Everything comes down to this. Two days, 76 events at the MDU Resources Community Bowl, as high school athletes from across the state gather in Bismarck today and tomorrow for the Class A and Class B state track and field championships.

Here is a rundown of the local athletes looking to bring back some hardware.

Class A boys

Triston Emke, Minot High: The junior enters the state tournament with the fastest seed time in the 300 hurdles at 40.51 seconds. Last season at state, Emke had the fastest preliminary time in the event, but was unable to keep that pace in the final and took seventh. He will also compete in the 110 hurdles, an event where he failed to make the final a year ago.

Odin Nelson, Minot High: The senior, who recently signed his national letter of intent to join the University of North Dakota track and field team after high school, is chasing after the javelin state title. Last season, Nelson came in with the best seed mark, but settled for fifth. He has the second-best throw in the state so far this season at 188 feet, 10 inches. A mark 14-feet better than what he threw at state last year, and would have been good enough to win a state title.

Tyler Jessen, Minot High: The first-time state qualifier Jessen, a senior, comes in with the fifth-best seed mark in the shot put and 11th best in the discus. His shot put throw of 51 feet, 11.5 inches is roughly two and a half feet off the best throw in the state so far this season by Century’s Nathan Kraft.

Honorable mentions: Ross Hardy (discus), Cody Burke (400) and the 4×400 relay team.

Class A girls

Allie Nelson, Minot High: The junior basketball standout brings her hops to the field. Nelson missed out on scoring points in the high jump last season with a ninth-place finish. She holds the fifth-highest mark this season with a jump of 5 feet, 3 inches — three inches off the best mark set by Fargo Davies junior Kaia Schneider.

MaLiah Burke, Minot High: The freshman multi-sport spring athlete goes from winning in the girls soccer West Region Tournament championship on Thursday to sprinting on the track today. The speedster will compete in the 100 meters (fourth-best seed time) and the 200.

Jenna Hardy, Minot High: The sophomore makes her second appearance at the state tournament. Hardy will attempt to crack the top 10 at state for the first time in both the shot put and discus.

Honorable mentions: Allie Wahlund (800, 1600), Kelsie Fettig (shot put) and the 4×800 relay team.

Class B boys

New Town distance runners: Using its distance squad to capture state team titles in 2015, 2016 and 2017 — along with an abundance of state cross country championships — New Town keeps its tradition alive with a handful of runners looking to place on the podium. Returning for more accolades this time around is junior Robert White, senior Jaiven Hale and junior Addison Red Fox. White has been on the last two 4×800 relay teams that have won at state. Hale was on the winning 2018 4×800 relay team and took second in the two mile last season. While the 2017 relay team currently holds the Class B state record at 8:02.29.

Cody Fuchs, Surrey: With a personal-best time of 51.08, Fuchs nabbed a third-place finish in the 400 at state last season. He’ll have the third-fastest seed time this season at 51.24 seconds, trailing LaMoure/LM’s Benji Heyd (51.14) and Oakes’ Logan Sell (51.23).

Andrew Schalesky, Glenburn: The junior hurler will be throwing shot put and discus with a better chance to place in shot put, where he took second place at the North Central Region Meet. Schalesky did crack the top 10 in the state when he was a freshman in the discus.

Honorable mentions: Klay Kummer, Surrey (hurdles); Tyler Zook, Garrison-Max (100); Steffen Dauwalder, Stanley (100, 200 and 400); Jaden Hamilton, Rugby (high jump); Bo Belquist, New Rockford-Sheyenne (triple jump, long jump) and Noah Rolfe, Stanley (3200).

Class B girls

Maria Blessum, Rugby: It’s been a while since Blessum has lost a pole vaulting competition. The 2017 state meet to be exact. The senior has dominated since that humbling defeat and will look to defend her 2018 state title from a year ago. She is clearing the bar at nearly two feet higher than everyone else in the state, but would need another foot-plus to challenge for the state record of 12 feet, 4 inches.

Makenna Vollmer, Harvey/Wells County: Competing at the state meet since she was an eighth-grader, sophomore Vollmer is continuing to close in on her first state title. Her highest finishes in the past have been second (2017 4×100 relay) and fourth (2018 long jump). Vollmer is seeded second in the long jump and triple jump this season, plus she could surprise some people in the 200 as well.

Hayley Schmidt, Stanley: The senior has had a breakout final season firing the javelin. Schmidt has won all eight competitions she has competed in this season, including the Northwest Region Meet. Her seed mark of 142 feet, 6 inches is a personal-best and good for second-longest seed mark. In past javelin competitions at state, Schmidt has finished eighth (2018, 2015), 12th (2017) and 16th (2016).

Honorable mentions: Anni Stier, Rugby (300 hurdles); Garrison-Max relay teams; Brooke Blessum, Rugby (long jump, triple jump, high jump); Illise Jennings, Garrison-Max (100); Kelsie Belquist, New Rockford-Sheyenne (400); Hayley Hueser, Garrison-Max (discus) and Kyley Lauf, Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark (300 hurdles).

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