Ishpeming 'Grinds Out' 4th Title in 5 Seasons
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2018
KINGSFORD — First-place finishes may not have been plentiful for the Ishpeming boys Saturday, but they placed in enough events to edge Iron Mountain 90-82 for their fourth Upper Peninsula Division 2 track title in five years.
Third-place Norway scored 64 points, three more than reigning champ Newberry.
Hart Holmgren’s leap of 19 feet, 5½ inches provided Ishpeming with its lone first on this sunny, mild and breezy day at Flivver Field.
“I thought we’d win it by a little more, although it was still a good win,” said Ishpeming coach P.J. Pruett. “Our guys had to grind it out. I was very pleased with their fight to win. Our depth came through.”
The Hematites placed second in three relays and got runner-up finishes from Holmgren in high jump (6-2), Jonah Broberg in the 1,600 at 4 minutes, 48.24 seconds and Spencer Giroux in the 3,200 (10:38.83). They claimed three places in the 3,200 and two apiece in the 800 and 1,600.
“Distance is where we got our major points,” said Pruett. “That’s where we won the meet. Overall, we had a lot of third-place medal winners. Gavin Sundberg was seeded fifth in the 400 and placed third (53.01). Every point counts, and that was proven today. We put more than two in each (distance) event and that’s why we won.
Beating Newberry in the Regional (May 18 at Manistique) was a big boost for us. Last year, we were runner-up in D-2 and Iron Mountain was runner-up in D-1. Surviving the Regional was key for us.”
Iron Mountain’s Michael Kulas won the 800 (2:09.14), helped the winning 1,600 (3:40.31) and 3,200 (8:44.88) and placed second in the 400 (51.57). Junior Charlie Gerhard added a first in the 300 hurdles (41.1) and second in the 110s (16.55).
Norway senior Inocencio Stankevich won the 110s (16.0) and was runner-up in the 300s (41.93), and Josh Boulden provided a first in discus (131-3).
Newberry swept the sprint relays, edging Ishpeming on a lean for first in the 400 (45.35) and taking the 800 (1:34.05) in what is believed to be a school record.
“We fixed Brandon’s handoff,” said Newberry senior Andre James, who anchored both relays. “He (Christensen) dropped the baton in the (Straits Area) conference meet, but he did it perfect today. The 4x1 was really close and in the 4x2 we won by more than we thought. We just have some fast kids on the team and had a lot of adrenalin on a big stage. It’s exciting to be here. A lot of people turn out for this.”
Stephenson junior Montel Glover was a triple winner, taking the 100 (11.36), 200 (22.98) and 400 (51.3).
PHOTOS: (Top) Ishpeming Gavin Sundberg leads off the 800-meter relay. (Middle) Stephenson's Montell Glover, left, outleans Iron Mountain's Michael Kulas in the 400. (Photos by Cara Kamps. Click for more at RunMichigan.com.)
Ewen-Trout Creek Racers Fueled to Go Distance Again
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
May 25, 2021
BARAGA — Elise Besonen wasn’t always a huge fan of distance running.
Then came 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, and the current Ewen-Trout Creek senior had a change of heart.
The University of Wisconsin-Superior basketball recruit now says she enjoys running.
Maybe there’s some truth to the saying “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
“I was pretty bummed when we didn’t get to run last year,” she said shortly after placing second in the 3,200-meter run at 13 minutes, 33.68 seconds in the Upper Peninsula Division 3 Regional meet last Wednesday at Baraga. “Then, I started running on some side roads with my dad, and it completely changed my mindset. It has been fun running for my dad. In my freshman year during driver’s ed, it was just us two. I guess it was sort of a blessing in disguise.”
Besonen was also runner-up in the 800 (2:40.21) and 1,600 (5:43.59) at the Regional, qualifying her for all three races at the Upper Peninsula Finals on June 5 at Kingsford.
“It was a pretty short meet,” said Besonen, who was also runner-up in the 800 at the previous Monday’s Copper Country Invitational in Houghton in a school-record 2:32.81. “The 800 and 3,200 were pretty close together, which made it pretty difficult because they were right on top of each other. At least my legs were warmed up.”
Junior Jonah Nordine hadn’t run in nearly a week following a mishap during homecoming activities at the school two weeks ago.
“I fell off a bike and scraped up my knee and arm,” he said. “We usually have homecoming for basketball, but that got postponed due to COVID and (we) held it during baseball and track this year.”
Nordine, the reigning U.P. Division 3 cross country champion, won the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 in the Marcy Bracket Invitational at Bessemer on May 13, then was runner-up in the 800 (2:16.48) and 1,600 (4:40.27) and third in the 3,200 (11:28.33) at Baraga.
“I had a side ache in the 3,200,” he said. “I probably didn’t eat enough (that day). I was pretty happy with my times. I just wanted to qualify. We had perfect conditions at Bessemer. I didn’t run in Houghton, but it was quite warm. It was in the 80s. I’m just glad to be running this year after losing my freshman season to COVID.”
“Jonah’s success generates a lot of excitement for this team," added Ewen-Trout Creek track and cross country coach Brad Besonen, who also is Elise’s father. “Jonah’s personality changed after his success in cross country last fall. He has become more outgoing.”
Elise is best-known as a high-scoring guard who made the Division 4 all-state basketball team again this winter and was named Upper Peninsula Division 4 Player of the Year in the sport.
She figures to continue playing point guard for Wisconsin-Superior, another chase she’ll take on when her track season is done.
“There will be a lot of adjustments to make,” she said. “Everybody wants to be there, and I’m looking forward to that.”
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: (Top) Ewen-Trout Creek’s Elise Besonen completes her anchor leg of the 3,200 relay during the UP Division 3 Finals in 2019. (Middle) Jonah Nordine crosses the finish line first at last fall’s UPD3 Boys Cross Country Final. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)