It’s State Championship season. I thought I’d give a little preview of these athletes and how they relate to history, some backstories, then finally, team and individual predictions. Unfortunately, no UP D3 kids submitted any pics, so this isn’t spiced up with any flavor or color.
STATE MEET RECORDS
Lightly Stressed
Girls 4x400m – Stephenson reached 4:25 in early May, with 4:20.26 being the record. Perhaps being pushed in the last race of the year will emit maximum effort?
Girls Long Jump – improving by 3 inches in 3 seasons, Elsie Williams owns the best jump in the UP. Her 16’4” is 7” away from the Finals Record.
Girls Discus – Alayna Strahl and Mariska Laurila are two candidates, each tossing the disc over 100’ in Region 48. Strahl owns the better season best and Laurila the better personal best, each within 10’ of the 116’ 1” record.
Boys Long Jump – both Matthew Rahilly and Michael Rexford have leapt over 20’ this year. Both have shown ability to handle championship pressure (1st and 2nd last year, both hitting personal bests).
Feeling Pressure
Girls 100m & 200m – The UP D3 Finals records stand at 12.50 and 26.36 respectively. Adanne Nwose, Destiny Bleau, Bianca Briggs, and Emily Jokla each have been in the 12’s and/or the 26’s. The latter two were champions here last year. There was no last year for Nwose, who is ranked #1 in the UP 100m during her first year of track.
Girls 100h – last year’s 3x champ has extended her prowess to the high hurdles. She’s adapted quickly, coming up on the D3 Finals record of 15.97 with a series of low-mid 16 runs.
Girls High Jump – Destiny Bleau has hit 5’4 earlier in May. With a number of girls clearing 5’, a record jump may be necessary for the win.
Under Duress
Girls 1600m & 3200m – all depending on how much effort Samantha Taylor wants to give. The Newberry junior has already thrown down marks of 5:07 and 11:21, both under the D3 Finals records of 5:14 and 11:46.
Girls Pole Vault – Avery Visnaw is no stranger to this setting, placing 2nd last year and winning 2023’s D2 Finals. This year, she’s cleared 10’ once, last year she even reached up to 10’ 6”. 10’ 0.25” is definitely within reach.
Boys 3200m – once again, depends on how much Kalvin Kytta would like to give. After all, Kytta qualified in all three distance events. He’s a heavy favorite to win all three and his personal best of 9:48 is quite clear of the 10:05 D3 Finals record.
My guess is that 2 of these D3 Finals records fall.
Emily Jokela
In Michigan history, two women (Reed City’s Sami Mitchell and De Tour’s Gwen Wilkie) have attained four wins at the State Finals in back-to-back years. Emily (along with Emmry Ross) will attempt to etch their name into the history books. Last year, Jokela found victories in the 100 through 400, along with the 300 hurdles. She’s added the high hurdles to that regimen, subtracted the 200m, and unsurprisingly has stamped her name on the leaderboard in that event.
Intriguing Events and Happenings
Girls 400m – But when you win four state titles, you put a target on your back. Stephenson’s Faith Cappaert has dropped more than 2 seconds from her 2024 best, winning every single lapper in 2025. She comes in with the UP’s #1 time in the 400m. This could be Jokela’s sixth event of the day. If the winning quad does happen, Jokela will have to earn every milimeter.
Girls Shot Put – winning here and in the discus, Mariska Laurila would claim back-to-back titles in both throws. She’ll face a steadily rising Maddy Dudenas, who just ripped a 33’ 0” to win Region 47.
Girls High Jump – Kiera Isaacson’s late-season consistency vs. Destiny Bleau’s early-season heights. Isaacson has cleared 5’ in each of her last four competitions, all wins. She’s got championship experience, hitting a 5’3 here to win last year. Bleau has the higher PR, but has been under 5’ the past two meets.
Boys Sprints – who will be the new king of the sprints? Tommy Trudgeon, 100m and 200m champion has moved on, so to has Matthew Jokela. Matthew Rahilly is a candidate, as is Thomas Caron. Rahilly excels in the short sprints, Caron in the longer ones. They’ll both lock heads in the 200m, where their PRs are separated by a mere 0.2 seconds.
