NDHSAA Cross Country Season Preview

By Tom Mix
NDHSAA Media Specialist

VALLEY CITY, N.D. – Boys and girls cross country runners across the state are about to hit the trails for the first varsity competitions of the 2017 North Dakota High School Activities Association prep running season.

This fall all courses lead to Valley City’s Bjornson Public Golf Course – site of the 2017 NDHSAA State Cross Country Meet set for Oct. 28.

Defending team champions are:

• New Town in Class B boys division (winners of five straight team state championships).

• Bismarck Century in Class A boys division (only team other than Bismarck High to win a Class A boys team title in the last 12 years).

• Hillsboro-Central Valley in Class B girls division (winners of the last six team state titles).

• Fargo Davies in Class A girls division (strong team that now has three state titles entering its eighth season as a varsity program).

Hillsboro-Central Valley is hosting its annual Early Bird Meet on Saturday, which is among a handful of races to get the season started.

In the individual ranks, two state champions return to the track.

Senior Jalen Chase of New Town won the 2016 NDHSAA Class B individual championship in a time of 15 minutes, 49.53 seconds. Chase leads a talented New Town program poised to contend for another team championship this fall. Chase opens the season as the No. 1-ranked Class B boys runner in the state’s coaches poll. 

In the Class B girls division, Hillsboro/Central Valley sophomore Reagan Baesler will return to defend her state title won a year ago in Jamestown. Baesler raced to a time of 18:11.80 leading the Burros to a team state championship. Baesler is ranked No. 1 in the coaches poll to begin 2017.

In Class A boys, Evan Sayler of Bismarck Century opens the year ranked No. 1 in the coaches poll.

Mattie Shirley-Fairbairn of Bismarck High is the No. 1-ranked runner in Class A girls to open the 2017 season.

Follow NDHSAA on Twitter at @NDHSAA and visit www.ndhsaanow.com for the latest NDHSAA sports and activities news from around the state.