Preview: Jokela's Final Lap Leading Way, but Many More Stars Also Ready to Shine
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 29, 2025
Spectators and competitors will get one more opportunity to watch Lake Linden-Hubbell 10-time champion Emily Jokela at Saturday’s Upper Peninsula Girls track & Field Finals – but also should keep an eye on several more standouts at Kingsford High School, including a few just getting started on potentially magnificent careers.
Jokela will seek to add to her career collection and also lead her team to a third-straight championship in Division 3. But champions from a combined 19 individual events in 2024 will be back this weekend, plus a group of freshman sprinters who are sure to make noise as we head into the second half of this decade.
All three divisions will be hosted by Kingsford High School, with preliminaries leading off 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 Girls 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: Sault Ste. Marie last spring became the third school in three seasons to win the Division 1 title, following Marquette in 2023 and Negaunee in 2022. Marquette and Negaunee won the two Division 1 Regionals earlier this month, but Gladstone – third last season – could make a push to become a fourth different champion in four seasons with favorites across several running events and potential field-event points especially in pole vault.
Ella Bracket, Gladstone freshman: Along with senior teammate Lauren Sundquist, Bracket gives Gladstone potential dominance in sprints with the top seed times in the 200 (26.89) and 400 (1:02.08) and running with Sundquist as part of the top-seeded 400 (52.56) and 800 (1:52.96) relays.
Ella Fure, Marquette junior: Last season’s champion in the 1,600 and runner-up in the 3,200 is top-seeded in the 3,200 (11:57.24), third in the 1,600 (5:33.35) and will again run the 800 after finishing seventh in that race last spring.
Maija Maki-Warne, Marquette senior: She could finish her career in a big way after running on two third-place relays at last year’s Finals. Maki-Warne is seeded first in the 1,600 (5:25.82) and 800 (2:27.69) and second in the 3,200 (11:59.25), and will run on the top-seeded 1,600 relay (4:18.06).
Tessa Rautiola, Houghton junior: The reigning 3,200 champion also finished second in the 1,600 and ran on the winning 3,200 relay last season. She’s seeded fourth in both the 3,200 (12:48.67) and 1,600 (5:35.47), seventh in the 800 and will run on the top-seeded 3,200 relay (10:52.72).
Sadie Rogers, Negaunee sophomore: She made her Finals debut last season with a championship in the 100 hurdles and runner-up finish in the 300, and she’s seeded first in both the 100 hurdles (16.62) and 300 hurdles (48.13), fourth in the 200 (27.68) and will run on the third-seeded 400 relay.
Keira Waterman, Negaunee sophomore: She’s also coming back off a championship debut after winning the 400, 800, finishing second in the 200 and fourth in the 100 in 2024. She’s seeded second in the 400 (1:02.52), sixth in the 800, will long jump and run on the 1,600 relay this weekend.
Division 2
Team forecast: Bark River-Harris has won the last three Division 2 championships, but the Broncos finished only third at their Regional behind champion Pickford and runner-up Munising. Pickford ranks third all-time with 14 U.P. Finals titles but is seeking its first since 2007. West Iron County won the Division 2 title in 2021 and finished runner-up in both 2022 and 2024, and should be in the mix again after edging Ironwood to win the other Regional in this division two weeks ago.
Lauren Adams, Norway junior: She’s seeded first in the 100 (13.97), 200 (29.02) and 400 (1:05.85) and will run on the third-seeded 400 relay. She finished fourth in the 100 and 200 and third in the 400 in Division 3 as a sophomore.
Mira Johnson, Bark River-Harris sophomore: She won the pole vault and ran on two championship relays to cap an impressive freshman season, and she’s back as the top seed in the pole vault (7-6) and running on the 1,600 relay.
Talya Schreiber, Pickford junior: The reigning champion in the 1,600 and 3,200 and runner-up in the 800 could double her career haul. She’s seeded first in the 1,600 (5:33.10) and 3,200 (11:48.82), third in then 800 (2:36.22) and will run on the top-seeded 3,200 relay (11:16.56).
