Bryce Derouin received his journalism degree at Grand Valley State University where he worked as the sports editor for the student newspaper. He returned to the U.P. as a sports writer for the Escanaba Daily Press before serving as the sports editor the Daily Mining Gazette in Houghton.

His journalism experience includes working as the beat writer for the Michigan Tech and Grand Valley State football and basketball teams, in addition to four years of in-depth preps coverage. He recently chronicled the state runner-up finish of the Chassell girls basketball team and state-semifinal run of the Dollar Bay boys basketball team.

As a 2010 Bark River-Harris graduate, he understands the passionate following that exists with U.P. sports and is committed to making Upbeat the premier source of peninsula-wide sports coverage.

He currently resides in Marquette.

Eden Laase is an accomplished young journalist who has worked at multiple publications, including Sports Illustrated. She has covered sports at all levels from U.P. high school athletics to Gonzaga basketball and the Denver Broncos.

Laase’s journalism experiences include the College Hockey playoffs and the Final Four.

A graduate of Gonzaga University, Laase most recently worked at the Daily Mining Gazette in Houghton, where she developed a passion for covering high school sports.

She currently resides in Marquette.

Keith Shelton was the sports editor of the Escanaba Daily Press from 2012-16, and worked as a sports reporter from 2010-12. He covered the North Central boys basketball state title runs in 2015 and 2016, North Central football state title in 2015, and Gladstone softball state title in 2012.

He attended Northern Michigan University where he graduated in 2009 with a degree in Entertainment and Sports Promotion. During his time there he wrote frequently for BleacherReport.com.

Keith currently lives in Gladstone, MI with his wife Sarah, and two children Steven (7) and Eliza (4).

Jason Sutherland was a nominee for the VFW Voice of Democracy Patriots Pen National Scholarship for Writing Excellence, and he was a host of a weekly one-hour radio block at WOAS 88.5 in Ontonagon from 2011-2012. He graduated from Lake Linden-Hubbell High School in 2017.

Jason will serve as a staff writer covering Copper Country basketball — an area he grew up in. He’s spent this past fall refining his writing skills while covering prep football. He will also serve as the producer of the Upbeat podcast.

Currently, Jason is a full-time college student at Michigan Technological University. He is studying Social Sciences with a Secondary Education Concentration. He plans to graduate in the Fall of 2020 and become a Social Studies teacher.