Elk Rapids' Schulte Sisters Splitting Finals Weekend Between Tennis, Track
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
June 2, 2023
Today began with a bye for Elk Rapids’ Jaida and Brynne Schulte as the Elks returned to the Lower Peninsula Division 4 Girls Tennis Finals in Kalamazoo.
They’re planning to say bye to their tennis teammates, though, when the first day of competition is over. The Elks will have to advance to Saturday without them.
That goodbye is just fine with tennis coach Keith Schulte. And, it will be more than fine with the Elk Rapids track & field team – which will be happy to say hello to the sister pair as they head to their LPD3 Finals in Kent City.
Regardless of how they fare today, the Schulte sisters will run Saturday.
Coach Schulte, who teaches strength and conditioning at Elk Rapids, is also the father of Jaida and Brynne. Today’s he’s beaming with pride, and not just for his tennis team’s success. He’s proud of all the student-athletes and their successes this spring, including the girls soccer team moving on to Regionals with a 2-0 win Thursday over Boyne City.
And while all this is going on, he should have a moment or two to just be Dad. Jaida and Brynne teamed up to win the No. 2 doubles title at their Regional as the Elks tied for first place with Traverse City St. Francis two weeks ago. Then the Schulte girls captured first place in the Regional track meet to qualify for Saturday’s Finals. Brynne won the 1,600 and 3,200, and Jaida’s 3,200 relay team took first to move on.
Coach Schulte hasn’t had much time to pause and soak in the moment of his daughters’ qualifying for two Finals competitions during the same season.
“I didn’t think much of it until now,” the fourth-year coach said. “I’ve always just challenged my kids to do something difficult and not be scared to fail.
“They’ve just kind of found the balance on making this stuff happen,” he continued. “It is a pretty cool opportunity if you can go to two state championships.”
Getting to today’s Tennis Finals is a story full of success. The Elks’ first year under Schulte was halted after a week of practice due to the pandemic. The second year saw the team looking at a season with just nine potential players, but recruitment efforts resulted in the 2021 Elks managing to qualify for the Finals for the first time in their history.
Elk Rapids went on to win the Regional championship in 2022. And then, after graduating six athletes, the Elks were able to repeat this spring with a valiant effort resulting in the co-championship with their conference rival St. Francis.
Dual-sport standouts, while rare, aren’t entirely unheard of – especially at the state’s smaller schools where athletes frequently are needed to fill rosters in multiple sports during the same season. In fact, the Schultes aren’t even alone on their tennis team – sisters Ryleigh and Haleigh Yocum also are playing doubles today but softball on Saturday.
The Yocums won the Regional title at No. 2 doubles and also are slated to be the Elks’ first two batters as they take on Mancelona as one of the favorites to win a Division 3 District title on the softball diamond.
“I do feel bad for them – it’s states,” said 14-year veteran softball coach Erin Merchant. “I do want them to have that opportunity.
“I hope they go far,” she continued. “But then deep down, I’m like, ‘We need them Saturday.’”
Tim Nance and Jesse Way are in their first year co-coaching the boys and girls track teams at ER. They’re pleased the Schultes are prioritizing track while enjoying tennis.
“I think it is remarkable how resilient, laid back and casual the girls are about their success,” Nance said. “I would say it hasn’t compromised their talent, hard work and success.
“I think it has worked out great,” he continued. “I am selfish and I want them to myself only, but I am happy they can have two successes.”
The Elks will have Ayva Johnstone at No. 1 singles, Kelly Minidis and No. 2, Morgan Bergquist at No. 3 and Jasmine King at No. 4 this weekend. They also will have No. 1 doubles Chloe Taylor and Caroline Best and No. 4 doubles Tessa Nico and Portia Beebe, in addition to the Yokums and Schultes.
Jaida Schulte is a junior. She’s one of the recruits who joined to help the Elks get to their first Tennis Finals in 2021. Bergquist and Beebe were recruits in 2022.
Tennis is the favorite sport today for those three, but track and cross country are right up there for Jaida thanks to the opportunity to run with her freshman sister Brynne.
Jaida is hoping to at least match her personal-record split of 2:36 in the 3,200 relay Saturday. But her goal was first to win all of her doubles matches Friday and see the tennis team finish top-five in its division.
“Brynne loves track, and I love the challenge of running,” Jaida said. “I don’t think I would have the experience of running track or cross country without Brynne.”
Coaches saw very little disruption, if any, with their track, softball and tennis teams this spring with the Yocums and Schultes dual-sporting. The Schultes were able to get track and tennis practice or competition most every day.
“I prioritized track,” Brynne said. “I also got a lot of hitting time in for tennis.
“I would go to track practice first, and as soon as I would be done I would run over to the tennis courts and hit with my sister for a half an hour before going home,” she continued. “It has been worth it.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Elk Rapids sisters Brynne (left) and Jaida Schulte have teamed up at No. 3 doubles for the tennis team this season. (Middle) Brynne Schulte sets to start a track relay. (Below) The Schultes helped the Elks to their first two Regional titles in tennis, including their second straight this spring. (Photos courtesy of Jaclyn Schulte.)
Unexpected Doubles Champ Helps Spark West Iron County to 14th Finals Win
By
Jason Juno
Special for MHSAA.com
October 1, 2025
KINGSFORD — West Iron County is used to competing for Upper Peninsula tennis titles. Going into Wednesday’s Division 2 Finals, the Wykons had finished first or second 31 times at the season-concluding event.