Kalvin Kytta vs. another distance triple – last year, Kytta was able to pull off the tough triple, gaining 30 points on his own for his Chassell Panthers. His greatest competition will likely come in the 800m, where Ethan Snyder from the far eastern UP has dropped 7 sec. in the past year. But I don’t doubt the championship mettle of Kytta.
Potential Girls Team Champions
Generally, I tend to think this is pretty simple. One needs elite athletes, the advantage being more of them. Those elite athletes need to score what they’re capable of, buoyed by those who scoring above their lower expectation.
Newberry – the orange & black have the benefit of elite athletes in a few events. Samantha Taylor is as close to a lock as you’ll find, her counterpart Abby Taylor will contend for a win as well. Combined, they should generate enough of a gap to win the 4×8. In the sprints, you’ve got Adanne Nwose who will likely be at the front. Spread across enough events, the Indians appear to be the favorite.
Lake Linden Hubbell – will ride the wave of Emily Jokela and hope to find points elsewhere. Last year, Jokela picked up 40 points en route to a Lake win. She’ll need to be close to that total, against what appears to be tougher competition. The Lakes will try to find points elsewhere – such as in the vault, throws, and relays.
Potential Boys Team Champions
Newberry – appear to be the most well-rounded team out there. Matthew Rahilly has added sprinting on top of his jumping prowess. Connor Carlson is right there with him in the longer sprints. Ben Pavey can hold things down in the throws. Altogether, I have the Orange & Black finding significant points in more than half of the events.
Lake Linden-Hubbell – the Lakes path begins with domination in the hurdles. Lukas Axford is their guy in the 300’s and he’s joined by Brad Davis and Kaden Gariepy in the high hurdles. Together, the three combined for 29 points in a Region 47 championship.
TEAM PROJECTIONS
Girls Event Predictions
| Place | Shot Put | Team | Event |
| 1st | Maddy Dudenas | Lake Linden-Hubbell | Shot Put |
| 2nd | Mariska Laurila | Carney-Nadeau | Shot Put |
| 3rd | Tallulah Slabosheski | Brimley | Shot Put |
| 4th | Natalie Whalen | Newberry | Shot Put |
| 5th | Cadence Cullen | St. Ignace | Shot Put |
| 6th | Caitlyn Johnson | Stephenson | Shot Put |
| 7th | Alayna Strahl | Stephenson | Shot Put |
| 8th | Hope Brunngraeber | Rock-Mid Peninsula | Shot Put |
| Place | Discus | Team | Event |
| 1st | Mariska Laurila | Carney-Nadeau | Discus |
| 2nd | Alayna Strahl | Stephenson | Discus |
| 3rd | Tallulah Slabosheski | Brimley | Discus |
| 4th | Hali Butkovich | Engadine | Discus |
| 5th | Hope Brunngraeber | Rock-Mid Peninsula | Discus |
| 6th | Maddy Dudenas | Lake Linden-Hubbell | Discus |
| 7th | Caitlyn Johnson | Stephenson | Discus |
| 8th | Ella Gasparich | Forest Park | Discus |
| Place | Pole Vault | Team | Event |
| 1st | Avery Visnaw | St. Ignace | Pole Vault |
| 2nd | Elisa Delene | Baraga | Pole Vault |
| 3rd | Sixta Smart | Brimley | Pole Vault |
| 4th | Laila Bell | Dollar Bay | Pole Vault |
