Many Do Their Parts to Drive Lakes 3-Peat
June 1, 2019
By Adam Niemi
Special for Second Half
KINGSFORD – Lake Linden-Hubbell cruised to its third straight MHSAA Division 3 UP Finals championship Saturday.
The Lakes scored 112 points, well ahead of runner-up Felch North Dickinson's 62.
"It's just unbelievable. We knew where we were on paper; we had the most points from our seeding. We know that that never works out," Lake Linden-Hubbell head coach Gary Guisfredi said. "We talked to the girls about how important it was to work for our personal bests, which we got a lot of those today. We also talked about how important it is to, if we're seeded fifth, to get to fourth and bump up. We had that today. We had multiple girls who were not seeded one through six, came out of other heats and actually placed. It really was just an amazing day."
Rock Mid-Peninsula was third (56), followed by Brimley (45) and Stephenson (42) to round out the top five.
The Lakes' third straight title came on the strength of gritty determination and hard work, embodied by Sienna Anderson's comeback from an ACL injury a year ago. She took second in the 100 hurdles behind Brimley's Hayley Gamberdella.
The Lakes took five firsts including wins in the 400 meter and 1,600-meter relays. Mariah Willmer won the 800 run. Jamie Hendrickson won the high jump, and Camaryn Crouch won the pole vault.
Lake Linden-Hubbell's biggest calling card was getting multiple girls piling points in the same event. Three Lakes took the top three places and 24 points in the pole vault, led by Crouch. It was around then that the Lakes padded the lead.
"All of a sudden we went from close, to not so close anymore," Guisfredi said. "I'm just really, really blessed with this group. I'm so happy for them because they've just worked so hard. All the kids work hard, but this has been a fun group."
Masyn Alexa's big day helped North Dickinson's small team to a runner-up finish.
The Nordics sent just six girls to the UP Finals. Lake Linden-Hubbell had 16.
"We really competed well today. Hats off to Lake Linden. They had a great day," North Dickinson head coach Mike Roell said. "We got beat by a really good track team today, but we beat a lot of good track teams to come in second here today. We're really proud of our kids. All year we've been working hard, and it paid off today. I can't say enough. Masyn Alexa broke two school records in the 200 and 400 dashes. She kind of carried us through this thing. We had a lot of young girls that worked their tails off and scraped up enough points to get runner-up. We're really proud of that."
Alexa, a junior, won and set a school record in the 400 with a time of 1:00.86. She held the previous record from last year.
"I've been working to get that record for a long time,” she said. “I ran high 1:01 three different times last year and once again this year. In practice two days ago I was three hundredths of a second away from getting it. I was hoping today I could get it, and I ended up getting it. My coach was at the 200 mark, marking my time as I came across. Then I knew what I was at so I could finish strong.
"I wasn't sure if I had it or not. I knew I was close. I heard all the cheers as I went across. I didn't know whether I had it or not. When I looked, my mom was nodding so I knew I had it."
Alexa also set a new record in the 200, improved by 13 hundredths of a second.
Alexa barely edged Stephenson's Amanda Starzynski to win the 200, by nine hundredths of a second. She was also the fourth leg of the 400 relay that took second behind Lake Linden-Hubbell.
The Nordics also took second in the 800 and 1,600 relays. Hannah Clark placed fourth in the pole vault. Briana Smith was third in the long jump. Skye Ledzian was third in shot put and fifth in discus.
Starzynski leaned forward while crossing the finish line to edge Alexa in the 100 dash by a hundredth of a second. She also anchored the Eagles' 400 relay team that took fifth, and won the long jump.
Baraga's Jaylyn Lindemann won the shot put at 31 feet, 3.5 inches.
