Preview: Past Champions Filling Upper Peninsula Girls Track & Field Finals
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 2, 2022
An extraordinary 16 individual champions from last season’s Upper Peninsula Girls Track & Field Finals will return to Kingsford this weekend seeking the same success and more. And only six of them are seniors.
The star-studded meet will feature the final high school races for standouts like three-time champion Landry Koski from Rock Mid Peninsula and Houghton distance star Ingrid Seagren. But the Division 2 meet easily could be dominated by sophomores, and the Division 3 Finals return nine of last year’s 13 individual winners including five sophomores and juniors.
Events begin at 10 a.m. (EDT) and tickets to attend can be purchased online only at GoFan. The meets also will be broadcast on MHSAA.tv and viewable with subscription.
Below is a glance at team contenders and individuals to watch in all three divisions.
Division 1
Team forecast: Marquette solidly won its ninth championship over the last 10 seasons (not counting canceled 2020) last spring, but at last month’s Regional edged Sault Ste. Marie by just five points. The Blue Devils were last season’s Finals runner-up as well, and Negaunee in 2018 is the only team other than Marquette to claim a UPD1 championship over the last decade. The Miners had winners in three relays at their Regional and swept hurdles and throws to hold off star-powered Houghton.
Claire Erickson, Sault Ste. Marie junior: The top-seeded contender in the 300 hurdles (50.52) ran the race eight tenths of a second faster than anyone else at a UPD1 Regional. She was third in the 300 at last season’s Finals and ran on two placing relays.
Alyssa Hill, Negaunee senior: She’s seeded first in the discus by nearly 19 feet with a Regional throw of 123-4, and second in shot put at 34 as one of only two (with teammate Eliana Juchemich) who tossed farther than 31-1 in UPD1 qualifying.
Julia Ott, Marquette junior: She’s seeded second in two events – the 100 and 200 behind teammate Baux Truckey – and tied for the top seed in high jump (5-0) after winning that event last year. She’ll also run on the top-seeded 800 relay and being part of the winning 400 relay in 2021.
Ingrid Seagren, Houghton senior: The reigning 1,600 champ is seeded first in that race (5:30.23) by 13 seconds, the 800 (2:30.43) by six seconds and the 3,200 (12:34.34) by six seconds as well. She won the UPD1 cross country championship in the fall.
Baux Truckey, Marquette junior: She entered the mix in a big way last season winning the 100 and 200, and she’s seeded first in both at 12.86 and 26.73 seconds, respectively. She’ll also run on top-seeded 400 and 800 relays after helping both to wins in 2021.
Division 2
Team forecast: West Iron edged Ishpeming by 3½ points at last season’s Final and can match star power with any of the contenders with three-event champion Danica Shamion returning. Ishpeming with another returning three-event champ in Lola Korpi should be in the mix again despite just a third-place Regional finish. Bark River-Harris especially in relays and field events and St. Ignace across the board have enough potential scorers to make this a close meet.
Mckenzie Hoffmeyer, Bark River-Harris sophomore: Her Finals debut last season included the long jump championship and second places in the 100 and 200. She’s seeded first in long jump (15-11½), second in the 200 (27.99) and third in the 100 (13.57) this weekend, and also could run on the top-seeded 800 relay.
Lola Korpi, Ishpeming sophomore: This fall’s UPD2 cross country champion also is the reigning track champion in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200. She’s seeded first in those three in 2:31.91, 5:47.79 and 13:09.59, respectively, but in the 3,200 she’ll have to hold off UPD3 cross country champion Kaylen Clark from Newberry. Korpi also is slated to run on the top-seeded 3,200 relay.
Danielle Lund, Manistique sophomore: She placed sixth in shot put in UPD1 last season, and she enters this weekend seeded first in shot put (33-4) and discus (96-0) in UPD2. She’s also slated to run on the top-seeded 1,600 relay.
Chloe Maycroft, Iron Mountain junior: She’s set to compete in the high jump, long jump and run on two third-seeded relays after winning high jump last season. She’s seeded second in that event (4-8) this time.
Danica Shamion, West Iron County sophomore: She burst onto the scene with championships in the 100, 200 and 400 last season, and she’s seeded first in all three this weekend in 13.2, 27.01 and 1:01.23, respectively. The 200 and 400 meet records could be hers with major performances. She’ll also compete in high jump.
Division 3
Team forecast: Ontonagon broke Lake Linden-Hubbell’s three-season Finals winning streak last spring, and won a closely-contested Regional two weeks ago that saw the top five teams all finish less than 11 points from each other. Relay strength and qualifiers throughout the meet should have the Gladiators in the mix, with Pickford’s potential for a number of meet champions make it another favorite.
Lucy Bennin, Pickford senior: Last season’s 200 champion will run that race again and also is seeded second in long jump (14-3¼) and expected to run on the top-seeded 800 relay and second-seeded 400 relay.
Abi Codere, Lake Linden-Hubbell sophomore: The reigning champion in the 100 hurdles is seeded first in that event (17.45) and also will compete in pole vault.
Ellie Delene, Baraga sophomore: The reigning high jump champion is among 10 qualifiers who went between 4-6 and 4-8 at Regionals. She’ll also run both hurdles races.
Daisy Grinsteiner, Stephenson junior: The returning pole vault champion is seeded first (8-6) by a foot, and she’ll also run on two relays.
