Ishpeming, Norway Race to Shared Finals Fame
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 6, 2021
KINGSFORD — The Ishpeming boys are used to winning Upper Peninsula track & field championships.
They came into Saturday’s U.P. Division 2 Finals as two-time reigning champs and had won five titles over six seasons prior to last year when all spring sports were cancelled due to COVID-19.
This time the Hematites and Norway shared the title with 95 points each. Third-place Iron Mountain had 85.
For Norway, this was its first championship since 2004.
“Not bad for us, especially with having just 10 boys,” said Norway coach Al Trudeau. “At the beginning of the year we weren’t expecting this. We had a great bunch of kids who worked hard. We had a great year.”
Norway junior Adam Cavaghetto, who returned midseason following a blood disorder, won the 800-meter run in two minutes, 5.06 seconds and the 1,600 (4:38.59).
Ishpeming’s David Liimatta took the 400 (54.16) and placed second in the 800 (2:07.57) and 1,600 (4:41.42), and Silas Broberg was first in the 3,200 (10:50.91).
The Hematites also won the 1,600 relay (3:47.52) and 3,200 relay (9:25.34).
“We had a good day,” said Ishpeming coach P.J. Pruett. “Overall, our kids did well.”
Iron Mountain enjoyed much of its success in the sprints with senior Dante Basanese taking the 200 (23.84) and sweeping the speed relays.
“Our handoffs felt pretty good,” said Basanese, who anchored the winning 800 relay. “We had four good sprinters who definitely ran real hard.
“Norway has a good team. We felt they were the team to beat.”
The Mountaineers were clocked at 1:35.1 in the 800 relay with Norway the runner-up (1:37.99). They also took the 400 relay (45.05).
Iron Mountain won the Regional at West Iron, and Norway was crowned champion at Ishpeming.
St. Ignace got firsts from Christian Koiveniemi in the 100 (11.79), who edged Gwinn’s Max Jayne by one hundredth of a second, and Trevor Visnaw in pole vault at nine feet. Basanese was third (11.82) in the 100.
Newberry’s lone champion was Eric Edwards in shot put (40-4½), and David Duvall provided Gwinn with its only first in the 110 hurdles (17.81), followed by Norway’s Wyatt Richter (17.9) and St. Ignace’s Jackson Ingalls (17.93).
L’Anse had a double winner in Nathan Hochstein, who took high jump at 5-9 and long jump at 18-9½. Eli Ostermeyer added a first in discus (114-11) and a second in shot put (37-9¼).
West Iron’s champion was Landon Sudelius in the 300 hurdles (43.58).
PHOTOS: (Top) Norway's Adam Cavaghetto travels the final stretch in winning the 1,600. (Middle) Ishpeming's Jordan Longtine hands off to Hunter Smith during the 3,200 relay. (Below) Iron Mountain's Dante Basanese wins the 200 with Norway's Jeffrey VanHolla taking second. (Photos by Cara Kamps. Click to see more at RunMichigan.com.)
Marquette Holds Off Charging Kingsford for 1-Point Finals Victory
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 5, 2022
KINGSFORD — The Marquette boys retained their Upper Peninsula Division 1 track & field championship here Saturday, as they squeezed past the Kingsford Flivvers 138-137.
The Houghton Gremlins placed third with 56 points.
Marquette held a three-point lead heading into the day’s final race, the 1,600-meter relay.
Kingsford won it in 3 minutes, 35.29 seconds, but Marquette secured the team title by placing second (3:36.01).
Marquette junior Carson VanderSchaaf set a UPD1 record in the 3,200 at 9:46.53 seconds, shaving more than three seconds off the old mark (9:50.03) by Lance Rambo of Marquette in 2015.
VanderSchaaf also took the 1,600 (4:23.45), followed by his twin brother Colin (4:28.46) for Marquette, which also won the 3,200 relay (8:32.36) on a sunny and warm day at Flivver Field.
Colin VanderSchaaf later took the 800 (2:00.79). He was followed by Houghton senior Eric Weiss (2:03.18) and teammate Cullen Papin (2:03.77).
Weiss was also runner-up in the 3,200 (10:07.12) and third in the 1,600 (4:37.2).
Cayden Dahlen provided Marquette with a first in discus (139-8), and Sam Markey captured the 110 hurdles (16.64)
Kingsford showed its depth in the sprints with Michael Floriano taking second in the 100 (11.51), followed by Diego Przeslakowski (11.67) and Cardel Morton (11.81).
Floriano then won the 200 (23.12), edging teammate Trestan Larson by two hundredths of a second.
Przeslakowski added a first in the 300 hurdles (40.76), and the Flivvers took the 400 relay (44.2) and 800 (1:33.22).
Kingsford’s Lucas Tappy won shot put (47-1) and Cole Myllyla gained top honors in long jump at 20 feet, 2¾ inches with Marquette’s Tyranon Dahlin runner-up at 20-1¼.
Calumet’s Dryden Nelson captured the 100 (11.37) and placed third in the 200 (23.39), and Houghton’s Cade Holombo took the 400 (51.39), edging Morton by one tenth of a second.
Menominee senior Brady Schultz retained his high jump title at 6-7 after also setting the meet and his school’s record at 6-8 at last year’s UPD1 Finals.
Schultz added an inch this spring to his former school record leap, soaring 6-9 at the Marinette, Wis., Invitational on May 9.
Ishpeming Westwood had an individual champion in pole vault as Lenny Pizziola jumped 12 feet to edge Sault Ste. Marie’s Jackson Gervasio by six inches.
Marquette's Jim Bennett and Sault Ste. Marie's Johnny Osborn competed in the first-time adaptive races. Bennett won the 100 (24.31), 200 (47.52) and 400 (1:39.74), and also competed in shot put (13-4).
PHOTOS: (Top) On the second corner of the final lap of the 3,200 relay, Houghton's Eric Weiss, Marquette's Carson VanderSchaaf, and Sault Ste. Marie's Jonathan Willis are neck-in-neck. Marquette's VanderSchaaf was able to hold off Houghton's Weiss for second place, and Sault Ste. Marie's Willis took third. Other members of the winning Marquette team were James Kraeg, Adam White, and Braden Ketzenberger. (Middle) Kingsford's Trestan Larson starts the winning 800 relay. Teammates included Brody Kopp, Michael Meneguzzo, and Diego Przeslakowski. (Click for more from Cara Kamps/Run Michigan.)