PHOTOS: (Top) Rock Mid-Peninsula's Camryn Croadsell, left, and Lake Linden-Hubbell's Joslyn Perala charge toward the finish in the 400 relay. (Middle) North Dickinson's Sophie Mattson runs the 3,200. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)
Eastern Upper Peninsula Power Reigns in Girls Distance Races
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
May 8, 2025
PICKFORD — Girls distance runners don’t have to look far to find competition in the Eastern Upper Peninsula.
That’s especially true in Division 3, where Pickford junior Talya Schreiber is setting the pace.
Last fall, Eastern U.P. runners grabbed the top four places at the U.P. Division 3 Cross Country Final at Munising. Schreiber won that race for the first time in 2023, followed by Newberry’s Samantha and Abby Taylor, then retained her title in October.
Abby Taylor was runner-up, with Samantha placing third and Engadine eighth-grader Molly NcNamara taking fourth in that most recent championship race.
“I started at a younger age,” Schreiber said after the Web Morrison Invite at Pickford on April 26. “I ran my first cross country meet in sixth grade. That was definitely a learning curve, but I got hooked on that feeling. The first meet went well.
“Once I got into seventh grade, I knew I wanted to make a future of it. In my freshman year, we moved from Cedarville to Pickford. It was quite an adjustment with new coaches and athletic program and being a bigger school.”
Schreiber won three individual events April 12 at the Yooper Indoor Invitational at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie. She was clocked at 2:30.64 in the 800-meter run and took the 1,600 (5:15.55) and 3,200 (11:16.96), well ahead of her nearest competitor, Escanaba senior and Northern Michigan University recruit Alisha Mabie.
“That was a good experience,” Schreiber said. “Alisha is doing real well.
“After cross country, I started my track and field training. Every week I worked out at the LSSU track. I’m hoping to break five minutes in the 1,600 and go under 11 in the 3,200.”
At Pickford, Schreiber again posted winning times in the 800 (2:30.32), 1,600 (5:21.49) and 3,200 (11:27.79).
Abby Taylor was runner-up in the 400 (1:09.6) and 800 (2:41.01) and Samantha took second in the 1,600 (5:31.77) and 3,200 (11:52.25).
“Abby and Sam are good athletes,” Schreiber said. “They push me and it results in better times, and Molly is going to be something special. Sam ran a nice 3,200 on our track, and Abby had some nice races.”
The Taylor sisters dominated last Thursday’s Rapid River Invitational, placing 1-2 in the 3,200. Samantha won in 12:12.59, and Abby was runner-up (12:29.35) in a steady cold rain.
Sam also won the 1,600 (5:28.44) and Abby finished first in the 800 (2:26.45). Both were also part of the winning 3,200 relay (10:39.42).
“It’s a family tradition,” Abby Taylor said. “I became interested in eighth grade. I knew it was something I wanted to do. There’s a lot more competition in our area. Although anywhere you go, you have competition.”
She said she trains about 30-40 miles a week.
“Running with these girls in cross country was good preparation for track,” she added. “Running with Talya helps a lot. She makes you better, and Molly draws the best out of you. Molly has a good future.”
They also train together quite often.
“We push each other in practice,” Samantha said. “I try to give Abby advice. She sometimes has a problem with that, but I see the potential in her. I want to see her do well.
“Talya is also a very good runner. We look up to her, and Molly is really good. We enjoy the competition.”
How did the Taylors overcome the elements at Rapid River?
“We went inside the school to do some stretching and stay warm between races,” Abby said. “Our team did really well. … The distances are a big part of our team.”
McNamara, who’s still doing middle school track, could compete with the varsity at the Regional at Rapid River on May 14. Engadine is headed to St. Ignace for an invitational tonight.
Newberry travels to Munising for Friday’s ‘Under the Lights’ Invitational.
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTOS Pickford's Talya Schreiber leads Ishpeming's Lola Korpi on the way to winning the 1,600 during last season’s Upper Peninsula Division 2 Finals. (Middle) Newberry's Samantha Taylor leads sister Abby Taylor during last season’s 1,600 championship race in Division 3. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)