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Striking gold again: Negaunee girls track and field team wins Mid-Peninsula Conference title for 11th straight time

Gwinn's Max Jayne, center, crosses the finish line right after Iron Mountain's Dante Basanese, front right, during the final heat of the boys' 100-meter dash at the Mid-Peninsula Conference high school track and field meet held Monday in Negaunee. (Journal photo by Ryan Stieg)

Up next: West PAC meet, at Gwinn, 3:30 p.m. Wednesday

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NEGAUNEE — It’s always nice to win a conference meet, but it’s even nicer to win it for the 11th time in a row.

That’s what the Negaunee girls track and field team accomplished Monday as it emerged as Mid-Peninsula Conference champions, finishing with 150.5 points. Westwood took second at the seven-team meet with 89 while Gladstone finished third with 74.

The most impressive thing about the Miners’ team victory is that they only won one event with Eliana Juchemich in the shot put.

Ishpeming's Lola Korpi crosses the finish line to win the girls' 1,600-meter run at the Mid-Peninsula Conference high school track and field meet held Monday in Negaunee. (Journal photo by Ryan Stieg)

Even though it finished second as a team, it was still a successful day for Westwood as the Patriots won two of the four relays (3,200- and 1,600-meter) and had three individual champions.

Elizabeth Williams won the 400 dash for the Patriots, while Allyssea Smith won the 300 hurdles and Avery Mariuzza took first in the pole vault.

Third-place Gladstone won four events with Jamisyn Bergeron (100, 200) and Ahna Larson (100 hurdles, long jump) taking two events apiece.

Iron Mountain was in fourth place at the end of the day, but won the other two relays (400 and 800) and Chloe Maycroft won the high jump.

Ishpeming finished fifth overall, but Lola Korpi had a solid day on the track as she finished first in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 runs, winning the latter two in dominant fashion. Rebekah Loman also notched a win for the Hematites in the discus.

Negaunee's Ella Lunseth, back left, passes the baton to teammate Ellie Sundberg during the girls 800-meter relay at the Mid-Peninsula Conference high school track and field meet held Monday in Negaunee. (Journal photo by Ryan Stieg)

On the boys side, it was the Braves who came out on top with 159.75 points. Negaunee finished second with 118 and Iron Mountain was third with 96.

Gladstone won the 1,600 relay and had some big performances from Blake Servant and Drew Hughes. Servant won both hurdles, the 110 and 300, the long jump and the discus, while Hughes picked up victories in the 1,600 and 3,200. Sasha Olsen (pole vault) and Ethan Milam (high jump) also notched wins for the Braves.

The Miners had two individual champions as Ethan Ihamaki won the 400 and Isiah Wood the shot put, edging out teammate Drake Spickerman. Iron Mountain won two of the remaining three relays (400, 800) and two of its relay runners earned victories in individual events as Dante Basanese won the 100 and Joe Dumais the 200.

Fourth-place Ishpeming came out on top in two events as the Hematites won the 3,200 relay and David Liimatta took first in the 800.

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.

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