By Dan Hardenbrook
One of high school sport’s biggest events returns this Saturday, as local teams and athletes will make their way to Kingsford the MHSAA U.P. Track & Field Finals. The U.P. Finals offer one last chance for athletes to shine—on the sport’s biggest stage—and give fans a spectacle that often feels like the Upper Peninsula version of the Olympics. Both Newberry and Engadine will send the fastest and strongest to compete in the Division 3 competition this weekend.
All eyes will be on the Newberry boys’ run for a repeat. The Indians enter as the defending Division 3 State Champions, winning last year’s title in the day’s final event. Newberry again will send a deep and balanced attack, and they enter on a high after recently winning their second consecutive MHSAA Regional Championship two weeks ago. The Indians will have 10 individual representatives and three relay teams in action, with entries in 15 of the 17 events. Many of those feature multiple Newberry athletes giving the Indians a chance to pick up big points in what could be another tight battle this season.
The Lady Indians came up just short of winning the state title last season; they left Kingsford with the Division 3 runner-up trophy. They hope to take that final step towards glory on Saturday. They’ve gained plenty of experience during the regular season, winning multiple invitationals and an MHSAA Regional Championship of their own. The Lady Indians will have nine individual athletes in events, and two relay teams that are among the U.P.’s best. The attack will be led by the record-setting Taylor sisters, Sammy and Abby, in the distance races and two top sprinters, Ada Nwose and Makennah Russell.
Engadine also wants to bring home some hardware. The Lady Eagles used an influx of young runners, most called up from their junior high teams, take home a regional title as well. While their roster may not be as deep, the Engadine girls are ready to shock the U.P. again on the big stage. Engadine’s decorated group of boys distance runners hope to add to their legacy this weekend as well.
Superior Timing and the MHSAA will have live event scoring on their websites for fans to follow along if they can’t make the trip. The Kingsford High School NFHS Network Channel and the MHSAA Network will also have live video of the event for users who subscribe and pay the fee to watch along.
