FARGO – In each of the past three years, North Dakota Elite has sponsored the Best of the Midwest cheerleading competition.

Every time, Minot High has reigned supreme, earning the grand champion title in the high school division, the latest win coming on Saturday at Scheels Arena in Fargo.

“Minot High focuses solely on team growth and building our program,” said Minot High varsity cheerleading coach Vytalli Klimpel. “We were the only high school team to enter in all nine divisions with a total of 15 entries.”

According to Klimpel, the program goes “all out” on competitions, and the team strives to only put out routines that are 100 percent ready to hit the mat.

This year’s competition marked the first time that teams competed in Timeout and Game Day divisions, and the Majettes swept both categories. Additionally, Minot High finished first in the Cheer/Dance competition, and they were honored with the “Creative Choreo” award for the routine.

A number of individual Minot High cheerleaders also placed. Lely Rivera finished first in the High School Solo Star category, while teammate Taya Siedschlag finished third. Rivera also finished second in High School Tumble Solo and first in High School Jump Solo. Rivera then paired up with Macee Barber to take first place in the High School Dynamic Duo category. Teammates Akina Pallera and Siedchlag finished second. Barber, Rivera and Siedschlag combined to win the High School Triple Threat to close out the competition.

“I feel that if we are traveling to a competition, we need to make the most of it, and this is why we work so hard on putting out so many routines,” said Klimpel. “The opportunities these athletes get from the exposure, experience and adrenaline of competition is so important for their growth.”

The Majettes won’t have to look too far for competition, as Minot North is already emerging as one of the top programs in the state.

The Sentinels competed at Best in the Midwest for the first time this season, with strong results for such a nascent program. Minot North finished second overall in the High School Timeout division and third in High School Game Day as a team.

Individually, Minot North won the High School Stunt Off, and Averi Erck finished third in High School Tumble Solo. Vreelyn Nygaard placed second in High School Jump Solo. The team also had third place finishers in High School Dynamic Duo and had a trio finish as runners-up in the High School Triple Threat.