Pickford Girls Narrowly Outpace Rest to Clinch 1st Finals Title Since 2007
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 1, 2025
KINGSFORD — It was a tight race for the title at the Upper Peninsula Division 2 Girls Track & Field Finals on Saturday, as eight points separated the top three teams.
Pickford scored 74 for its first championship since 2007, when it was competing in D-3.
The Panthers were followed by West Iron County at 71 points, Munising with 66 and Ironwood and three-time defending champion Bark River-Harris both with 53.
Junior Talya Schreiber, a two-time UPD3 cross country champion, proved to be the difference-maker on this sunny and mild afternoon, taking the 800-meter run in 2:31.91, 1,600 (5:12.47) and 3,200 (11:23.06) and leading off the winning 3,200 relay (10:50.61).
Senior teammate Brooke Portice added a second place in discus (94-7) and took fourth in shot put (29-4½).
Hancock senior Ella Keranen was runner-up in the 1,600 (5:41.92) and 3,200 (12:43.31) and third in the 800 (2:34.5), and led off the second-place 3,200 relay (11:06.58).
Ironwood senior Aubrey Smith placed second in the 800 (2:34.24) and third in the 1,600 (5:48.38) and 3,200 (12:53.21).
West Iron freshman Bristol Shamion was a triple-event winner, taking the 100 hurdles (17.56) and 300s (49.4) and long jump at 5 feet, and she placed second in the 200 (27.59). Her sister, junior Lacey Shamion, was second in long jump (14-11½) and helped the Wykons take second in the 800 relay (1:54.69) and third in the 1,600 (4:40.55).
BR-H swept the sprint relays, taking the 400 (54.77) and 800 (1:54.57), and junior Mira Johnson won pole vault (8-0). Sophomore Emma Zawada ran in both relays and provided the Broncos with a third in the 300 hurdles (50.85).
Norway had a double-winner in junior Lauren Adams, who took the 100 (12.9) and 200 (27.31) and added a second in the 400 (1:01.66). Munising freshman Addie Bowerman placed second in the 300 hurdles (50.59) and third in the 100s (18.14) and helped the Mustangs win the 1,600 relay (4:28.66). Senior teammate Elizabeth Wing won discus (96-0) and was runner-up in shot put (31-¼), and classmate Dayne Behning placed second in 100 hurdles (17.64) and fourth in the 300 (53.01).
Rudyard’s leader was freshman Amelia Fountain, who won the 400 on a lean, tied for second with Ishpeming sophomore Alexis Riley and Ironwood senior Hannah Vaughn in pole vault (7-6) and took third in the 200 (27.83) and fourth in the 100 (13.36).
Junior Emma Wardon added a first for Ironwood in shot put (36-5½), and Painesdale Jeffers got its lone first from sophomore Brielle Anderson with a leap of 15-7¼ in long jump.
PHOTOS (Top) Pickford's Haleigh Frank runs the last leg of the 3,200 relay Saturday. Pickford won with Talya Schreiber, Teryn Firack, and Ellie Jentoft. (Middle) At the start of the 1,600 run, Schreiber (1), Bark River-Harris's Hope Varoni (3), and Hancock's Ella Keranen (8) angle for position. Schreiber took first place and Keranen took second. (Click for more from Cara Kamps/RunMichigan.com.)
Keweenaw Classic Provides Indoor Competition as UP Spring Begins
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
April 28, 2022
HOUGHTON — The weather may still be in no particular hurry to warm up, but many Upper Peninsula track & field teams found a way to beat the elements earlier this month.
Michigan Technological University, as it had for many years, was ready to lend a helping hand and hosted its annual Keweenaw Classic indoor meet April 12.
Northern Michigan University also has hosted high school meets inside the Superior Dome for more than 25 years. Those meets, however, have been interrupted by COVID-19.
This year’s event at Tech included a pre-meet clinic for the first time.
“The Tech athletes were very helpful,” said Houghton boys coach Erik Johnson. “With no meets in the Dome, this kind of fills a void. It was absolutely critical to get this in. With 44 guys on the team, any open meet you can get is good. This gives us a chance to compete with schools we often don’t see.”
Baraga coach Tammy Crittenden was also thankful for the opportunity.
“The clinic was very helpful,” she said. “Hopefully, our kids got something out of it. We also brought our middle school kids to the clinic. They do a nice job putting on this meet and helping all the student-athletes.”
L’Anse coach John Jacobson had similar thoughts.
“The clinic was very valuable, and I think we learned a few things,” he said. “We’re very thankful to have this opportunity. A lot of work goes into this.”
Team scores weren’t kept, and shot put was the lone field event.
“We appreciate the opportunity to do shot put,” said Negaunee girls coach Vickie Paupore. “That’s one area I think we’re going to be real strong. It was nice for our younger kids to have this experience. I’m very grateful for our kids to have a chance to compete this early in the season. We still have snow on our track.”
Bark River-Harris sophomore Mackenzie Hoffmeyer, who won the 60 and 200-meter dashes, was grateful to have a chance to compete.
“I was real nervous at first,” she said. “After the 60 I felt little more relaxed. I was in the fifth lane in the 200. I knew I had to go out fast.”
Ontonagon junior Makennah Uotila was also anxious to get the season underway.
“Getting a meet in right now was huge,” she said. “Pretty soon we’ll be doing two meets a week. This was good for conditioning.”
Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie hosted two indoor meets this year with the more recent one taking place April 21.
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.
PHOTO Ontonagon’s Makennah Uotila, here starting the 400 at last season’s Upper Peninsula Division 3 Finals, was among athletes who competed at the Keweenaw Classic. (Photo by Kara Camps.)