Miranda Jacobson

HERMANSVILLE –The second and final weekend of the 86th Gold Medal Classic independent basketball tournament not only includes Class A men’s competition, but the Women’s Division will take place as well at the Frank Rodman Community Club in Hermansville.

This year, seven women’s teams have entered, with varying skill levels and ages.

The opening game of Saturday’s competition will start the Women’s Division. At 9 a.m. it will be a battle of Carney versus Nadeau.

Shelby’s Quick Mart of Carney will take on The Shoppe Bar and Grill of Nadeau. The Nadeau squad has two Iron Mountain seniors on the roster.

Division 1-3 All-U.P. first team selection and West PAC Conference first team selection Macy Linsenbigler joins Gerlis Sampoll-Torres, a West PAC Conference honorable mention, on The Shoppe roster.

North Central senior Kate Linder will lace them up for Shelby’s.

The 10 a.m. clash will be BAE Massage of Hermansville taking on Viau INC of Powers.

The BAE roster is captained by the Arsenault sisters, Bree and Andie. Both are North Central alumnae, both played at Bay College, and Bree also played at Lakeland University.

Other Bay College players on the BAE roster include North Dickinson grad Juliann Wickman, Bark River-Harris grad Paige Welch as well as Gladstone’s Kaitlyn Hardwick. They are joined by current Lakeland cager Megan McPhee of Marquette.

Former North Dickinson and Lakeland University standout Miranda Jacobson rounds out the area players on the BAE roster.

The Viau INC roster is captained by former Carney-Nadeau standout Amy Baumler-Kleikamp, as well as her daughter, Gracie Kleikamp, who is a current Gogebic Community College player and North Central graduate.

Viau’s roster also includes three-time All-U.P. selection and Carney-Nadeau senior Grace Maule. She has committed to playing collegiately at Gogebic Community College next season.

Norway graduates and former Bay College cagers Jordan Kraemer and Jada Freudinger are also on the Viau roster. Kraemer, who is the all-time leading scorer in Norway High School history, also played at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, a Division I NAIA school.

Kingsford graduates Mia Counter and Alaina Kowalski as well as North Central alum Sam Burton round out the Viau roster.

The 11 a.m. ladies contest is between Trenary Toast, whose team core has competed in the Gold Medals the past handful of years. Trenary Toast will take on The Wisco Ones, from Green Bay, Wis.

Gold Medal Classic tournament director Bryan Maule reports that The Wisco Ones have competed in multiple women’s tournaments in Minnesota over the winter, as well as a recent tournament in Spokane, Washington, finishing in the top eight of 32 teams.

The winners of the 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. games will face one another at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

At 4 p.m. the winner of the 9 a.m. ladies contest will face Hometown Physical Therapy of Bark River.

The Hometown roster includes multiple current Bay College players, including 2024 Women’s Division MVP and Bark River-Harris graduate Lauren Zawada. Joining Zawada will be Menominee alum and Bay College standout Anna Axtell.

Also on the Hometown roster are L’Anse seniors and 2025 All-U.P selections Brooklyn Dompier and Mylee Londo.

The loser’s brackets games for the Women’s Division will be at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday. The Women’s Division championship game will be at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.