Kari Gibb/MDN In preliminary heats, Nedrose was well represented in the sprints where athletes ran the 55 meters, both with and without hurdles. The Cardinals had three of the seven finalists in the 55 meter dash at the Northwest Conference Indoor Track and Field Invite.

The Northwest Conference Indoor Track and Field Invite was held at the Minot State University Dome with 15 schools participating from the Northwest, North Central and North Dakota conferences. The invite signals the start of the 2024 high school track and field season.

Despite the frigid temperatures and winter weather maintaining a hold yet, the schools worked on technique and began the process of qualifying for a spot at the 2024 NDHSAA Track & Field State Championships. The state meet will be held May 23-25 at the MDU Resources Community Bowl located in Bismarck.

Final scores from the Invite for the girls were Stanley in first place with 96.75, Bishop Ryan in second with 65.5 and Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark in third place with 65 points. For the boys, New Town was first with 98, Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark second with 83.24 and Stanley in third place with 76.5 points.

In the boys’ 55 meters, Divide County senior Ben Johnson posted a 6.70 and tied with senior Keaton Cole from Nedrose to share first place. Bishop Ryan junior Teagan Coonrod posted a 6.80 for third place. Nedrose had three of the top seven times with Jodey Myers in fourth place and Davyion Clemons in seventh.

For the girls, Bishop Ryan sophomore Tochi Udekwe ran a 7.30 for first place while Surrey freshman Addison Neshem was second at 7.70 and her sophomore teammate Hollie Latendresse was third with a time of 7.90 that tied sophomore Morgan Torr from Garrison.

Cole and Myers from Nedrose were first and fourth respectively in the 200 meters while Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark (DLB) was second. Stanley had senior Ethyn Jessen and junior Drake Schlosser in the top five.

In the girls’ 200 meters, Udekwe claimed her second win of the day for Bishop Ryan while South Prairie-Max junior Azijah Trader, DLB sophomore Jacey Hutton and Surrey freshman Neshem claimed second through fourth respectively.

In the 400 meters, Williams County claimed second, fourth and fifth while senior Zander Grover claimed the win for DLB and New Town junior Xavier Bell took third.

For the girls, Bishop Ryan junior Leah Charley claimed the top spot while eighth grader Teigan Moe from Stanley was second by .37 seconds.

In the girls’ 800 meters, Stanley freshman Lexi Neset claimed first place while Parshall had runners finish second and fourth. All runners in the top nine slots were sophomores or younger with three in seventh grade.

New Town dominated the boys’ 800 meters with Bell winning and teammates senior Lander Lahtinen was second, sophomore Lucas Spotted Bear was fourth and junior Kelan Martin was sixth. Bishop Ryan senior Blake Kaylor was third for the Lions.

The 1600 meters is where Brynn Hanson from DLB flexed her ability with a first place finish. The sophomore ran a 5:46.10. Freshman Annie Roise from Stanley was second with a time of 6:10.79, and teammate junior Harley Detienne placed third. South Prairie-Max had sophomore Maycie Talbott, eighth grader Reagan Trudell and freshman Alyssa Rice in places four, five and six respectively.

For the boys, New Town’s Lahtinen, Martin and freshman Tekoah Hood finished first, second and fourth while teammate Keon Cooper nabbed six place. Freshman Zayden Grover for DLB was in fifth place.

In the 3200 meters, the only two girls to race were freshman Eva Knight and eighth grader Adriene Johnson finished first and second for New Town. That dominance continued for the boys as sophomore Lucas Spotted Bear and junior Louden Haugen claimed the top two spots for New Town as well. Sophomore Nathan Samson from South Prairie-Max was a close third and DLB sophomore Milo Anderson was two seconds behind for fourth.

Nedrose senior Kaydee Boyce claimed top spot in the 55 Meter Hurdles with Stanley junior Madilyn Hunting, eighth grader Emmalin Graber and senior Corra Bell in second through fourth for the Blue Jays. Bishop Ryan senior Gwynnie Johnson was fifth while DLB had two freshmen just outside of the top five with Grace Hysjullen and Ashlynn Johnson in seventh and eighth respectively.

For the boys in the 55 meter hurdles, Garrison junior Aidan Ermer claimed top spot while freshmen teammates Bryan Rewan and Alex Salgado added to Stanley’s dominance in the event.

In the boys’ 4×100 relay, Stanley A was first, South Prairie-Max A was second and Garrison A rounded out the top three slots. For the girls’ 4×100 relay, South Prairie-Max A was first, Stanley A was second and Bishop Ryan A rounded out the top three slots.

For the boys’ 4×400 relay, Stanley A placed first, New Town A was second and Williams County was third. For the girls, DLB claimed first, Stanley A was second and Glenburn A was third.

In the boys’ 4×800 relay, New Town A was 50 seconds faster than the others for first place while Stanley A was second and Surrey A was third. For the girls 4×800 Relay, Stanley A claimed first, Parshall A was second and New Town A was third.

In the boys’ shot put, Bishop Ryan senior Coy Okeson was first by nearly four-feet while eighth grader Cody Rystedt of Powers Lake-Burke Central was second. Junior Joseph Odgen of Surrey rounded out the top three. For the girls, senior Klaire Gunderson of Powers Lake-Burke County was first, freshman Maycee Boyce of DLB was second and sophomore Kakelyn Pletecher of Glenburn was third.

In the boys high jump, senior Ethyn Jessen of Stanley was first, Garrison’s Ermer was second and Trenton freshman Karson Herriot was third. For the girls, Bishop Ryan junior Ruby Lormejuste was first, Stanley eighth grader Taha Niemitalo was second and Surrey junior Taylor Spaulding was third.

In the boys’ pole vault, the only three jumpers were from DLB with senior Logan Rist in first place, junior Jimmy Trowbridge in second and freshman Kai Combs in third place. DLB also swept the top three spots in the girls competition with sophomores Hope Walen, Jacey Hutton and Brynn Hanson finishing first through third respectively.

In the boys’ long jump, Divide County senior Ben Johnson was first, Glenburn junior Ryan Barlow was second and DLB junior Damien Frederick was third. For the girls, Nedrose’s Boyce was first, eighth grader Ellie Jensen was second for Powers Lake-Burke Central while Nedrose freshman Quince Eide was third.

In the boys’ triple jump, DLB senior Logan Rynestad was first while junior teammate Justice Huus was second with only an inch between them. Garrison senior Gavin Ruud was third. For the girls, Nedrose’s Boyce was first, Bishop Ryan’s Johnson was second and sophomore Laney Jackson took third for Stanley.

The schools that participated and represented North Dakota, Northwest division were Bishop Ryan, Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark, Divide County, Garrison, South Prairie-Max, Nedrose, New Town, Parshall, Stanley, Surrey, Trenton, Williams County (Tioga/Ray)

Representing North Dakota, North Central division was Glenburn while from the North Dakota division was Powers Lake-Burke Central.