“We’ve been waiting for this for four months,” LL-H coach Brett Gervais said. “Back in March we started asking a lot of the boys. I couldn’t be happier for the kids. I’m super happy for the boys. Having coach (Gary Guisfredi) here really helps. He has coached the girls team for many years. I’ve watched the way they did things and learned a lot from that.”
The Lakes won just two individual events, but had enough depth to carry them through.
Junior Lukas Axford won the 400-meter dash in a personal-best 53.48 seconds and sophomore Tobin Baril took pole vault at 11 feet on this sunny and warm day at Flivver Field.
“I was almost in disbelief with all the work the boys had done,” Gervais said. “The weather sometimes made it tough to prepare. There’s roughly 30 teams in our division. They’re working just as hard as we are. There’s a high level of competition in our region, which helps us so much. Dollar Bay and Baraga pushed us all year. It’s such a great feeling to be part of this.”
Baraga senior Matt Rinkinen won the 100-meter dash in 11.66 seconds, just 0.2 of a second ahead of LL-H junior Josh Daavettila.
Superior Central junior Will Spranger took the 200 (23.31), followed by Rinkinen (23.71) and Dollar Bay junior Baron Colbert (23.96).
“I thought my start was a little weak, but I was able to accelerate,” Spranger said. “I need to work on my blocks in the offseason. Our 4x2 (800 relay) went well. Our handoffs were good.”
Cedarville/DeTour junior Ethan Snyder set the meet record in the 1,600 (4:25.8), shaving 0.11 of a second off the previous best by Dollar Bay’s Nik Thomas from four years ago, then added firsts in the 800 (2:02.18) and 3,200 (10:24.21).
St. Ignace senior Kollin Bird captured both throws with a personal-best heave of 45-6 in shot and a toss of 138-11 in disc. L’Anse junior Taven Lewis placed second in shot (41-9) and disc (137-9).
In the hurdles, it was Brimley junior Brady Leblanc winning the 110 event (16.43) and 300 (41.66), both with personal-best times. Connor Kemppainen, also a junior from L’Anse, was runner-up in both races at 16.54 and a person-best 42.68, respectively.
Also winning individual events were Rock Mid Peninsula sophomore Lewis Holmes with a personal-best leap of 6-3 in high jump and Bessemer junior Henry Jenkins taking long jump (19-2), also with a personal best.
PHOTOS (Top) Lake Linden-Hubbell's Lukas Axford, center, crosses the finish line first in the 400 meters Saturday. (Middle) Brimley's Brady Leblanc, second from left, and L'Anse's Connor Kemppainen, just to his right, jump over the last hurdle in the 100 hurdles. (Click for more from Cara Kamps/RunMichigan.com.)