Emily Jokela, Lake Linden-Hubbell freshman: She’s set up for a major debut seeded first in the 200 (28.48) and 400 (1:03.00), fourth in the 100 (14.01) and second in the 300 hurdles (52.52).
Landry Koski, Rock Mid Peninsula senior: One of the finest distance runners in the peninsula during her career, she’ll look to add to two 1,600 championships and a 3,200 title she’s won over her first two Finals. She’s seeded first in the 800 (2:39.04), 1,600 (5:44.73) and 3,200 (12:56.05), and third in the 400 (1:04.79).
Lilly McIntyre, Ontonagon junior: She won the 100 last season and will run that race again as well as three relays, including as part of the top-seeded 400 and 1,600 groups.
Tristin Smith, Rudyard senior: Last season’s 400 champion will run that race again, is seeded second in the 1,600 (5:48.64) and will run on two relays including the second-seeded 3,200.
Lizzie Storey, Pickford senior: The reigning 300 hurdles champ is seeded first in that race (50.07) and second in the 100 hurdles (18.18) and also will run on the top-seeded 800 and second-seeded 400 relays.
Makennah Uotila, Ontonagon junior: Last year’s long jump champ is seeded first (14-10½) in that event and fourth in the 400 (1:05.19) and will also run the 800 and potentially as part of the top-seeded 1,600 relay.
PHOTOS Ishpeming's Lola Korpi (1) takes the early lead in the 1,600 at the May 13 Negaunee Lions Invitational, with Negaunee's Marlee Plaxco (3) following close behind. (Middle) Marquette's Julia Ott wins the 200 that afternoon. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)
Marysville Thrower Hudson Dancing Into Record Books, Finals Contention
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
April 12, 2023
If you see Janae Hudson doing the “Cotton Eye Joe” dance near a shot put or discus pit this spring, don’t be surprised.
But do pay attention, because a Marysville school record may be about to fall.
“I used to get really stressed out before meets, and it would definitely impact my throws,” the Marysville junior said. “I thought that maybe I need a specific routine to not freak me out or anything, and I kind of have it with volleyball, as well. I like to just go off in my own space. When I’m in the hole, I like to kind of just dance around and get all the jitters out before I throw. It’s kind of like a line dance, something I can do in a single space and not bump into other people. I did it last year, and it started to work.”
Hudson, who placed third at the 2022 Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals in the discus, has already danced and thrown her way into the Marysville record books. She holds the school record in the discus with a throw of 135 feet, 7 inches. Her sights are now set on the shot put record of 40-10, which is about a foot and a half better than her personal best of 39-2¼.
“She’s such a competitor,” Marysville coach Brian Gwisdala said. “She’s already set high expectations for herself. Track is one of those sports where she’s got distances she wants to hit this year. And I think it’s the sign of a mature kid, even though she wants to finish first at states, her big thing right now is she wants that shot put record at the school. She threw 29-2¼ at Saginaw this year. She’s getting there.”
While Hudson showed potential as a freshman, qualifying for the Division 2 Finals and finishing 10th in the shot put, breaking school records certainly wasn’t the expectation at that point.
In fact, when she entered high school, she figured volleyball would be her main focus. While she still plays and is a major contributor for the Vikings volleyball program, throwing has emerged as the sport she wants to pursue collegiately.
“I was really nervous and timid to actually go to my first track practice,” she said. “But that’s when I fell in love with it. I wasn’t expecting to get this serious with it at the beginning of my freshman year.”
During her freshman year, Hudson began working with throwing coach Michael Hale of Kaizen Throws, and saw immediate results.
She continued to work with Hale through the offseason, and that combined with adding some strength – and a dance routine – helped her take off as a sophomore. In her second season, she added more than two feet to her shot put personal record, and nearly 30 in the discus.
“I think a huge part of it was that she kind of grew into her body,” Gwisdala said. “She’s always been a tall kid, and that coordination and everything caught up to her. I saw it with her in volleyball, too, how much she improved athletically. She really worked hard and put in the time. She throws during the indoor season in the winter. She’s got her private throwing coach that she goes to. All of those factors, and she had the determination and drive to go and do it.”
All of that has put Hudson in a strong position heading into her junior season, not only to further one school record and chase down another, but to improve upon her places at the Division 2 Finals.
Her personal-best discus throw would have tied for first at the 2022 Finals, while her personal best in the shot put would have placed fourth.
“I would love to go to states in both events, and to place first in both would be an ideal situation,” she said. “But if I could finish top three in both, I would walk out happy.”
Helping Hudson chase that ideal situation of winning a Finals title is having watched a teammate do it just two years ago, as Reese Powers won the 400 meters as a junior at the 2021 Division 2 Finals.
“That’s huge,” Gwisdala said. “Just the fact that it was somebody from our school. And it wasn’t someone that necessarily just did one thing, either. Reese and (all-state runner Hannah Fisher) both were multi-sport athletes. The other huge part, and I would say this about Janae right now, too, with Reese was just her work ethic. You would see it every day in practice.”
All of that resonated with Hudson.
“It was a wild moment,” she said. “She’s a junior in high school and can do that; I can do that, too. It would probably mean the world to me.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Marysville’s Janae Hudson unwinds while putting the shot during a meet. (Middle) Hudson prepares to let the discus fly. (Photos by Rodney Thomas/Thomas Sports Photography.)