Preview: Super Seniors Set to Celebrate Big Finishes at UP Girls Finals
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 2, 2023
The baton will be passed literally and figuratively several times during the Upper Peninsula Girls Track & Field Finals on Saturday.
Fans will watch the final competitions for a number of accomplished seniors, particularly Marquette’s Baux Truckey as she attempts to add to an impressive career championship haul.
They’ll also cheer on standouts like West Iron County junior Danica Shamion, Ishpeming junior Lola Korpi and Lake Linden-Hubbell sophomore Emily Jokela as they continue their historic rises.
All three divisions will again be contested at 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.
Following is a glance at team contenders and individuals to watch in all three divisions:
Division 1
Team forecast: Negaunee and Marquette both have won two of the last four championships, the Miners finishing first last season by 21½ points. They competed at separate Regionals two weeks ago, both winning those meets, and appear to be the favorites again – although Houghton and Sault Ste. Marie, the runners-up at those Regionals, have the potential to challenge at the top. Just as Negaunee got big contributions from freshmen last season, Marquette could do the same this time – although both also will say good-bye to accomplished seniors as well.
Claire Filpus, Houghton senior: Last year’s 1,600 champion also was on a relay winner and finished eighth in the 300 hurdles. She’ll run on two contending relays and the 1,600 again, and her 800 time of 2:37.70 was fourth-fastest among both UPD1 Regionals.
Cassandra Gallagher, Sault Ste. Marie senior: She finished first in the 3,200 and fourth in the 1,600 last season, and she returns after running the fourth-fastest 3,200 (12:50.71) and 1,600 (5:49.04) at UPD1 Regionals.
Aubrey Johnson, Negaunee sophomore: The reigning 800 champion also was a key relay contributor to last year’s team title winner, and she could provide some valuable points elsewhere this time entering with the third-fastest UPD1 Regional time in the 800 (2:37.32) and also with a pole vault (9-0) that tied for second-highest between the two sites.
Eliana Juchemich, Negaunee senior: She finished first in shot put and fourth in discus last season but heads into Saturday with the top UPD1 Regional tosses in both at 35-10¼ and 111-4, respectively.
Erika Malone, Kingsford senior: She won long jump by eight inches last season and was fifth in the 100, and she’s slated to run on two contending relays in addition to her repeat attempt.
Madison Pekrul, Negaunee sophomore: Her Finals debut last season also played a major role in the Miners’ title quest as she won the 100 hurdles and finished second in the 300. She ran the fastest UPD1 Regional time in the 100 hurdles (17.27) two weeks ago and the second-fastest in the 300 (50.74), and she’ll also compete on the favored 1,600 relay.
Faith Spiroff, Ishpeming Westwood sophomore: Last season’s high jump champion and fourth-place finisher in the 200 as just a freshman as well, she’ll enter the weekend after tying for the third-best high jump (5-0) at UPD1 Regionals, the second-best long jump (15-9½), and posting the fifth-best 100 and 200 times.
Baux Truckey, Marquette senior: She’s won the 100 and 200 the last two seasons and may add three more titles after running the fastest 100 (12.88) and 400 (1:04.09) and third-fastest 200 (26.79) at UPD1 Regionals. She’s also run on four relay champions over her career.
Division 2
Team forecast: Bark River-Harris was one of the top stories of last year’s Finals winning its first team championship, and the Broncos won their Regional two weeks ago just ahead of Manistique, while Ishpeming won the other Regional by an even closer margin over West Iron County. When considered together, Bark River-Harris’ depth and Ishpeming’s star power appear to be the main factors in this meet, although the Emeralds could play an interesting role with plenty of contenders.
Mckenzie Hoffmeyer, Bark River-Harris junior: She was a major scorer as BR-H won that first team title last spring, winning long jump, finishing second in the 100 and 200 and running on a first-place relay. Saturday’s schedule sees her on at least one relay but also entering with the top UPD2 Regional long jump (15-5) and third-fastest 100 (13.41) and 200 (27.92).
Lola Korpi, Ishpeming junior: Korpi has won the 800, 1600 and 3,200 the last two seasons. She’ll enter with the fastest UPD2 Regional times in the 800 (2:37.82) and 1,600 (5:25.79) and second-fastest in the 3,200 (12:48.12).
Danielle Lund, Manistique junior: The reigning shot put champion also was second in the discus and ran on the winning 1,600 relay last season, and she could run two relays this time while also entering with the second-farthest shot put (33-1½) and discus (92-8) tosses from UPD2 Regionals.
Lena Pleaugh, Gwinn senior: The reigning 100 hurdles champion also was fourth in long jump and seventh in the 200 last season, and she’ll look to repeat in the 100 hurdles with the second-fastest UPD2 Regional time (17.49) plus contend in the 300 hurdles after running the fastest (52.27) two weeks ago. She also was fourth-fastest in the 100 (13.47) at UPD2 Regionals.
Kadence Potoczak, Pickford senior: She threw the longest discus toss (94-0) and fourth-farthest shot put (30-6) at UPD2 Regionals after winning discus and finishing fourth in shot put at the UPD3 Final last year.
Danica Shamion, West Iron County junior: Shamion also is a six-time individual winner with titles in the 100, 200 and 400 the last two seasons. And she could join the elite four-champion club Saturday as she enters after running the fastest 100 (13.06), 200 (27.11) and 400 (1:00.69) at UPD2 Regionals, plus tying for the top high jump (5-0).
