This marked the eighth title in a decade for the Miners, who were followed by Marquette 14, Escanaba 11 and defending champion Westwood eight on this sunny and seasonably-cool afternoon.

“The U.P. Finals always require a gritty effort from all parts of your lineup,” said Negaunee coach Kyle Saari. “Coming into the season, we had a lot of uncertainty in our lineup, but the girls answered the bell. This is one of the proudest titles in our program’s history. Our No. 2 and 3 doubles put together an outstanding effort. They went undefeated and didn’t lose a set all season. That’s a remarkable achievement within our program.”

Negaunee’s Olivia Lunseth and Sage Juntti completed their perfect season at No. 2 doubles by topping Marquette’s Hosanna Brindle and Maija Parkkonen 7-5, 6-1, and sophomores Kallen Schultz and Madelynn Peterson did likewise in a 6-3, 6-1 conquest of Marquette’s Eliina Brazeau and Nistha Gautam in the No. 3 final.

“I think everything went pretty well,” said Schultz, who won at No. 4 doubles a year ago. “We worked pretty well together and talked a lot on the court. It was chilly this morning, but we had good conditions this afternoon. I prefer to play at a fast pace and tried to place the ball more.”

Dennis Mansfield | Iron Mountain Daily News Escanaba’s Sophia Derkos returns the ball during a No. 1 singles match at Upper Peninsula Division 1 U.P. Tennis Finals in Kingsford Wednesday.

This marked the first championship for Peters, who also enjoyed the milder conditions.

“Working with the weather conditions became a little easier as the day progressed,” she said. “I was in and out of the varsity lineup last year. This was definitely different. It took a lot of hard work to get to this point. This will be a motivator for next year.”

Esky junior Sophia Derkos gained her first U.P. title by taking a 6-1, 6-1 decision from Marquette’s Maia Miller in No. 1 singles.

“I knew where to place the ball and had my family here to watch,” said Derkos, who placed third a year ago. “I worked on my game a lot more this year. I also worked on shots I didn’t have last year. It was real cold for the first match, then it warmed up, and my muscles worked better this afternoon.”

Esky senior Delaney McIntyre and junior Natalie Williams were crowned No. 2 doubles champions following a 6-0, 1-6, 6-1 triumph over Negaunee’s Stella Harris/Madison Frustaglio.

This marked the first U.P. title for McIntyre.

“This is really special,” she said. “I thought our team did well. We’ve gone back and forth with Marquette and Westwood all year.”

Williams converted on a groundstroke for a 4-1 advantage in the third set.

“That was a big play and momentum builder,” she said. “They’re good players. They didn’t give up.”

Esky coach Chris Ogren said he was pleased with the team’s effort.

“We won the top singles and doubles,” he added. “We’re happy with that. We’ve been close with Marquette all year. They just had a little better day than we did.”

Sophomore Tia Schone became Gladstone’s first U.P. champion in four years in a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Negaunee’s Aubrey Johnson.

An overhead shot helped Schone gain a 3-1 lead in the second set, then extended it to 4-1.

Johnson, who decided to change her strategy, started to lob the ball over the net, which helped to come within 4-2.

“An Iron Mountain girl did that in a match (at Gladstone) two weeks ago,” said Schone, who placed fourth in No. 3 singles last year. “It didn’t catch me off guard. It helped to see that before. I’m definitely a faster-pace player, but I needed that practice. I just had to be patient and kind of wait for her to make a mistake. This is definitely a big step after taking fourth last year. I knew what to expect this time.”

Gladstone’s most recent champions prior to Wednesday were Taylor Trudeau and Sydney Herioux, who won No. 1 doubles in 2018. Teammate Andie Belanger was U.P. runner-up in No. 1 singles that year.

Negaunee freshman Rheana Nelson defeated Marquette’s Cecilia Jacuzzo 6-2, 6-1 for the No. 3 singles crown, and classmate Lillianna Saunders overcame some adversity and a 5-2 deficit in a 6-2, 7-5 (7-6) triumph over Westwood’s Samantha Ruby at No. 4.

“This feels really good, but I had a real bad cramping in my leg,” said Saunders. “I didn’t really know where we were in the standings. I felt I had to win for our team to win. After she went up 6-5, I just took it one point at a time. It feels great to win as a team.”

Nelson overcame numerous ups and downs by staying focused.

“I kept my focus throughout the season,” she added. “I approached this as just another match, and it kept me a little more calm. This is a good start to my high school career.”

Lyndsey Lake-Lexi Hammerstrom provided Marquette with its lone title in a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Negaunee’s Paityn Brunette/Autumn Ring in No. 4 doubles.

The summary:

Negaunee 19, Marquette 14, Escanaba 11, Westwood 8, Gladstone 3, Menominee 1, Kingsford 0.

Singles

No. 1 — Derkos, E, def. Miller, Mqt, 6-1, 6-1; No. 2 — Schone, G, def. Johnson, N, 6-2, 6-2; No. 3 — Nelson, N, def. Jacuzzo, Mqt, 6-2, 6-1; No. 4 — Saunders, N, def. Ruby, W, 6-2, 7-5 (7-6).

Doubles

No. 1 — McIntyre-Williams, E, def. Harris-Frustaglio, N, 6-0, 1-6, 6-1; No. 2 — Lunseth-Juntti, N, def. Brindle-Parkkonen, Mqt, 7-5, 6-1; No. 3 — Schultz-Peters, N, def. Brazeau-Gautam, Mqt. 6-3, 6-1; No. 4 — Lake-Hammerstrom, Mqt, def. Brunette-Ring, N, 6-4, 6-2.