West Iron County Clinches with Win in Final Relay

By John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com

June 6, 2021

KINGSFORD — The race for the Upper Peninsula Division 2 championship came down to the wire Saturday as West Iron County edged Ishpeming 108-104½ for its first title in eight years.

Bark River-Harris placed third with 80 points, followed by three-time reigning champion St. Ignace with 71.

“We kind of knew it’d be close,” said West Iron coach Kristi Berutti. “We had to change some relays to maximize our points.”

The Wykons secured the decision by winning the 1,600-meter relay in four minutes, 27.04 seconds. Ishpeming placed second at 4:39.92.

“It’s awesome to win it all, and we wouldn’t have done it without my sister Danica,” said senior Jordan Shamion. “She’s the one who pushed us over the edge.”

Ishpeming trackJordan won the 100-meter hurdles at 16.99 seconds, 300s in a personal-best 48.72, anchored the 1,600 relay and took second in shot put at 31 feet, eight inches.

“I stumbled on a hurdle and still got a PR, and I’m happy with second in shot,” she said.

Danica Shamion, a freshman, added victories in the 100 (13.07), 200 (27.35) and 400 (1:01.48).

“I think my starts have improved,” said Danica. “If you have a bad start, you have a bad race.”

West Iron’s Avery Bociek placed second in the 800 (2:40.08).

Ishpeming freshman Lola Korpi took the 800 (2:34.90), 1,600 (5:41.32) and 3,200 (12:26.93) and anchored the winning 3,200 relay (10:56.42).

Division 1 and 2 runners ran together in the open 3,200, and Korpi paced with eventual Division 1 champion Olivia Moffitt of Marquette and runner-up Ingrid Seagren from Houghton.

“Olivia did awesome. She’s a senior and she deserves it,” Korpi said. “I just wanted to separate from the girls behind me. Olivia was a quarter track ahead of me, and I knew I wasn’t going to catch her. She really surprised me. She and Ingrid were my competition.”

Teammate Rebekah Loman swept the weight events, taking shot (32-4¾) and discus (104-3).

West Iron County trackBR-H freshman Mckenzie Hoffmeyer captured long jump (15-5) and was runner-up in the 100 (13.38) and 200 (27.56).

Iron Mountain won the sprint relays and Chloe Maycroft the high jump (4-11), and Lexi Hagen won pole vault (8-6).

“Our third handoff (by Emma Ellis) went real well,” said Mountaineers junior Abbygayle Richer, who anchored the winning 800 relay (1:52.86). “That was our fastest time all year. The competition pushed us to do better. We knew we had to run well to beat Bark River-Harris.

“I’m just glad we had a chance to run this year. Last year we didn’t get to do this (because of COVID-19).”

The Mountaineers were clocked at 53.88 in the 400 relay.

BR-H was runner-up in the 400 relay (55.39) and 800 (1:53.48), and sophomore Hazel Conklin was second in the 300 hurdles (51.53).

Click for full results.

PHOTOS: West Iron County’s Jordan Shamion celebrates her team’s finish in the 1,600 relay Saturday. (Middle) Ishpeming’s Lola Korpi leads the open 1,600. (Below) West Iron’s Danica Shamion, middle, crosses first in the 100. (Photos by Cara Kamps. Click to see more at RunMichigan.com.)

Be the Referee: Track & Field Exchange Zones

By Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials

May 16, 2023

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment – Track & Field Exchange Zones - Listen

Let’s work in an exchange zone today – and see how much we know about this area during relay races at track & field events.

First: Exchange zones are now 30 meters in length. Previously, they were 20 meters with a 10-meter acceleration zone. But now, it’s just one 30-meter area. Runners must start inside the zone.

Now, what happens if the baton is dropped during an exchange? There are a couple of outcomes:

► If the baton is passed or dropped outside of the exchange zone – that relay team is disqualified.

► If the baton is dropped inside the zone, the runner can pick it up and re-join the race.

► If it’s dropped inside the zone but rolls out of the zone, either runner can retrieve it, return to the exchange zone and then restart his or her race – provided they don’t interfere with an opponent.

Previous Editions:

May 9: Girls Lacrosse Self-Start - Listen
May 2: Baseball/Softball Overthrow - Listen
April 25: Fifth-Quarter/Third-Half Rule - Listen
April 18: Soccer Referee in Play? - Listen
April 11: Softball Strikeout - Listen
March 14: Basketball Instant Replay - Listen
March 7: Hockey Overtime - Listen
Feb. 28: Baker Bowling - Listen
Feb. 21: Ski Finish - Listen
Feb. 14: Swimming Touchpads - Listen
Feb. 7: In or Out-of-Bounds in Wrestling - Listen
Jan. 31: Over the Back - Listen
Jan. 24: Competitive Cheer Judges - Listen
Jan. 17: More Lines - Listen
Jan. 10: On the Line - Listen
Jan. 3: Basketball Measurements - Listen
Dec. 13: Pregame Dunks - Listen
Dec. 6: Gymnastics Judges - Listen
Nov. 22: Football Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 15: Back Row Illegal Blocker - Listen
Nov. 8: Swim Turn Judges - Listen
Nov. 1: Soccer Referee Jersey Colors - Listen
Oct. 25: Cross Country Tie-Breaker - Listen
Oct. 18: Soccer Shootouts - Listen
Oct. 11: Safety in End ZoneListen
Oct. 4: Football Overtime Penalty - Listen
Sept. 27: Kickoff Goal - Listen
Sept. 20: Soccer Timing - Listen
Sept. 13: Volleyball Replays - Listen
Sept. 6: Switching Sides - Listen
Aug. 30: Play Clock - Listen
Aug. 23: Intentional Grounding Change
- Listen

PHOTO: Negaunee's Nori Korsman gets the handoff from teammate Olivia Lunseth to run the third leg of the winning 1,600 relay at April's Superior Dome Invitational. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)