Carley Varoni, Bark River-Harris senior: She won the pole vault by six inches last season and posted the second-highest vault at UPD2 Regionals (8-0) two weeks ago – plus she could run on three relays after running on two a year ago.
Division 3
Team forecast: Ontonagon has won the last two Division 3 championships, last season by 12 points ahead of Stephenson. The Gladiators are loaded in relays and have sprint speed to win again, but Stephenson has similar strengths and qualifiers all over the field events. Newberry and Munising could counter with plenty of scoring in distance events as well.
Kaylen Clark, Newberry junior: The UPD3 cross country runner-up in the fall enters this weekend with the top UPD3 Regional times in the 1,600 (5:47.86) and 3,200 (12:37.24). She finished second in both in UPD2 last season.
Abi Codere, Lake Linden-Hubbell junior: She won the 100 hurdles and was second in pole vault last season, and is looking at possible titles in both with the second-fastest UPD3 Regional time in the 100 hurdles (17.27) and the top pole vault (9-6) by a foot.
Grace Hill, Brimley senior: The reigning shot put champ and discus runner-up threw the top shot (31-5¼) at UPD3 Regionals and the third-farthest discus toss (98-4).
Emily Jokela, Lake Linden-Hubbell sophomore: She made her Finals debut with wins in the 200, 400 and 300 hurdles and a third place in the 100 dash, and she’ll build on that entering this weekend with the fastest UPD3 Regional times in all four – the 100 (13.30), 200 (27.23), 400 (1:01.52) and 300 hurdles (47.22).
Nora Keranen, Dollar Bay sophomore: She won the long jump as a freshman and also finished eighth in the high jump and pole vault, and will return after tying for the top high jump height (4-10) and third-best pole vault (7-6) at UPD3 Regionals.
Jada Kuntze, Stephenson junior: She also tied for the top high jump height (4-10) at UPD3 Regionals and ran the third-fastest 800 (2:36.95) as she looks to add to last season’s championship in the high jump and runner-up finishes in the 800 and 1,600 relay.
PHOTO Ishpeming's Lola Korpi, right, leads the 800 run during the April 17 Superior Dome Invitational, followed closely by Pickford's Talya Schreiber. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)
Sturgis Girls Celebrate 1st Team Title, Multiple Multi-Event Winners Reign
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
May 31, 2025
HAMILTON – As they gave congratulatory hugs to each other on the infield following the 200-meter dash, Dearborn Divine Child sophomore Aubrey Wilson smiled at Saginaw Swan Valley senior Sydney Kuhn and good-naturedly said, “You can’t get all three” as the two shared a laugh.
Wilson had just edged Kuhn for the title in the 200, making their tallies of victories two apiece at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals.
From the team perspective, Sturgis ruled the day, winning its first Finals title with 54.2 points. Goodrich was runner-up with 39 points, one ahead of Saginaw Swan Valley.
Wilson repeated in the 100 meters with a time of 11.55 and then avenged last year’s second place to Kuhn in the 200, switching positions with Kuhn in a winning time of 23.85.
Wilson said the difference in that race this year was her increased endurance as a result of running 400-meter sessions during training throughout the season.
“I started running the 400 to make me stronger for the last 15 meters of the 200,” she said. “That’s where I lost it at last year. I just kept working hard because I really wanted this.”
While she didn’t quite reach three victories, it still was an outstanding meet for Kuhn, who will run collegiately for Michigan.
In addition to finishing second in the 200, Kuhn repeated in the 400 with a time of 54.70. Kuhn also won the 300 hurdles in a time of 44.29, returning to running that event this year after not doing so last year as a junior.
“I did it my freshman and sophomore year and then I stopped,” Kuhn said. “I’m doing it again this year because it might be something I do in college. I’ve gotten pretty good at it. It’s kind of riding a bike once you learn the hurdles form.”
Kuhn finished the meet by running a scintillating 53.8-second anchor leg for Swan Valley’s winning 1,600 relay, taking the baton with the Vikings in fourth place and racing into the lead to help Swan Valley win with a time of 4:00.66.
A third individual multi-event winner Saturday was Otsego junior Emma Hoffman. The junior swept the distance events, taking the 1,600 meters in 4:52.86 and the 3,200 meters in 10:27.44.
“Last year, missing out on all-state by one place was really hard,” Hoffman said. “This year, I wanted to get a good place. The experience helps you a bunch.”
Sturgis girls track & field coach Lesley Starkey said experience helped her team, given many of her athletes were freshmen and sophomores on the Finals runner-up team two years ago.
Relays were a big part of the win for Sturgis.
The team of Tenley Banaszak, Angela Cary, Hannah Garbine and Keyanna O’Tey won the 400 relay in 48.48 seconds, while Addison Eicher, Garbine, Sydney Bir and O’Tey won the 800 relay in 1:42.80.
Sturgis senior Eleena Kelley added a title in the discus with a distance of 135-9.
“We had a nice balance,” Starkey said. “We had field events represented well. I thought it was more of a team effort versus just a few events two years ago.”
PHOTOS (Top) Sturgis' Keyanna O'Tey carries the baton across the finish line for one of Sturgis' relay championships at Hamilton High School. (Middle) Dearborn Divine Child's Aubrey Wilson ducks past the finish line ahead of Swan Valley's Sydney Kuhn, right, in the 200. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)