| 5th | Ashlyn Steves | Lake Linden-Hubbell | Pole Vault |
| 6th | Aspen Anderson | North Dickinson County | Pole Vault |
| 7th | Lissa Johnson | Lake Linden-Hubbell | Pole Vault |
| 8th | Ava Fischer | Forest Park | Pole Vault |
| Place | Long Jump | Team | Event |
| 1st | Elsie Williams | Forest Park | Long Jump |
| 2nd | Laila Bell | Dollar Bay | Long Jump |
| 3rd | Marie Wills | Brimley | Long Jump |
| 4th | Jillian Fraser | St. Ignace | Long Jump |
| 5th | Rayne Martin | Holy Name | Long Jump |
| 6th | Mariska Laurila | Carney-Nadeau | Long Jump |
| 7th | Breyelle Bowers | L’Anse | Long Jump |
| 8th | Bianca Briggs | Engadine | Long Jump |
| Place | High Jump | Team | Event |
| 1st | Destiny Bleau | Big Bay de Noc | High Jump |
| 2nd | Kiera Isaacson | Dollar Bay | High Jump |
| 3rd | Rayne Martin | Holy Name | High Jump |
| 4th | Caragan Thill | Big Bay de Noc | High Jump |
| 5th | Aubrey Applekamp | North Dickinson County | High Jump |
| 6th | Kwynn Voskuhl | L’Anse | High Jump |
| 7th | Syninyah Barnes | Brimley | High Jump |
| 8th | Hannah Gady | St. Ignace | High Jump |
| Place | Team | Event |
| 1st | Ontonagon Area | 4×1 |
| 2nd | St. Ignace | 4×1 |
| 3rd | Brimley | 4×1 |
| 4th | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 4×1 |
| 5th | Stephenson | 4×1 |
| 6th | Baraga | 4×1 |
| 7th | Eben Jct. Superior Central | 4×1 |
| 8th | Rapid River | 4×1 |
| Place | Team | Event |
| 1st | St. Ignace | 4×2 |
| 2nd | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 4×2 |
| 3rd | L’Anse | 4×2 |
| 4th | Dollar Bay | 4×2 |
| 5th | Stephenson | 4×2 |
| 6th | Brimley | 4×2 |
| 7th | Engadine | 4×2 |
| 8th | Eben Jct. Superior Central | 4×2 |
| Place | Team | Event |
| 1st | Newberry | 4×4 |
| 2nd | Stephenson | 4×4 |
| 3rd | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 4×4 |
| 4th | Forest Park | 4×4 |
| 5th | Dollar Bay | 4×4 |
| 6th | St. Ignace | 4×4 |
| 7th | Rapid River | 4×4 |
| 8th | Engadine | 4×4 |
| Place | Team | Event |
| 1st | Newberry | 4×8 |
| 2nd | Stephenson | 4×8 |
| 3rd | Ewen-Trout Creek | 4×8 |
| 4th | North Dickinson County | 4×8 |
| 5th | St. Ignace | 4×8 |
| 6th | Rapid River | 4×8 |
| 7th | Engadine | 4×8 |
| 8th | Dollar Bay | 4×8 |
| Place | 100m | Team | Event |
| 1st | Emily Jokela | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 100m |
| 2nd | Adanne Nwose | Newberry | 100m |
| 3rd | Destiny Bleau | Big Bay de Noc | 100m |
| 4th | Alli Bobula | Ontonagon Area | 100m |
| 5th | Bianca Briggs | Engadine | 100m |
| 6th | Makennah Russell | Newberry | 100m |
| 7th | Violet Amos | Ontonagon Area | 100m |
| 8th | Emma Sundling | Rapid River | 100m |
| Place | 200m | Team | Event |
| 1st | Desiny Bleau | Big Bay de Noc | 200m |
| 2nd | Adanne Nwose | Newberry | 200m |
| 3rd | Emma Sundling | Rapid River | 200m |
| 4th | Alli Bobula | Ontonagon Area | 200m |
| 5th | Makennah Russell | Newberry | 200m |
| 6th | Gwen Kellan | St. Ignace | 200m |
| 7th | Addeline Schmitt | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 200m |
| 8th | Adrian Anderson | Stephenson | 200m |
| Place | 400m | Team | Event |
