West Iron County track teams blend experience, youth ahead of opener

West Iron County’s girls were three points from a U.P. title, and the boys tripled their finals points, a sign that the Wykons are carrying real momentum into a spring still slowed by cold Upper Peninsula weather.

The boys are set to open Thursday at the Florence Invitational with 18 athletes, including four seniors and returnees Saul Kobbuson, Tanner Nordstrom and Seth Oberlin. Jeff Taff’s group is coming off a steady climb at the Upper Peninsula Finals, where the Wykons went from 10 points in 2024 to 30 last season, and the focus now is to keep qualifying more athletes for the meet that matters most at the end of May.

That next step will have to come despite the usual Iron County obstacle. The track teams finally got outside, but spring conditions have still disrupted work that would normally be happening on the track instead of indoors. For a program trying to build from year to year, every lost day matters, especially with the regional window set for May 14-16 and the MHSAA finals on May 30.

The girls arrive with the clearest evidence that West Iron can compete with the best in the Upper Peninsula. Kristi Berutti returns with 32 athletes, including 14 freshmen, and the roster is anchored again by sisters Bristol and Lacey Shamion. Erianna Sucholl also gives the Wykons a proven point scorer after placing fourth in the 400 last season and narrowly missing the podium at the U.P. Championships.

Last spring’s numbers showed just how close West Iron already is to the top of Division 2. The Wykons finished second at the 2025 Upper Peninsula Finals with 71 points, only three behind Pickford’s 74. Bristol Shamion won the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles and long jump at Kingsford, while Lacey Shamion added a second-place finish in long jump and helped the relays score valuable points. That kind of production is the difference between a solid team and one that can threaten for a title.

The boys also have proof that progress is real. West Iron finished third at Regional 43-2 last year with 37 points, its best regional finish in three seasons and well ahead of Ishpeming’s 12. If the weather finally cooperates and the returnees keep developing, both West Iron teams have the numbers, and the front-line athletes, to make another move when the schedule turns toward Kingsford and the U.P. Finals.