Bristol Shamion, West Iron County freshman: The Shamion family has dominated U.P. track this decade, and Bristol will join junior sister Lacey Shamion among the team’s likely scorers Saturday. Bristol enters her first Finals seeded first in the high jump (5-0) and 300 hurdles (51.64) and second in the 100 hurdles (18.05) and 200 (29.12).
Emma Wardon, Ironwood junior: The reigning shot put champ and fifth-place finisher in discus is seeded first in shot put (33-11) and second in discus (89-3½) this time.
Division 3
Team forecast: Lake Linden-Hubbell has won the last two championships, sharing with Stephenson in 2023 and winning outright last season. Both were among Regional champions earlier this month, along with Rapid River and Newberry – with Newberry coming off last year’s runner-up Finals finish and potentially possessing the running firepower to pull away for a first Finals title since 2015.
Destiny Bleau, Big Bay de Noc freshman: She won the 200, finished second in the 100 and third in the high jump as an eighth grader, and returns as the top seed in the 200 (26.49), sixth in the 100 and seventh in the high jump.
Faith Cappaert, Stephenson junior: The reigning champion in the 800 also finished third in the 1,600, fifth in the 400 and ran on a runner-up relay last year. She’s back as the fifth seed in all three open races and running on the second-seeded 3,200 relay.
Ava Fischer, Crystal Falls Forest Park junior: She was another big scorer last season winning the 100 hurdles, finishing second in the 300 hurdles, fifth in the pole vault and running on a runner-up relay. She’s seeded second in the 100 hurdles (16.92) and also will compete in the pole vault, 300 and 1,600 relay.
Kiera Isaacson, Dollar Bay junior: Last season’s high jump champion is top-seeded (5-3) in that event and will again run two relays.
Emily Jokela, Lake Linden-Hubbell senior: She’s finishing up a legendary career as one of seven athletes to win four individual events at a Finals, which she did in 2023 before adding titles in the 100, 400 and 300 hurdles last season and a runner-up finish in the 200. She’s seeded first in the 100 hurdles (16.56), second in the 300 hurdles (49.22) and 100 dash (13.05), and fourth in the 400.
Mariska Laurila, Carney-Nadeau senior: She’s won the discus the last two seasons, added a shot put title last year and also finished third in the long jump. She’ll compete in all three again, with the top seed in the discus (105-11) and third seed in the shot put (31-10).
Samantha Taylor, Newberry junior: She’s the reigning champion in the 1,600 and as part of the 3,200 relay, and top-seeded this weekend in the 1,600 (5:14.06) and 3,200 (11:21.07) while potentially running on the top-seeded 1,600 (4:28.60) and 3,200 (10:51.53) relays.
PHOTO Negaunee's Sadie Rogers carries the baton across the finish line to give her team a win in the 800 relay at the Marquette County Meet earlier this month. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)
Senior Standout Aiming to Add to Grass Lake & Family Fame
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
August 17, 2021
GRASS LAKE – What will Lexus Bargesser do for an encore?
The Grass Lake senior had an unbelievable junior year, leading the Warriors to their first-ever MHSAA Finals basketball championship, in Division 3, then winning three events to pace Grass Lake’s team title at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 track & field championship meet. She spent her summer on the basketball circuit, traveling the country to compete against top competition.
As she embarks on her senior year of high school, Bargesser is looking forward to having fun, working hard – and bringing home more hardware.
“It was pretty amazing,” she said this summer. “Everything came together and worked out.”
The Bargesser family certainly could have been called the first family of Grass Lake sports over the last few years – in the least for track & field – and Lexus is likely to add a few more highlights during 2021-22. She won’t play a sport for Grass Lake this fall as she’s prepping for basketball season and a hopeful encore to last winter’s achievement. But next month she will begin making college visits and could make a decision before the 2021-22 basketball season begins.
“I don’t really have a timeline,” she said. “I’m looking forward to the season and helping the younger girls on the team grow. I’m excited for it.”
Grass Lake’s Bargesser surge began with 2020 grad Xavier, who’s currently playing basketball at Alma College.