| 1st | Faith Cappaert | Stephenson | 400m |
| 2nd | Emily Jokela | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 400m |
| 3rd | Makennah Russell | Newberry | 400m |
| 4th | Emma Sundling | Rapid River | 400m |
| 5th | Ewen Croteau | St. Ignace | 400m |
| 6th | Violet Amos | Ontonagon Area | 400m |
| 7th | Elsie Williams | Forest Park | 400m |
| 8th | Isabella Tampas | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 400m |
| Place | 800m | Team | Event |
| 1st | Abby Taylor | Newberry | 800m |
| 2nd | Alyson Steinbrecher | North Dickinson County | 800m |
| 3rd | Bree Besonen | Ewen-Trout Creek | 800m |
| 4th | Nora Parker | Stephenson | 800m |
| 5th | Audrey Williams | Forest Park | 800m |
| 6th | Faith Cappaert | Stephenson | 800m |
| 7th | Emma Besonen | Ewen-Trout Creek | 800m |
| 8th | Alyssa Shirkey | Wakefield-Marenisco/Bessemer | 800m |
| Place | 1600m | Team | Event |
| 1st | Samantha Taylor | Newberry | 1600m |
| 2nd | Abby Taylor | Newberry | 1600m |
| 3rd | Bree Besonen | Ewen-Trout Creek | 1600m |
| 4th | Lily Etelamaki | Chassell | 1600m |
| 5th | Faith Cappaert | Stephenson | 1600m |
| 6th | Vienna Price | Forest Park | 1600m |
| 7th | Aunika Lindholm | North Dickinson County | 1600m |
| 8th | Audrey Williams | Forest Park | 1600m |
| Place | 3200m | Team | Event |
| 1st | Samantha Taylor | Newberry | 3200m |
| 2nd | Abby Taylor | Newberry | 3200m |
| 3rd | Lily Etalamaki | Chassell | 3200m |
| 4th | Aunika Lindholm | North Dickinson County | 3200m |
| 5th | Bree Besonen | Ewen-Trout Creek | 3200m |
| 6th | Evonna LaCosse | Big Bay de Noc | 3200m |
| 7th | AJ Feleppa | St. Ignace | 3200m |
| 8th | Bella Tarter | Forest Park | 3200m |
| Place | 100h | Team | Event |
| 1st | Emily Jokela | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 100h |
| 2nd | Avery Visnaw | St. Ignace | 100h |
| 3rd | Ava Fischer | Forest Park | 100h |
| 4th | Jenna Tarnowski | Ontonagon Area | 100h |
| 5th | Jordan Holombo | Chassell | 100h |
| 6th | Haven Van Sickle | Forest Park | 100h |
| 7th | Aubrey Applekamp | North Dickinson County | 100h |
| 8th | Katie Halberg | St. Ignace | 100h |
| Place | 300h | Team | Event |
| 1st | Emily Jokela | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 300h |
| 2nd | Adanne Nwose | Newberry | 300h |
| 3rd | Avery Visnaw | St. Ignace | 300h |
| 4th | Jordan Holombo | Chassell | 300h |
| 5th | Ava Fischer | Forest Park | 300h |
| 6th | Aubrey Karppinen | Dollar Bay | 300h |
| 7th | Laila Bell | Dollar Bay | 300h |
| 8th | Tiffany Papin | Cedarville | 300h |
Boys Event Predictions
| Place | Name | Team | Event |
| 1st | Ben Kaurala | Bessemer | Shot Put |
| 2nd | Ethan Pavey | Newberry | Shot Put |
| 3rd | Kevin Giuliani | Forest Park | Shot Put |
| 4th | Devin Carlson | Bessemer | Shot Put |
| 5th | Spencer Willa | Powers North Central | Shot Put |
| 6th | Taven Lewis | Baraga | Shot Put |
| 7th | Trey Micheau | Rock Mid-Peninsula | Shot Put |
| 8th | Liam Tourtillott | Dollar Bay | Shot Put |
| Place | Name | Team | Event |
| 1st | Kevin Giuliani | Forest Park | Discus |
