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Sports
Sports
By Patrick Browne
On May 24 both the Lady Wykons and a small group of committed boys who represent West Iron participated in the West Pacs Conference Championship in Ishpeming. In finishing fourth of nine teams, the girls finished just nine points shy of third place and 28 points ahead of fifth place Iron Mountain. The boys gave it their all, but ended up finishing eighth of eight conference teams.
Danica Shamion once again gave the Wykons a lift by winning the 100, 200 and 400 meter dashes and finishing in a tie for second with her teammate Calli Pellizzer. In winning three events and coming in second in one, Shamion earned 37 points for her team, just over 50 percent of the Wykon total.
Area coaches took note of her performance and awarded her the conference’s coveted ‘Sprinter of the Year Award’. While many thought she also should have earned the conference ‘Most Valuable Runner Award’, a coaches meeting determined one athlete should not win both awards.
‘It feels great to win Sprinter of the Year.” stated Shamion, “I’m proud to represent West Iron and I’m thankful for all the support of my teammates and family members.”
Rounding out the scoring for the Wykons were familiar faces and standout athletes Calli Pellizzer and Seanna Stine. Pellizzer finished fourth in the 400 meters and second in the high jump (clearing 4 feet 10 inches), while Seanna Stine finished fifth in the 100 meter hurdles and fourth in the 300 meter hurdles. Katarina Hemeleski tied for fourth in the shot put and fifth in the discus.
Unfortunately, due to injuries on the boys team, the Wykons were unable to garner points at the Conference Championships. Freshman Christian Robles, set a personal record (PR) in the long jump at 14 feet 8 inches. Continued improvement should see his name move up on the leaderboard as he moves forward in high school.
Next stop for the Wykons are the Upper Peninsula State Championships on June 3. After an excellent showing in the conference championship by the Lady Wykons, it is possible that individual state champion honors may give the school an opportunity to cheer as the year comes to a close.