Second-oldest Brennen Bargesser made a splash last school year as a senior both on the basketball court and track, during the spring winning three individual events and running on a first-place relay to lead the boys team to a Finals title as well.
“My older brother and my younger sister are insane athletes,” Brennen said. “I’m the middle child and just wanted to make a name for myself.”
Lexus Bargesser had won the 100 and 200 dashes as a freshman at the 2019 Finals, then burst onto the national prep basketball scene with an amazing summer that saw colleges from across the country start offering her scholarships.
Their parents also are part of the mix. Father David Bargesser coached the Warriors boys basketball team last season and was an assistant to the girls team. Mother Lori Bargesser was the scorekeeper for the boys team.
Sports is the common bond that links the entire family.
“We’re a really close family,” Lori said. “We’ve always just played sports. That’s what we did. We were in the yard from the time I can remember.”
David, who played basketball and golfed in college, and Lori are from upstate New York. They originally moved to Belleville, then landed in Jackson when he accepted a job at the Michigan Department of Corrections. The family has lived in Grass Lake for about 25 years.
“When I got off work, we’d go outside and play basketball or throw the football,” he said. “From the time I can remember, we were always outside playing something.”
Lori said the organized sports started through a local YMCA.
“Xavier was probably 3 or 4 years old,” she said. “David helped coach. Ever since they started, they were always in at least two sports. It was hectic at times, with practice schedules and everything. It was weird when one of them could drive because they could take themselves to practice.”
Xavier, being the oldest, was the first to play organized sports. Brennen soon followed.
“Basketball is very important in my family,” Brennen said.
“As soon as they could walk, they had a basketball in their hands,” Lori said.
Lexus showed her basketball talent and poise from a young age.
“Basketball was the thing that took off for her,” her father said. “I remember realizing how fast she was on the basketball court. I didn’t realize how fast she was.”
One of the first colleges to offer was UCLA.
“Once one started offering, they all took notice,” David said. “It was a fun two weeks where everyone started calling. She’s would get 4-5 calls in an hour and a half.”
The Bargessers might have had the best day for any one family in state track & field history. Along with both Grass Lake teams winning championships, Brennen won the 100 with a time of 11 seconds, the 200 in 22.6 and the 400 in 49.10. He also anchored the 400 relay that came in first with a time of 44.43.
Lexus repeated as LPD3 champ in both the 100 with a time of 12.12 and the 200 in 25.30. (She had won both in 2019, and the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19.) She set an LP Division 3 meet record with a time of 55.54 in the 400, then helped the 400 relay place second with a time of 4:11.54.
Between the two siblings were seven first places, one runner-up finish and two team championships.
“When Brennen won that first race, I was so happy for him,” Lori said. “He had worked so hard. Lexus had won before, but he never had. That was a great moment.”
The seeds of those championships were formed during the spring of 2020 when in place of their season Brennen and Lexus trained together almost every day.
“It’s insane to think (about) what we were able to accomplish,” Brennen said. “She’d run the 100 and win it, then I’d run the 100 and win it. I got so excited for her, then I had to run my race. In the conference meet I jumped (early) and was disqualified. I was nervous at the state meet that I would do that again.”
Lexus and Brennen have always been close. Training together brought them closer.
“We spent all summer running together,” Brennen said. “She was my pacer. She was helping me get my times in.”
Their dad was confident that both could accomplish what they set out to do at this spring’s Finals because he had watched their times closely all summer.
“Going into the year, I was checking times and seeing what other kids were doing,” David said. “I knew both had a chance to do it in all three events. It was definitely the goal. It helped them by training together. Brennen really was into lifting, and I think that helped Lexi get into it. The two of them were always training together, pushing each other.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) The Bargesser family celebrated a championship-loaded Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals; pictured from left: father David, Brennan, Xavier, Lexus and mother Lori. (Middle) Lexus Bargesser (1) gets a hand up on defense during Grass Lake’s 52-50 win over Kent City in April’s Division 3 Final. She finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and five steals. (Below) Brennen Bargesser crosses the line first in the 100 at the Finals in June. (Top photo courtesy of the Bargesser family; Brennen Bargesser photo by Jason Ruggles.)