| 2nd | Eddie Forslund | Rapid River | Discus |
| 3rd | Taven Lewis | Baraga | Discus |
| 4th | Alex Drew | Lake Linden-Hubbell | Discus |
| 5th | Liam Tourtillott | Dollar Bay | Discus |
| 6th | Kollin Bird | St. Ignace | Discus |
| 7th | Jordan Vert | Brimley | Discus |
| 8th | Ethan Harrison | Rapid River | Discus |
| Place | Name | Team | Event |
| 1st | Nate St. Onge | Lake Linden-Hubbell | Pole Vault |
| 2nd | Adrian Kunowski | Brimley | Pole Vault |
| 3rd | Gabriel Quevedo | Forest Park | Pole Vault |
| 4th | Howard Bliss | Newberry | Pole Vault |
| 5th | Lane Olson | Rapid River | Pole Vault |
| 6th | Leland Hollenbeck | Bessemer | Pole Vault |
| 7th | Mason Anderson | North Dickinson County | Pole Vault |
| 8th | Jed Brady | St. Ignace | Pole Vault |
| Place | Name | Team | Event |
| 1st | Michael Rexford | Holy Name | Long Jump |
| 2nd | Matthew Rahilly | Newberry | Long Jump |
| 3rd | Nathaniel Malloy | Ojibwe | Long Jump |
| 4th | Henry Jenkins | Bessemer | Long Jump |
| 5th | Bryce Martin | Bessemer | Long Jump |
| 6th | Dallas Andrus | Brimley | Long Jump |
| 7th | Nolan Mills | Paradise-Whitefish Twp. | Long Jump |
| 8th | John Wheeler | Republic-Michigamme | Long Jump |
| Place | Name | Team | Event |
| 1st | Lewis Holmes | Rock Mid-Peninsula | High Jump |
| 2nd | Vic Giuliani | Forest Park | High Jump |
| 3rd | Baron Colbert | Dollar Bay | High Jump |
| 4th | Matthew Rahilly | Newberry | High Jump |
| 5th | Tanner LaMaide | Wakefield-Marenisco/Bessemer | High Jump |
| 6th | Logan Thiele | Newberry | High Jump |
| 7th | Josh Daavettila | Lake Linden-Hubbell | High Jump |
| 8th | Michael Rexford | Holy Name | High Jump |
| Place | Team | Event |
| 1st | Brimley | 4×1 |
| 2nd | Bessemer | 4×1 |
| 3rd | Stephenson | 4×1 |
| 4th | St. Ignace | 4×1 |
| 5th | Rapid River | 4×1 |
| 6th | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 4×1 |
| 7th | Eben Jct. Superior Central | 4×1 |
| 8th | Baraga | 4×1 |
| Place | Team | Event |
| 1st | Brimley | 4×2 |
| 2nd | Bessemer | 4×2 |
| 3rd | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 4×2 |
| 4th | Eben Jct. Superior Central | 4×2 |
| 5th | Rapid River | 4×2 |
| 6th | Newberry | 4×2 |
| 7th | Stephenson | 4×2 |
| 8th | L’Anse | 4×2 |
| Place | Team | Event |
| 1st | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 4×4 |
| 2nd | Newberry | 4×4 |
| 3rd | Stephenson | 4×4 |
| 4th | Forest Park | 4×4 |
| 5th | Dollar Bay | 4×4 |
| 6th | Rapid River | 4×4 |
| 7th | Wilson Hannahville-Nah Tah Wahsh PSA | 4×4 |
| 8th | St. Ignace | 4×4 |
| Place | Team | Event |
| 1st | Newberry | 4×8 |
| 2nd | Engadine | 4×8 |
| 3rd | Holy Name | 4×8 |
| 4th | Cedarville | 4×8 |
| 5th | Forest Park | 4×8 |
| 6th | Stephenson | 4×8 |
| 7th | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 4×8 |
| Place | Name | Team | Event |
| 1st | Matthew Rahilly | Newberry | 100m |
| 2nd | Jayden Verrett | Bessemer | 100m |
| 3rd | Bryce Martin | Bessemer | 100m |
| 4th | August Vonseggern | Brimley | 100m |
| 5th | Thomas Caron | Watersmeet Twp. | 100m |
| 6th | Joshua Gaunt | Dollar Bay | 100m |
