Nicole Elmblad

 

Images courtesy of the Detroit Free Press

 

Nicole Elmblad was a star basketball player for St. Ignace La Salle High School. Overall, she led the Saints to a 73-5 record through her sophomore, junior and senior years. She was unanimously voted the U.P. Class A-B-C Player of the Year in 2010 and 2011 and was just the fifth two-time winner of this award. She was also on the U.P. All-Class Dream Team four years in a row, from (year to year). Elmblad led St. Ignace to win the Class C State Championships in 2011 against Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett with a final score of 65-54. Elmblad was the only player to score 30-plus points in two championship games. The team had reached the state final game in 2010, but lost to Flint Hamady, 68-66, in double over­time.

In her senior year she was named Associated Press Class C Player of the Year, BCAM Best of the Best, se­lected to the Detroit News Dream Team, Detroit Free Press Dream Team (captain) and finished in the voting as Michigan Miss Basketball Runner-up. By the time Elmblad graduated, she was the U.P.’s third all-time leading girls scorer with a career 1,965 points. During her senior season, she averaged 24.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 4.9 steals.

Nicole Elmblad winning the U.P. Final pole vault in 2011.
Image courtesy of Nicole Elmblad.

Elmblad also played hockey, volleyball and she competed in track. In the 2011 track season, she took first place in Pole Vaulting at the U.P. Track Championship by clearing eight feet and six inches. She was also on the 3200 meter relay team that took first place.

Elmblad has always been a fan of University of Michigan basketball and dreamed of playing for them since she was a young girl. Her dreams are coming true because she is now playing for the Wolverines.

Sara Boyer Rohde

 

The pride of Rapid River, Sara (Boyer) Rohde was a standout in several sports but best known for her prowess on the basketball court. As a student at Rapid River High School, she earned 12 high school letters, including four in basketball, four in track and four in volleyball. She was the first Upper Peninsula student athlete to win Tomorrow's Winner's Award from the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame (1999). During her senior year in 1998, she was the U.P. Class D Basketball Player of Year and named to the All-State Basketball team by the Associated Press, Detroit Free Press and Detroit News. Boyer was the leading scorer in school history with 1,758 points. She also led the Rockets to Class D state runner-up finishes in 1997 and 1998.

Left: Sarah (Boyer) Rohde leads the way against Fowler in the in the 1977 Class D State semifinal. Rapid River would win the game 52-36.

In addition to her basketball career, she was champion on the track as well. Rohde still holds the U.P. Class D 300 hurdle record and was a winner of five U.P. hurdle titles in track. She also helped lead her volleyball team to a U.P. title in 1999. Rodhe would go on to have a very successful college career playing basketball at the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. She is now the girls' basketball coach at Notre Dame Academy in Green Bay.

Images courtesy of the Boyer Family.

Wayne Schwalbach

 

A four-year letterman at Escanaba High School, Wayne Schwalbach was a dominant athlete who had a unique combination of great speed and power. During his time playing for the Eskymos, Schwalbach earned 10 letters in football, basketball and track.

Schwalbach has long been considered one of the greatest running backs from the U.P, but also was a stalwart linebacker. In that same year, he was named to the Class A All-State Team, only the second player in the U.P to receive that honor. He was selected the UP Class A-B Back of the Year in both his junior and senior years. While at Escanaba, he set many school records including career touchdowns (32 - a record that stood for almost 30 years), yards rushed in a career (2,204), most points in a game (24), most points in season (116), most career points (210), most game TDs (4), most season TDs (18), most yards rushed in a game (208), most yards rushing in season (1100) and most rushing attempts (375).

Clippings courtesy of Wayne Schwalbach

In addition to his football prowess, Schwalbach's greatest legacy in U.P. sports was on the track. During his senior year, he set three U.P. records at the 1974 track finals in Marquette that have yet to be broken. He is still the only U.P. athlete to break the 10-second barrier in the 100-yard dash (9.9) and he also broke the 220-yard dash record with a time of 22.9 seconds. Maybe even more amazing was his performance in the shot put at the very same meet, when he threw the shot 58' 7". This combination of speed and strength has never been matched by another Upper Peninsula athlete.

1973 U.P. Champions
1st row, left to right: Tom Pearson, Jim Guindon, Brian Dupey, John Ducheny, Tom Lark, Jim Hansen, Matt Smith, Dan Hutton, Gary Bougie, Tom Suriano, George King, Pat McCotter.  2nd row: Mr. Cvengros, Coach; Pete Gregoire, Bryan Berg, Mike Cvengros, Dan Criel, Wayne Schwalbach, Dave Guay, Jerry Derouin, Jim Moberg, Bob Fassbender, Jeff Young, Mr. Him, Mr. Lindstrom.   3rd row: Lindsey King, Steve Gauthier, Mike Johnson, Dan Rogers, Jim Baker, Dave Anderson, Mike Miketinac, Ernie Murray, Tom Jaeger, Dan Young, Terry Krebs, Mr. Flynn.  4th row: Jim Rogers, Cliff Stratton, Tim Flynn, Lance Collins, Mark Beveridge, Mark Sankovitch, Jack Hirn, Eric Plowman, Terry Larsen, John Blomberg, Jeff Ferrari, Darrel Lancour, Mgr., Todd Holland.  5th row: Steve Bergey, Dave Anderson, Kevin Holmes, Mark Rose, Steve Belland, Lester Bingham, Tom Sarnowski, Tim Johnson, Tom Timler, Jeff Kobasic, Randy Lippold.

Image from the book, "Escanaba Eskymos: 100 Years of Football" by John Beck.After high school, Schwalbach attended Central Michigan University on a full-ride football scholarship. He was a four-year Letterman and three year starter for the Chippewas and a member of the 1974 NCAA Division II Nation­al Championship Team. He was twice named All-Mac Tight End, holds the longest punt record for Central at 86 yards, played in the East-West Shrine game his senior year and went on to sign as a free agent with the Pitts­burg Steelers.

Bob Mariucci

 

1983 U.P. Champions, Iron Mountain Mountaineers wrestling team.The son of legendary U.P. wrestling pioneer Ray Mariucci, Bob Mariucci followed in his father’s footsteps by donning the singlet and taking the sport to a new level during his high school years at Iron Mountain (1981-1984). He was a four-time U.P. champion for his weight class and was only the second athlete to ever achieve that record. He won each of those titles in different weight classes: 112 (1981), 126 (1982), 145 (1983) and 155 (1984). During his high school career, he tallied a 147-16-1 ledger.

Mariucci stands atop the medal stand after winning the 145 pound weight class at the 1983 U.P. tounament.

Mariucci was also valedictorian of his 1984 graduating class. His dedication to both academics and athletics led him begin named Scholastic Wrestling News All-Ameri­can in 1983. In addition to his official Michigan high school career, he was the national AAU Junior Olympic freestyle champion in 1982 and captured the same title in Michigan and Wisconsin competitions in 1982 and 1983.

In addition to his wrestling and academic prowess, Mari­ucci was an excellent football player, as was his older brother Steve, who was All-American at Northern Michi­gan University. Bob would go to play football and wrestle for NMU and was named the football team's top receiver both in 1987 and 1988.

Mariucci and his coaches celebrate his individual title victories in 1982 and 1984.

Images courtesy of Bob Mariucci.

Mariucci and his coaches celebrate his individual title victories in 1982 and 1984.

Images courtesy of Bob Mariucci.