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Standouts in the field

Jiles' jump, Hanson's throw highlights opening day

Photo special to MDN/Al Christianson Minot High freshman Allie Nelson clears the bar in the Class A high jump. She placed third in the state with a jump of 5-feet, four inches.

BISMARCK – The triumph came out of nowhere. Westhope-Newburg’s Abbie Jiles put seeding to the wayside, as she outjumped her No. 13 ranking by three and a half inches to win the Class B girls long jump.

The unexpected result comes in one of her last competitions in the state of North Dakota, as her family is moving out of state over the summer.

“It means so much,” Jiles said. “I’m just so thankful, glory goes to God… Before I jumped, I was just asking the Lord to help me fly this meet.”

Fly she did with a mark of 17-feet, two inches. Beating out Langdon Area’s Sydney Ellingson (16-10.5) and Dickinson Trinity’s Masy Kuntz (16-09.25).

Jiles will go for a double individual state title in the triple jump today, holding the No. 6 seed placing.

Photo special to MDN/Al Christianson Rugby’s Maria Blessum competes in the Class B state girls pole vault on Friday at the Bismarck Community Bowl. Blessum finished second with a jump of 10-feet, three inches.

“I’m going to rest up today and then hopefully I can do good tomorrow in that too,” Jiles said.

For Stanley-Powers Lake’s Wyatt Hanson, it was a throw of 163-feet, one inch that won him the Class B boys discus. He came in with the No. 2 seed, but topped his nearest competitor – Rope Smith from Killdeer – by over four feet.

The Rugby girls field team took a pair of runner-up finishes with Maria Blessum in the pole vault (10-03) and Maddie Uhlenkamp (117-04) in the discus. Blessum lost out by three inches to Dickinson Trinity’s Faith Beck and Uhlenkamp fell by seven inches to Standing Rock’s Megan Molash.

One inch halted Minot High freshman Allie Nelson in the high jump. Coming in as the favorite with a previous best jump of 5-feet, five inches, Nelson couldn’t muster enough to get over the 5-4 marker.

“(The pressure) was more than I had ever felt before because last year I just came in not expecting to place,” Nelson said. “It was difficult, but I just tried to not let it get to me. I wish I could have PRed, but it’s alright.”

Class A girls high jump winner Blythe Ehrmantraut from Bismarck High and runner-up Abby Kallenbach from Jamestown both couldn’t get over the next height at 5-foot-5.

The Majettes grabbed a few more points with a fourth from Elise Klein in the triple jump and, in the discus, another fourth place from senior Liz Lucy (125-feet, eight inches). Two spots behind Lucy was junior Samantha Moe (125-feet, three inches).

Lucy needed a huge third throw to even place.

“It started pretty rough, but my third throw it finally clicked and I got one out there,” Lucy said. “After my first two throws I wasn’t even sure I was going to make the finals, but after I threw that third one and placed fourth I was very excited.”

Moe added: “We have been working really hard all season and competing with each other and other schools. And it finally paid off here at the end.”

The boy discus throwers for Minot High had similar success. Juniors Logan Krueger and Layne Rouse took third and fifth place respectively in their first state track and field meet.

“This year I have improved tremendously, about 25 feet,” Krueger said. “It takes a long time to finally get one. But, with hard work and listen when people are trying to help you (it’s possible).”

Rouse added: “My first two throws I scratched. I felt a little tight, but my coach Disa (Julius) said ‘relax, you got this.’ And Logan just looked at me and goes ‘just throw it and stop thinking.’ And that got me into the finals. Everything kind of fell into place today.”

Minot senior Jack Ziegler moved up from his ninth seed placing for a fifth in the high jump with a mark of 6-02 – the same as his seed jump.

Other top-eight finishers to get on the podium on Day 1 for the field events included Harvey/Wells County’s Payton Granger (sixth in long jump), Glenburn’s Trent Marquart (seventh in long jump) and Rugby’s Kaden Jaeger (eighth in the pole vault).

The rest of the field events will be held today starting at 9 a.m.

Alex Eisen covers Minot High School, Minot State athletics and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.

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