Belquist 8th at Nike Outdoor Nationals

Although the 2023 North Dakota track and field season ended back on May 27 with the state track meet, NR-S track star Kelsie Belquist is still competing.

Belquist made the 22 hour and 28 minute trek across the United States to compete against the best of the best at the 2023 Nike Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on June 15-18.

"It was very challenging competing against some of the best athletes across the nation," said Belquist, "but I think that it just pushed me more to achieve my goals."

Belquist was set to compete in three events at Hayward Field: The 100-meter hurdles, the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter hurdles. Yes, you read that last event right. The 400-meter hurdles.

While Belquist had never competed in the 400-meter hurdles, she placed 13th out of 31 athletes with a time of 1:02.26.

"It was pretty scary doing something I have only done once before. It is nothing like the 300-hurdles and will take more practice for me to really excel in them," said Belquist.

On Saturday, June 17, Belquist competed in the 100-meter hurdle prelims, where she ran her personal record time of 14.02 seconds to take ninth place. Later that evening, Belquist competed in the 100-meter hurdle finals and took eighth place out of 30 with a time of 14.21 seconds.

Belquist then competed in the 200-meter dash, and out of 31 athletes she tied for 20th place with Harley McNeal of Tuscaloosa, Alabama with a time of 24.71 seconds.

Belquist will enter her senior year with a total of 10 state championships under her belt, and with high hopes of four more in her final season of track and field. Belquist said she plans to attend the Nike Outdoor Nationals again next year.

Meanwhile, a few other North Dakota athletes were also found competing at the 2023 Nike Outdoor Nationals.

Logan Weninger of Carrington competed under Team NoDak Youth in the Emerging Elite 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash. Overall, Weninger took 13th place out of 41 athletes in the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.34 seconds and 49th place out of 58 athletes in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.16 seconds.

Also competing for Team NoDak Youth was Trey Knoke, Tommy Schreiner and Joshua Beil.

Knoke competed in the emerging elite 100-meter hurdles, the 400-meter hurdles and the boys' high jump. In the 100-meter hurdles, Knoke took fifth place with a time of 15 flat. As for high jump, Knoke took 10th place with a jump of 1.86 meters, and in the 400-meter hurdles he finished in 43rd place with a time of 1:00.96.

Schreiner placed 25th overall in boys' long jump with a jump of 6.47 meters. Beil competed in the 400-meter hurdles and placed 33rd with a time of 1:00.03. He also competed in the 200-meter dash and placed 43rd with a time of 22.91 seconds.

Talen Farland, Reece Snow, Nathan Mathern and Dylan McGlothlin of Bismarck Legacy, made up the 4x200-meter relay team under the name of Central Dakota Resilience. This relay team became national champions with their first place finish time of 1:24.74.

That time shattered their previous personal best, and the North Dakota overall state record of 1:26.05. The Bismarck Demons 4x200-meter relay team – made up of Deegan Staudinger, Jeran McNichols, Drew Henriksen and Hudson Schroeder – also competed in the 4x200-meter relay and took eighth place overall with a time of 1:30.11.

Both of these relay teams for Central Dakota Resilience and Bismarck Demons competed in the 4x100-meter relay as well, with the Central Dakota Resilience team snagging another national championship with a time of 41.42 seconds and the Bismarck Demons taking fourth overall with a time of 42.57 seconds.

The four athletes for Central Dakota Resilience – Farland, Snow, Mathern and McGlothlin – competed in the 200-meter dash, with only McGlothlin earning a chance at finals. Overall, McGlothlin placed in sixth with a time of 21.68. Farland placed 20th with a time of 21.95, Mathern placed 24th with a time of 22.06 and Snow placed 31st with a time of 22.19.

McGlothin also competed in the 400-meter dash and placed ninth out of 34 with a time of 48.25 seconds.

McNichols of the Bismarck Demons was also found competing in the 100-meter dash, where he took 35th place out of 43 athletes with a time of 11.07 seconds. Schroeder also competed in the boys' long jump event, where he placed 23rd with a jump of 6.53 meters.