Sports

by Tom Coombe
Vermilion Community College has a state championship trophy to add to its trophy case - in community college athletics’ newest sport.
Vermilion is the state’s clay target (trapshooting) champion, after dominating the first Minnesota Community Athletic Conference varsity-level state meet earlier in the month at Grand Rapids.
Vermilion’s top five competitors missed only 35 targets out of a whopping 500 shots fired, finishing with a team point total of 465.
Tanner Hammit, Vermilion’s top shooter, hit 97 out of 100 targets and was second in the individual standings while teammate Zach Eustice went 95-for-100 to take third.
Vermilion was first among 10 teams in the meet and the school, known for its array of outdoor-related programs, had a league-high 37 participants.

Brooke Pasmick and Kayla Mellesmoen picked up the only victories for Northeast Range/Ely in an Oct. 11 loss to International Falls.
The visiting Broncos dominated the high school girls swimming meet at Babbitt, taking first in nine-of-11 events en route to a 70-23 win.
But Pasmick and Mellesmoen, two upper-class leaders of a young Nighthawk team had their highlights.
The NRE duo went one-two in the 50 yard freestyle, with Pasmick beating her teammate by two-tenths of a second.
Pasmick, an Ely junior, won in 27.6 seconds and Mellesmoen (27.8) was right behind.
Mellesmoen squeaked past the Broncos’ Macey Marcotte in a tight battle in the 100 freestyle.
It was Mellesmoen victorious in 1:03.31, .19 ahead of Marcotte.
Pasmick would add a second-place finish in the 100 backstroke (1:20.97, and NRE’s 200 freestyle relay of Mellesmoen, Lily Tedrick, Elizabeth Omerza and Kelly Thompson (2:04.87) also took second.

by Tom Coombe -

Virginia got off to a fast start Tuesday and never looked back, cruising past Northeast Range/Ely 52-36 in a high school girls swiming meet.
The host Blue Devils had one-two finishes in three of the first five events, while Elise Hoard picked up two individual first and was part of a winning relay in her team’s victory.
Brooke Pasmick, an Ely junior, continued a strong season for NRE.
Pasmick broke the Blue Devils’ early dominance by winning the 50 yard freestyle in 27.96 seconds, edging our Virginia’s Madeline Potts in a tight race.
Later, Pasmick took second in the 100 backstroke and joined Kayla Mellesmoen, Lily Tedrick and Abby Koivisto
Cedar Ohlhauser picked up the Nighthawks’ only other first. It came in the 100 breaststroke late in the meet when Virginia only entered swimmers in the exhibition category.

MUDDY TERRAIN - The turf at Ely School Stadium was torn up by Vermilon and Fond du Lac players Saturday after several days of rain. Photo by Carly Evancevich.

by Tom Coombe -

UP FOR THE BLOCK FOR VCC were Alexis Hughes (4) and Lauren Huchel (2). Photos by Eric Sherman

by Tom Coombe -

by Tom Coombe -

by Tom Coombe -

by Tom Coombe -