Freshman phenom

NR-S freshman Kelsie Belquist has made her mark on N.D. Class B track and field. One of the three New Rockford-Sheyenne track athletes to compete in the NDHSAA State B Track and Field Meet in Bismarck on May 28-29, Belquist came home with two state championships.

Without having a track season in 2020, Belquist knew she had to work hard to achieve her goal of becoming a state champion. In 2019, Belquist competed in the state track meet as a seventh grader. She finished seventh in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 47.78 seconds, and sixth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:00.34.

Belquist competed in four different events this year; the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, and the 300-meter hurdles. Belquist received first place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.33 seconds, and first in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 44.41 seconds. Not only did Belquist receive two state championships, she also set personal records in the 400-meter dash and 300-meter hurdles. She also finished in fourth place in both the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash.  

As we've reported before, the Belquist family has made a name for themselves in N.D. high school athletics. Fifty years ago almost to the day, Belquist's grandfather Robert (Bob) Belquist and his team placed first at the Class B State Track Championship in Valley City, N.D.

Bob was the state champion in the high jump and pole vault events that year. Other members of the team were Steve Bass, Buster Gilliss, Doug Bergan, Tim Guler, Tom Watson, Marvin Aardahl, Dave Bass, Randy Anderson and Terry Frazer. They were coached by Bill Smith. Aardahl placed third in the 400-meter dash, Steve Bass placed second in the 3,200-meter run and Guler placed fourth in the javelin. The team also placed fourth in the 400-meter relay.

Seniors Chloe Heinz and Evan Ulrich were the other two New Rockford-Sheyenne track athletes who competed in the NDHSAA State B Track and Field Meet. Heinz competed in the 3,200-meter run and received 13th place with a time of 12.19.08, effectively ending her high school career on a high note by also setting a personal record time. Ulrich competed in the shot put and received 22nd place with a throw of 41'11".

Oakes won the girls' state title this year with 66 total points. The New Rockford-Sheyenne girls' team placed seventh overall, earning 30 total points. Kindred won the boys' state title this year with 68 total points. The New Rockford-Sheyenne boys' team didn't receive a placing.

Harvey/Wells County had multiple athletes place in the top eight along with one state champion. Junior Madden Thorson competed in the 300-meter hurdles, 110-meter hurdles, 4x100 relay and the 4x200 relay. Along with Thorson, Isaac Friese, Alex Erickson and Daniel Stoll competed in the 4x100 relay and the 4x200 relay. Thorson received a state championship in the 300-meter hurdles, second place in the 110-meter hurdles, third place in the 4x100 relay and second in the 4x200 relay. Stoll also competed in the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. Stoll received fourth place in both events. Along with the 4x100 relay and 4x200 relay, Friese also competed in the javelin and received fifth place with a throw of 158'05". Alex Erickson competed in the long jump and received third place with a jump of 21'00.50".

The Harvey/Wells County boys' team placed third overall with a total of 52 points.

Carrington also had a few top placers at the state track meet. Anna Irion placed eight in the javelin with a throw of 106'02". Allison Jarrett placed eighth in pole vault with a vault of 8'06". Isabel Wendel, Mercedes Lura, Edyn Hoornaert and Jarrett placed fourth in the 4x400 relay with a time of 4:14.05. Kael Kovar placed seventh in pole vault with a vault of 11'00".

The Carrington girls' team placed 29th overall and the boys' team placed 34th.

Congrats to Kelsie, Chloe and Evan on their 2020-21 season and all of their achievements!

Class B Girls' Team Scores

Oakes 66, Central Cass 64, May-Port CG 54, Beulah 52, Rugby 52, Shiloh Christian 41, New Rockford-Sheyenne 30, Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich 27, Lisbon 21, Benson County 19, Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis and Clark 18, Hazen 17, Center Stanton 16, Kidder County 14, Wyndmere-Lidgerwood 14, Hatton-Northwood 14, Pembina County North 14, Richardton-Taylor 14, Glenburn 13.

NR-S Individual Stats

100-Meter Dash: Kelsie Belquist (4th), 12.65

200-Meter Dash: Kelsie Belquist (4th), 26.17

400-Meter Dash: Kelsie Belquist (1st), 57.33

3,200-Meter Run: Chloe Heinz (13th), 12.19.08

300-Meter Hurdles: Kelsie Belquist (1st), 44.41

Class B Boys' Team Scores

Kindred 68, Bowman County 53, Harvey/Wells County 52, Hillsboro/Central Valley 52, Beulah 50.5, Grafton 49, Rugby 49, Lisbon 35, Oakes 30, Stanley 29, Northern Cass 29, Thompson 25, Dickinson Trinity 25, Kidder County 22, Central Cass 20, Southern McLean (Washburn/Wilton/Wing) 18, Edgeley/Kulm 15, Hazen 15, Larimore 14, Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood 11.5. 

NR-S Individual Stats

Shot Put: Evan Ulrich (22nd), 41'11"