However, like so much in the U.P., the event is vulnerable to Mother Nature’s mood swings. Some years the event is held under brutally hot conditions as athletes battle not just each other but also contend with dehydration and other physical discomforts.

And some years, the athletes are forced to contend with cold, rain and wind in an attempt to pull the best out of themselves.

But the 2025 championships Saturday took place under ideal conditions, with temperatures in the low 70s with a slight breeze blowing under a cloudless sky.

And those weather conditions led to personal best times and distances by athletes across the board.

Norway's Lauren Adams won both the 200m and 100m dashes in Division 2 on Saturday. (Coleton Mihelich photo)

Three local athletes stood out on the day — West Iron County freshman Bristol Shamion, Norway junior Lauren Adams and Iron Mountain senior Aiden Ellis.

Shamion, the latest in the line of stars from a family that has become synonymous with track, led the way with three individual victories in her first U.P. Finals.

Competing in Division 2, Shamion won the 100 hurdles in a personal best 17.56 seconds, captured the 300 hurdles in 49.4 seconds and won the high jump title by tying her personal record leap of 5 feet.

Shamion admitted to being nervous before her first U.P. finals.

“Yeah, because there were people who had better times than me,” she explained.

Iron Mountain's Aiden Ellis joined teammates Alex Jayne, Cooper Pigeon and Bryce Davis to win the 400m relay. (Coleton Mihelich photo)

But the youngest of the four Shamion sisters said she was not thinking of living up to what her older sisters Jordan and Danica had accomplished in past year, both winning multiple U.P. championships.

“Not really,” Bristol said when asked if she felt pressure from past family results, including her sister Lacey’s, a junior who helped the Wykons place second in the 800 relay. “I was just thinking I’m going to go out there and do my best.”

In one clear way, Bristol’s eldest sibling, Jordan, who just finished her senior season in collegiate track at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, helped.

“In the 100 (hurdles), I started three-stepping (between hurdles),” Bristol said. “I had been four-stepping all season and I didn’t know I had (three-stepping) in me, but Jordan has been helping me.”

The one event in which Shamion came up short was the 200 meters, where she placed second behind Adams.

Adams showed abundant talent, determination and a whole lot of guts on her way to winning that 200 race as well as the 100. She almost made it 3 for 3 but came up .005 seconds short in the 400 behind champion Amelia Fountain of Rudyard.

After that race, Adams fell to the ground in distress. She had just poured everything she had and more into trying to win the 400, which is arguably the most taxing in the sport.

Turns out, Adams lost consciousness for a bit before she was given medical aid.

“When I started running that race, I was already feeling it by the first 200,” Adams said the day after. “But I knew I had to keep pushing. I got to the last 100 and it was a dogfight from there

“I gave it everything I had, but part of me still wonders if I could’ve pulled off a little more steam to get those little seconds that I needed.”

Adams went on to say that she didn’t remember much about what happened afterward.

“After I gained back consciousness and found out I lost I was very upset and that was part of the reason I ran the 200 …”

Adams was cleared medically to compete and did so, defeating Shamion by .28 seconds to take the race.

“I knew I could win if I just put aside the pain for 27 more seconds and that’s what I did.”

Meanwhile, Ellis put the finishing touches on an impressive prep athletic career with an individual triumph in the long jump with a personal record leap of 20 feet and as part of the winning 400-meter relay with teammates Alex Jayne, Cooper Pigeon and Bryce Davis.

“It was a great day,” Ellis said. “I got to run and jump with a bunch of my buddies. We had a great 4×100 relay. I might have finished the race but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates Alex, Cooper and Bryce setting me up.”

Kingsford senior Mason Tappy also put in a memorable performance Saturday by winning the Division 1 shot put title with a personal best toss of 45-3.75. Tappy defeated Calumet’s Mathew Frantti by .75 inches to win the title

Team-wise, the West Iron County girls team topped local squads with a second-place finish in Division 2. The Wykons compiled 71 points, just three behind champion Pickford.

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Additional coverage of Saturday’s event will be published this week in The Daily News.