| 7th | Nolan Hendrickson | Baraga | 100m |
| 8th | Adrian Kunowski | Brimley | 100m |
| Place | Name | Team | Event |
| 1st | Matthew Rahilly | Newberry | 200m |
| 2nd | Connor Carlson | Newberry | 200m |
| 3rd | Thomas Caron | Watersmeet Twp. | 200m |
| 4th | Cooper Jones | Brimley | 200m |
| 5th | Jayden Verrett | Bessemer | 200m |
| 6th | Will Spranger | Eben Jct. Superior Central | 200m |
| 7th | Jeb Green | Rapid River | 200m |
| 8th | August Vonseggern | Brimley | 200m |
| Place | Name | Team | Event |
| 1st | Thomas Caron | Watersmeet Twp. | 400m |
| 2nd | Jeb Green | Rapid River | 400m |
| 3rd | Connor Carlson | Newberry | 400m |
| 4th | Joshua Gaunt | Dollar Bay | 400m |
| 5th | Brady Axford | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 400m |
| 6th | Will Spranger | Eben Jct. Superior Central | 400m |
| 7th | Owen Kuehnau | Stephenson | 400m |
| 8th | Wasaya LeBlanc | Brimley | 400m |
| Place | Name | Team | Event |
| 1st | Kalvin Kytta | Chassell | 800m |
| 2nd | Ethan Snyder | Cedarville | 800m |
| 3rd | Garrett Lewicki | Newberry | 800m |
| 4th | Danny Mikus | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 800m |
| 5th | Sam Rahilly | Newberry | 800m |
| 6th | Jayden Sagataw | Wilson Hannahville-Nah Tah Wahsh PSA | 800m |
| 7th | Darren Johnson | Brimley | 800m |
| 8th | Canon Kuntze | Stephenson | 800m |
| Place | Name | Team | Event |
| 1st | Kalvin Kytta | Chassell | 1600m |
| 2nd | Ethan Snyder | Cedarville | 1600m |
| 3rd | Dakota Taylor | Engadine | 1600m |
| 4th | Canon Kuntze | Stephenson | 1600m |
| 5th | Izaiah Tarter | Forest Park | 1600m |
| 6th | Joey Mainville | Forest Park | 1600m |
| 7th | William Hoffman | Forest Park | 1600m |
| 8th | Darren Johnson | Brimley | 1600m |
| Place | Name | Team | Event |
| 1st | Kalvin Kytta | Chassell | 3200m |
| 2nd | Dakota Taylor | Engadine | 3200m |
| 3rd | Izaiah Tarter | Forest Park | 3200m |
| 4th | Ethan Snyder | Cedarville | 3200m |
| 5th | Wyatt Huhn | St. Ignace | 3200m |
| 6th | Jon Denkins | Rapid River | 3200m |
| 7th | Kellen Bruno | Newberry | 3200m |
| 8th | Eli Stiglitz | Rock Mid-Peninsula | 3200m |
| Place | Name | Team | Event |
| 1st | Connor Kemppainen | L’Anse | 110h |
| 2nd | Brady Leblanc | Brimley | 110h |
| 3rd | Kaden Gariepy | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 110h |
| 4th | Greg Taylor | Rapid River | 110h |
| 5th | Brad Davis | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 110h |
| 6th | Niko Amos | Ontonagon Area | 110h |
| 7th | Dietrich Rasner | Forest Park | 110h |
| 8th | Lukas Axford | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 110h |
| Place | Name | Team | Event |
| 1st | Lukas Axford | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 300h |
| 2nd | Connor Kemppainen | L’Anse | 300h |
| 3rd | Kaden Gariepy | Lake Linden-Hubbell | 300h |
| 4th | Brady Leblanc | Brimley | 300h |
| 5th | Niko Amos | Ontonagon Area | 300h |
| 6th | Greg Taylor | Rapid River | 300h |
| 7th | Dietrich Rasner | Forest Park | 300h |
| 8th | Nate Stielstra | Engadine | 300h |
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 