Reservations for the 54th Annual Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet are now being taken. The induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 9th at the Island Resort and Casino in Harris, located 15 miles west of Escanaba. Banquet reservations are $40 per person. The evening begins with a social hour at 5:00 (all times Eastern) followed by a brief introduction and meal at 6:00 p.m. The induction ceremony follows dinner.

Local multi-sport athlete Stephanie (Boyer) Lovell from Rapid River High School is one of ten new hall of famers who will be inducted that evening. She was a 10-time UP Champion in track: 4-time 200m, 3-time Long Jump, 2-time 400m, and 400m relay team champion. In 2002 she was All-UP for all divisions in the 200m and Long Jump. The Rockets were U.P. Champions in 2003 and Runners-Up from 2000 to 2002. She was also a member of the Division 3 Runner-Up cross country team in 2002.

Stephanie was also a member of the 2000 State Runner-Up basketball team, winning 4 Districts and 2 Regional titles. She scored 1,387 points, was a multi-year All-UP and All-State selection, BCAM All-Star, and was named the Skyline Conference MVP in 2002. As a member of the Rapid River volleyball team, she was named MVP of the CUP Conference in 2002 and 2003, and the Rockets won 3 Districts and 1 Regional. Boyer also ran track for 5 years and cross country for 1 year at Northern Michigan University.

Stephenson’s Mark Simon will also be inducted into the 2026 Class. Simon was a standout basketball player, leading the Stephenson Eagles to the Class C State Basketball Championship in 1981. He was a unanimous selection to the All-State First Team that same year. He was a 2-time All-UP selection, helping the Eagles win 42 games in those 2 years. He finished his high school career with 1,166 points and broke several school records.

At Northern Michigan University Simon was a 4-year letterman and team captain in 1986. He finished his career in the top 10 in scoring (8th with 1,078 pts) and rebounding (517) and played in 116 games, a school record at that time.

Simon coached the Stephenson girls’ basketball team to a school-best 20-3 record in 2013-14. That team set a school record by averaging 66.4 points and allowing just 38.4. Simon was state Coach of the Year Honorable Mention. In 2004 he was inducted into the NMU Sports Hall of Fame.

For more information or to reserve a seat, please contact Anne Okonek (906-280-2587) or at anneokonek@gmail.com. The deadline for making reservations for seats is April 22nd. Council encourages UPSHF inductees from previous years to join the celebration!

The remaining eight UPSHF Class of 2026 inductees are Burt Angeli (sports writer/editor, Iron Mountain), Andy Crouch (football, Lake Linden-Hubbell), David Miller (basketball coach, DeTour), Erica Helmila Smith (track and field, Marquette,), Lori Juntila Rupert (basketball, Ishpeming), Janet (Hallfrisch) Sbar (track, Menominee), Gary Sparpana (ski jumper, Iron Mountain) and Fred Teddy (track/cross country, L’Anse).

A block of rooms has been reserved for those interested in staying overnight. To book your room, call the Island at 1-800-682-6040 and tell them that you’re attending the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame banquet to obtain the special rate. Reservations for rooms must be made no later than April 24th.

Do you know someone that should be considered for induction into the UP Sports Hall of Fame? Anyone can nominate a candidate for membership in the UPSHF by completing the nomination form that can be found on the UP Sports Hall of Fame website at upshf.com. Nominations are due by June 1st annually.