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.)
Rapid River Rises to Claim D3 Championship
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 5, 2016
KINGSFORD — Twelve years had passed since a Rapid River boys track and field team had been crowned Upper Peninsula champion.
The Rockets found a way to do that Saturday, however, as they edged Powers North Central 72-68 for the title. Third-place Newberry scored 48 points, followed by Felch North Dickinson with 47½ and two-time reigning champ Munising with 46.
Rapid River sealed the deal by placing second in the 3,200-meter relay in 3 minutes, 41.9 seconds. North Central won the day’s final race at 3:38.04.
The Rockets also had to overcome some adversity after losing junior Austin Wicklund to a knee ligament injury.
“It’s exciting to do this as a senior,” said Dan Blair, who anchored that relay and was runner-up to Munising senior Brett Hannah in the 800 and 1,600. “We needed every point, and everybody gave his best effort. After losing Austin, we needed to put a new guy in the 1,600 relay and change our order. This is a great way to end my high school career.
“The (open) 800 and 1,600 could have gone better. Brett and I have been battling since junior high, and today he ran great.”
This marked the fourth consecutive season Hannah won the 3,200 (10:42.7) and his third straight 1,600 championship (4:37.76). Hannah, who scratched from the 400, also retained his 800 title (2:02.12).
“With this being my senior year, I wanted to do the events I really enjoy,” said Hannah. “They had me doing the 1,600 relay, so I compensated for scratching from the 400. I’m pretty happy about repeating in all three races. This became a real good day.”
Blair was runner-up in the 800 (2:03.65) and 1,600 (4:42.08).
Sophomore Logan Hardwick provided the Rockets with a first in discus at 132 feet, two inches and North Central senior Brendan Gatien took shot put (46-11½).
Senior Morgan Cox provided the Jets with a first in high jump (5-8) and anchored the winning 800 relay (1:36.9).
Big Bay de Noc junior Lucas Sundling won the 400 (52.07), followed by North Central senior Bryce Holle (53.8) and junior Tyler Bentley (55.39).
“My goal was to break 52, but it felt like I had no energy,” said Sundling. “My body felt like it was ready for a break, but our coach (John Gores) doesn’t let us miss practice. He does everything to make us better.”
Newberry got its lone first in the 400 relay (46.68), and North Dickinson’s Garrett O’Neil won the 110 hurdles (17.08) and 300s (42.75).
“For the most part, everything was cooking on all cylinders,” said sophomore Andre James, who ran the second leg in Newberry’s winning relay and placed fourth in the 100 (11.75). “We’re really happy about winning that relay. The 100 was real fast. My start went pretty well, only I would have liked to have gotten a higher place. Overall, we did pretty well as a team.”
Eben Junction Superior Central senior Greg Seppanen and Bark River-Harris junior Iver Stenberg hooked up in a pair of tight races. Seppanan won the 100 (11.4) by 12 hundredths of a second. Stenberg then took the 200 (23.23), squeezing past Seppanen by one hundredth of a second. Stephenson’s Montel Glover was third in the 100 (11.74).
PHOTOS: (Top) Munising’s Brett Hannah (far right), Wakefield-Marenisco’s Sam Dean and Rapid River’s Dan Blair race around a curve during the 1,600. (Middle) Stephenson’s Trey Johnson (far right) wins the 110 hurdles. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)