West Iron County sends deep track roster to U.P. championships

West Iron County’s path to the Upper Peninsula Championships was built on range, not just speed. The Wykons qualified athletes in nearly every corner of the track and field program, turning the trip to Kingsford’s Flivver Field into a test of a team that had already proved it could win under pressure.

The girls and boys both captured Division 2 Regional 43 titles on May 14 in Gwinn, a sweep that marked an extraordinary day for West Iron County Public Schools. The girls scored 55.5 points to edge Ewen-Trout Creek’s 46.5, while the boys finished with 58 points to hold off host Gwinn, 54. Coach Kristi Berutti said the regional meet came with an unusual number of personal bests. “We had so many PRs, it was crazy,” she said.

That breadth carried directly into the championship field. For the girls, Kendall McDonald qualified in the 100 and 200 meters. Bristol Shamion advanced in the 200 meters, 300 hurdles, 100 hurdles and high jump, while Laurel Johnson earned a spot in the 400 meters. Addison Bortolameolli made the cut in the 100 hurdles, Lilyanna DeSousa in shot put, Jamie Stapleton in pole vault and Lacey Shamion in long jump. West Iron County also qualified relay teams in the 4x100, 4x200, 4x400 and 4x800, a sign that the Wykons had enough depth to keep lineups flexible and still stay competitive.

The boys roster was just as spread out. Saul Kobussen qualified in the 100 and 200 meters. Seth Oberlin advanced in the 800, 400 and high jump, while Eduel Spencer punched tickets in the 800, 1600, 3200 and long jump. Alex Ghiggia qualified in shot put and discus, Jessiah Smith in high jump and Liam Meske in pole vault. Multiple relay squads also made the championship field, giving West Iron County scoring chances across sprints, distance runs, jumps, throws and relays.

That kind of balance matters in a small-school program because it creates more than one route to the podium. It also says something about the pipeline at West Iron County, where the girls were defending their regional title and the boys were adding one of their own to the school’s track resume. A Kingsford preview noted the Wykons had finished runner-up three of the last four seasons after winning the title in 2021, a stretch that shows how firmly the program has remained near the top of the Upper Peninsula.

Bristol Shamion arrived at the finals with especially high expectations, seeded first in the high jump and 300 hurdles and second in the 100 hurdles after sweeping hurdles and high jump as a freshman. The Upper Peninsula Championships were scheduled for Saturday, May 30, at Kingsford High School’s Flivver Field, with preliminaries set for 9 a.m. Central time. Tickets were sold digitally through GoFan, and MHSAA.tv was set to stream the meet.