It was a big weekend to be a Yooper.
Up in Kingsford, the U.P. Track & Field Finals crowned a whole slate of champions — and three of them gave their hometowns something to really celebrate. A dynasty kept rolling, a repeat champ proved last year was no fluke, and one team finally got back to the top of the podium for the first time since Jimmy Carter was in the White House.
Here’s who did it.
Pickford Boys: Five in a Row and Counting
The Pickford Panthers boys just don’t lose this thing.
They captured their fifth straight U.P. Track & Field Finals championship, a streak that started back in 2022 when they were still competing in Division 3. They’ve since moved up to Division 2 — and it hasn’t slowed them down one bit. This time they piled up 139 points, finishing well ahead of Rudyard (104) and Bark River-Harris (77).
Leading the charge was senior John Anderson, who turned in a monster day as a triple-winner: he took the 300-meter hurdles in a personal-best 42.01 seconds, won the high jump clearing 6-6, and added the long jump at 20-2½. That’s the kind of performance dynasties are built on.
Rudyard Girls: 49 Years in the Making
If you want the goosebumps story of the weekend, this is it.
The last time a Rudyard girls track team was crowned U.P. champions, it was 1977. Gas was under a buck a gallon, the Bulldogs were running in Class C, and most of these girls’ parents weren’t even born yet.
That changed Saturday. Rudyard won it all with 87 points, holding off Bark River-Harris (78) and Ewen-Trout Creek (71) to claim just the second team title in school history — and the first in 49 years.
“We were dealing with a lot of little things, but the girls kept battling,” coach Mike Kirschner said. “They love to compete, and the warm weather helped.”
Individual champions Amelia Fountain and freshman Melissa Kirchner were big pieces of the Bulldogs’ run. Not a bad way to write yourself into the school record books.
Newberry Girls: Back-to-Back, and a Record to Boot
Newberry made sure last year wasn’t a one-time thing.
The Newberry girls repeated as U.P. Division 3 champions, scoring 73 points to edge Lake Linden-Hubbell (58) and Big Bay de Noc (50). And they set the tone early — their 3,200-meter relay team ran a UPD3 Finals record of 10 minutes, 15.39 seconds.
The Taylor sisters were front and center, as they’ve been all season. Senior Samantha Taylor brought home wins in both the 1,600 (5:12.89) and the 3,200 (11:32.57), anchoring a distance squad that’s become the team’s backbone.
A Hero’s Welcome
The celebrating didn’t stop at the finish line, either. Both the Rudyard and Pickford teams were welcomed home with parades — exactly the kind of small-town send-off these kids earned.
Three schools, three trophies, one very proud peninsula. Congrats to every athlete, coach, and family who made it happen.
Got a photo or memory from the meet? Drop it in the comments — we’d love to see your team celebrate. 👇
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