Marquette’s Lucas Belkowski drives a forehand during a match at No. 1 singles on May 27 at the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Finals in Division 1 boys tennis at Westwood High School. (MHSAA.com photo by Randy Ritari)

ISHPEMING — Players from Upper Peninsula champion Marquette along with Negaunee and Westwood were among those earning various All-U.P. Division 1 boys tennis honors as voted on by participating coaches at the MHSAA U.P. Finals held May 27 at Westwood High School.

The Sentinels’ Lucas Belkowski tied with Kingsford’s Landon Adam for All-U.P. Player of the Year after the pair met in the championship match at No. 1 singles in the U.P. Finals.

Belkowski did win the title in straight sets, a 6-2, 6-4 victory.

Marquette, which joined Negaunee and Kingsford as the leading schools vying for the U.P. Finals team title, won the Division 1 championship with 17 points, narrowly edging out the Miners with 15 and Flivvers with 12.

Possibly for that very reason, the Sentinels’ Karl Thomsen was voted All-U.P. Coach of the Year.

Westwood, Escanaba and Gladstone also participated in Division 1.

Along with the All-U.P. First Team and Honorable Mention awards made in singles and doubles, seven participants at the finals earned all-state honors in MHSAA Division 2.

In singles, it was Belkowski, Adam and Negaunee’s Easton Guenette, another leading No. 1 singles player all spring.

For doubles, it was the championship match pairing at No. 1 at the U.P.’s, Winston Leonard and Conner Henry of Marquette, along with Andy Yu and Clark Robb of Kingsford. Leonard and Henry won a marathon three-setter for the U.P. title, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (11-9).

With all these players also eligible to be named All-U.P., the singles First Team included Belkowski, Guenette, Adam, Westwood’s Damian Grondz and Negaunee’s Nolan O’Dovero.

The doubles First Team had, among others, Leonard and Henry, Yu and Robb, Xavier Grondz and AJ Pizziola of Westwood, Carson Lajimodiere and Quinn Walters of Negaunee, and Bode Helman and Connor Dunn of Marquette.

Area players making honorable mention were, in singles, Brady Janofski of Marquette, Caden Balzarini of Westwood and Max Larson of Negaunee; and in doubles, Vince Tincknell and Marshall Knapp of Negaunee, Ethan Marta and Jacob Ridl of Westwood, and Conner Steede and Trent Emard of Negaunee.

Here are the remainder of All-U.P. Division 1 honorees:

Singles — First Team: Chase Korpi, Escanaba; Isaac Lebouef, Kingsford. Honorable Mention: James Blair, Gladstone; Evan Grymes, Kingsford

Doubles — First Team: Logan Stephens and Jacob Prey, Escanaba; Teagan Reynolds and Tyler Soderman, Gladstone. Honorable Mention: Alex Hemgren and Beau Bracket, Kingsford

Story contents based on an

email received from NICE Community Schools athletic director Bobby Zhulkie. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.