KINGSFORD—West Iron County’s girls track team proved to one and all May 30 that its regional championship in Division 2 was no fluke when they took the field here for the D2 U.P. State Finals here.

The Wykons earned wins in both sprint relays, took first and second in throwing events, and added a high jump title to the list. That’s four event wins in all, helping them finish fourth in the U.P.

West Iron’s two sprint relays came in as the favorites, as they had the best times among all D2 qualifiers, and they didn’t disappoint in the finals. The quartet of Jessie Schmidt, Latoya Carter-Bartley, Adri Ceron and Joanna Pellizzer won both the 800 and 400 relays, edging Westwood by less than a second each time.

Schmidt and Pellizzer also earned points in two individual events each—Schmidt in the sprints and Pellizzer in the hurdles.

In the field, Hannah Holma came in as the favorite in in shot put, and she won the championship with a toss of 35 feet, 4 ¾ inches, over a foot ahead better than second place.

“I was really aiming for the school record, which I did get” Holma said. She was also battling Norway’s Brooke Casanova, her rival all season at shot. “At the beginning of the year she was beating me a lot. I started beating her towards the end, and I guess it worked—I beat her in the biggest meet of the year. That’s all that really matters!”

Holma is a sophomore, and so is Desi Rasmussen who took a surprise second place in discus, at 95-9 ¾. Rasmussen credits a new technique for her success. “Mrs. Fales taught me a new spin,” she said, “and that really helped me. I got way farther in practice, and I got farther here.”

The Wykons’ fourth event win was no surprise at all: Melissa Beauchamp earned the high jump title by clearing 5 feet—nobody else could go above 4-10.

Beauchamp, who has dominated the event for the last few seasons (only two second places this year), has just graduated, which should be good news for the U.P.’s other female high jumpers. She said she simply had the skill to high-jump well. “My mom and Mrs. Berutti were helping me with it all through. Mr. Erkkila helped, too. I got a lot of help.

“I think this is the last time I will probably ever do it,” she added. “At least I went out with a hurrah.”

The Wykons wound up fourth with 60 team points, their best finish in a girls U.P. Finals in many years. Munising won the D2 team title with 81 points, followed by Westwood (71), St. Ignace (68), the Wykons (60) and Ishpeming (50).

Discus: 2. Desi Rasmussen, 95-9 ¾.

Shot put: 1. Hannah Holma, 35-4 ¾.

High jump: 1. Melissa Beauchamp, 5-0.

100 high hurdles: 5. Joanna Pellizzer, 18.73.

100: 5. Jessie Schmidt, 13.56.

800 relay: 1. (Schmidt, Latoya Carter-Bartley, Adri Ceron, Pellizzer), 1:55.92.

400 relay: 1. (Schmidt, Carter-Bartley, Ceron, Pellizzer), 54.80.

300 low hurdles: 4. Pellizzer, 52.99.

200: 4. Schmidt, 27.99.

• Tanner Mayo, who was part of the winning third doubles tandem at the U.P. Division 2 tennis finals two days earlier, did his best to add another first place medal to his collection at the boys track finals, but he fell just short twice.

Mayo had a pair of second places to lead West Iron’s small boys team at the finals.

In high jump, Mayo cleared 5-10, but that was only good enough for runner-up, as St. Ignace’s Austin St. Louis won with 6-2. In the 110 high hurdles, Mayo went against a more familiar opponent: Norway’s Jake Meneghini, who edged him with 16.00 to Mayo’s 16.09.

The two have been battling all season. “I haven’t beat him,” he said. “But he’s gone [graduated]. So I’ll have it easier next year.” Mayo is a junior.

D.J. Hebert earned team points in two events (fourth in long jump and sixth in the 100), and David Hebert was fifth in the 1600.

Ironwood won the D2 team title with 81 points, followed by Munising (72), St. Ignace (71), Rudyard (57) and Stephenson (49). The Wykon boys were 10th with 23 points.

High jump: 2. Tanner Mayo, 5-10.

Long jump: 4. D.J. Hebert, 19-1.

110 high hurdles: 2. Mayo, 16.09.

100: 6. D.J. Hebert, 11.94.

1600: 5. David Hebert, 4:53.64.