The Wykons won their 14th championship after finishing runner-up three of the previous four years. They won five of the eight flights in Kingsford to finish ahead of Norway, which won the other three flights, and Ishpeming. Both finished five points behind West Iron, tied for second place.
“Amazing, absolutely amazing what they pulled off,” WIC coach Jen Schive said. “We won some, we lost some, but in the end, we are a team and we’re a U.P. championship team. I’m pretty proud of that. I couldn’t have asked for anything more from them today.”
West Iron finished with victories at No. 1 and 3 singles along with 1, 2 and 4 doubles. That 4 doubles team may have impressed their coach the most.
They weren’t expected to win, but Marlee Benson and Rochelle Bear advanced through all three matches of the day, capping it with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Ironwood’s Lily Magdziak and Lucy Stehlik in the final.
“I’m really proud of everybody that got a title, but this 4 doubles team, wow did they step up today,” Schive said. “I think I told them a hundred times, ‘I can’t believe it. You did it.’”
She didn’t settle on 3 and 4 doubles teams until about midway through the season. Both pairs learned to play together in a hurry.
“Having them win a U.P. title is huge, absolutely huge,” she said.
They were pretty happy as well.
“It’s unreal,” Benson said.
The No. 4 pair lost the first set 6-2. Bear said their mindset was just to put that behind them and move on to the next.
“I don’t even know, I’m amazed right now,” she said of winning.
WIC’s Grace Smith picked up a dominating win at No. 1 singles, 6-0, 6-0 over Norway’s Jordyn Moln.
“I’m proud of myself. I worked hard for it,” Smith said. “I’m a sophomore, but last year I lost.”
That was in the final at No. 2 singles. Smith took her sister Kaitlyn’s spot at the stop flight after Kaitlyn won as a senior last year.
“She stepped in, and she seems to be filling the role just fine,” Schive said. “She has an excellent little short shot, she can switch up her game, which is nice. I just know she’s ready to keep on with a very successful tennis career.”
Schive said Smith was worried about Ironwood’s Jacinta Lauzon in the semifinals because of their competitive matches during the regular season, but she won those sets 6-4, 6-2.
“There were times where she doubted herself, but I did not,” Schive said. “I knew she had what she needed. Just making sure she had the confidence, the mentality, to know herself. Very proud of her.”
West Iron’s Destiny Lemery and Aubrey Richardson won the No. 1 doubles final 6-3, 6-0 over Ishpeming’s Stella Nerlfi and Ava Lapin.
“Destiny had some good net shots and some hard hits down the alley and the line. And her serves were good,” Richardson said.
“(Richardson) does really good alley shots and angle shots,” Lemery added.
Schive said they play well together and communicate, and it translated into a great year for them. As for what they did well Wednesday — “Oh the net,” she said. “I’ve been telling them all year — ’Put it away, put it away, save yourself some energy.’ And they did that, they did just that, beautiful net game.”
West Iron’s No. 2 doubles team of Julia White and Olivia LaMay won 6-3, 6-2 over the Hematites’ Lilly Ryan and Janelle Seelen.
“I have Julia who is a beautiful long stroke, she can get it, and Olivia in the right place at the right time, she can take care of it at the net,” Schive said.
Erin Kolbas made it two titles at singles for West Iron, clinching at the No. 3 flight. She defeated Ishpeming’s Frankie Stetson 7-6 (1), 6-4 in the final.
“It’s been a long journey,” Kolbas said. “I tore my ACL and meniscus last year. Not playing last year and then now playing this year, it’s been a long road.”
Norway took the other three wins, at 2 and 4 singles and 3 doubles. Ella Wojtowicz defeated Ishpeming’s Sophia Nerlfi 6-4, 6-4 at No. 2.
“It’s nice because it took four years,” Wojtowicz said. “Lots of tries, lots of losing, but I got there. My goal this year was just to make myself proud, it wasn’t really to win anything. But winning is a plus.”
Her coach, Cassandra Gustafson, was happy to see her career end with a championship.
“She has had some ups and downs over the years, but she has really put in a lot of work in the offseason to get where she’s at, so I’m really proud of her,” Gustafson said.
Jessa Rossler took the final match at No. 4 singles 6-4, 6-2 over Ishpeming’s Camryn Miller.
“I won last year, too, so I was really hoping I would this year,” Rossler said. “At first, I kept hitting it to the net with the wind; it was kind of hard to judge it. But once I got used to that, I think I hit some better shots and it turned out well.”
Norway’s No. 3 doubles team of Emily Carlson and Myah Gilroy defeated Ishpeming’s Lydia Seelen and Jenessa Eagle 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the final. The matchup was similar to last year’s when Norway’s duo lost to Lydia and Janelle Seelen in the final.
“They really wanted it,” Gustafson said. “They really wanted it bad. They’ve been playing together two years straight, so they’re solid and jelled together.”
PHOTOS (Top) West Iron County celebrates its UPD2 championship Wednesday at Kingsford High School. (Middle) Ishpeming’s Stella Nerlfi gets to a ball at the net at No. 1 doubles. (Below) Norway's Jordyn Moln sends a volley during a No. 1 singles match. (Photos by Jason Juno.)