Ramping Up for Prepapalooza 2014

May 27, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Over the next five days, thousands of teams representing more than 700 MHSAA high schools will compete for championships at the District, Regional and Finals levels in 11 sports in what annually is the busiest week in Michigan high school sports. 

MHSAA.com and Second Half are the places to be for results, coverage and live video from championship events all over both Peninsulas. 

Total, 26 Finals champions will be crowned in girls and boys tennis, girls and boys track and field and Upper Peninsula girls and boys golf, with 36 Regional champions rewarded in girls and boys lacrosse and Lower Peninsula boys golf and 320 winners earning trophies in softball, baseball and girls soccer. All tournament rounds combined, more than 8,000 medals will be presented to individual winners or contributors on those team champions.

Game scores as they are reported for baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse will be available on the MHSAA Score Center throughout the week. Full results from golf Regionals also will be posted over the next five days, as will Finals tennis and golf results as we receive them from Lower and Upper Peninsula hosts (Lower Peninsula tennis opening rounds late Friday evening). Track and Field Finals results will be posted Saturday evening. 

All MHSAA Finals from both peninsulas will be covered with stories and photos on Second Half by a crew of valuable correspondents from around the state. Second Half will continue its coverage at the Lacrosse and LP Boys Golf Finals on June 14 and the Baseball, Softball and Girls Soccer Finals from June 19-21. 

Live championship races from all seven sites of MHSAA Track and Field Finals will be available on a subscription basis on MHSAA.TV, beginning with the 3,200-meter relays at 10 a.m. at each site. The rest of the Upper Peninsula races then will continue, with Lower Peninsula championship races beginning again at 1 p.m. Highlights from this week's golf and tennis championship events will debut on MHSAA.TV in July. 

PHOTOS: (Top) Runners push toward the finish during the 2013 LP Division 3 Final. (Middle) Members of the Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart tennis team hold up number ones to signify their place at last season's LP Division 4 Final.

Marquette Girls Reclaim Championship Leaning on Sprint Superiority

By Jason Juno
Special for MHSAA.com

June 4, 2023

KINGSFORD – After finishing runner-up to Negaunee last year, Marquette’s girls took back the championship Saturday at the Upper Peninsula Division 1 Track & Field Finals.

Marquette won with 130 points, Negaunee had 96, third-place Sault Ste. Marie 83 and fourth-place Houghton scored 69.

Negaunee's Madison Pekrul, left, edges Marquette’s Siena Lingle in the 300 hurdles.Marquette’s Julia Ott won the 100 and 200-meter dashes, defeating teammate Baux Truckey, the two-time reigning champion in both races. Truckey got the win in the 400.

Houghton’s Danica Ryynanen won the 100 hurdles, and Negaunee’s Madison Pekrul the 300 hurdles

Negaunee sophomore Aubrey Johnson repeated in the 800 run. Houghton’s Tessa Rautiola was first in the 1,600. And Marquette freshman Ella Fure became a U.P. champion in the 3,200.

“Today was the hottest weather I think I ever ran in,” Fure said. “It was brutal. They were splashing water on us and spraying us. It took a lot to keep going, but I’m glad I persevered.”

Temperatures were in the mid 80s with persistent sun until storms moved in and delayed the event briefly.

Negaunee senior Eliana Juchemich went from fourth last year in the discus to a title Saturday. But she didn’t win the shot put like in 2022; that honor went to Sault Ste. Marie’s Hannah Maurer. 

Negaunne's Olivia Lunseth hands off to Ellie Sundberg in the 800 relay.Westwood sophomore Faith Spiroff repeated as high jump champion and also won the Long jump this time, tying a U.P. Division 1 Finals record with a leap of 17 feet, 3½ inches. She now shares the mark with Houghton’s Adeline Grier-Welch.

Marquette also won two relays – the 400 (Hailey Bolf, Sophie Skytta, Bella Coleman and Ott) and the 800 (Meghan MacPhee, Seina Lingle, Skytta and Truckey).  

Escanaba took the 1,600 relay (Mari Bink, Ashley Foust, Annabelle Neumeier and Ava Getzloff) and Houghton won the 3,200 (Lily Ross, Tessa Rautiola, Claire Filpus and Ayla Miller). Lexi Olson of Westwood won the pole vault.

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) Marquette's Hailey Bolf starts the winning 400 relay Saturday. (Middle) Negaunee's Madison Pekrul, left, edges Marquette’s Siena Lingle in the 300 hurdles. (Below) Negaunne's Olivia Lunseth hands off to Ellie Sundberg in the 800 relay. (Photos by Cara Kamps/RunMichigan.com.)