Hi-Liners Shine Bright at State Track Meet with School Records, Podium Finishes, and Historic Performances

The Valley City Hi-Liners delivered one of their strongest collective performances in recent memory at the North Dakota Class B State Track & Field Meet in Bismarck, combining school records, podium finishes, and breakout performances against the best competition in the state. 💙❤️

From explosive sprint races to relay success and field event medals, Valley City athletes consistently rose to the moment throughout the three-day meet.

Leading the headlines was junior sprint sensation Morgan Larson, who continued her remarkable season by breaking her own school record in the 200-meter dash during preliminaries. Larson crossed the finish line in 25.72 to qualify for the state finals and officially set a new Valley City school standard.

Larson wasn’t done there.

She returned in the finals to place eighth overall in the state in the 200 meters with a time of 26.04 and also sprinted her way to a sixth-place finish in the 100-meter finals at 12.85 seconds.

On the boys side, senior Derek Shape authored one of the signature performances of the weekend.

Shape shattered the Valley City school record in the 400-meter preliminaries, clocking a personal-best 50.34 to qualify for the finals. He followed that performance with a fourth-place finish in the state finals at 50.46, narrowly missing the podium’s top three in one of the deepest sprint fields in Class B.

Shape also added another state medal by placing seventh in the 200-meter finals after qualifying through prelims with a personal-best 22.52.

The Hi-Liners’ relay teams also made major noise throughout the meet.

The girls 4x200 relay team of Layni Bakalar, Kadie Kocka, Chesney Thomsen, and Morgan Larson put together a historic performance in preliminaries, setting a new school record with a blazing time of 1:44.71 — nearly three seconds faster than their previous season best.

They followed it up in the finals with another outstanding race, placing fourth in the entire state at 1:44.83.

The girls 4x100 relay team of Bakalar, Kocka, Thomsen, and Larson also earned a podium finish by taking fifth overall in the finals at 50.33.

Meanwhile, the girls 4x400 relay squad of Brynn Lueck, Cadence Fetsch, Madison Frieze, and Chesney Thomsen battled to a sixth-place state finish in a loaded field, clocking 4:08.81.

The boys 4x200 relay team also turned in one of the top relay performances in school history. The quartet of Jayden Suhr, Hunter Undem, Finn Dockter, and Derek Shape raced to fourth place in the finals with a time of 1:31.50 after qualifying through preliminaries in 1:31.34.

Valley City’s field event athletes also delivered in a big way.

Finn Dockter earned an impressive runner-up finish in the long jump with a leap of 21’4.75”, bringing home one of the top medals of the weekend for the Hi-Liners.

Kadie Kocka added another podium performance by clearing 10 feet in the pole vault to place third overall.

Junior thrower Andon Bulow placed fourth in the javelin with a personal-best throw of 169’2”, while Owen Hunt earned seventh in the shot put at 47’3”.

By the end of the meet, Valley City had accumulated 13 podium finishes while rewriting parts of the school record book along the way.

More importantly, the Hi-Liners showcased the depth, speed, and competitiveness of a program that continues to rise among the state’s best in Class B track and field.

Valley City State Track Results:

Girls Results

Morgan Larson — 6th, 100m finals (12.85)
Morgan Larson — 8th, 200m finals (26.04)
Morgan Larson — School Record, 200m prelims (25.72)
Girls 4x100 Relay — 5th (50.33)
- Layni Bakalar, Kadie Kocka, Chesney Thomsen, Morgan Larson
Girls 4x200 Relay — 4th (1:44.83)
- Layni Bakalar, Kadie Kocka, Chesney Thomsen, Morgan Larson
Girls 4x200 Relay — School Record in prelims (1:44.71)
Girls 4x400 Relay — 6th (4:08.81)
- Brynn Lueck, Cadence Fetsch, Madison Frieze, Chesney Thomsen
Kadie Kocka — 3rd, Pole Vault (10’0”)
Layni Bakalar — 6th, Long Jump (16’8.75”)
Cadence Fetsch — 25th, 1600m (5:58.09)

Boys Results

Derek Shape — 4th, 400m finals (50.46)
Derek Shape — School Record, 400m prelims (50.34)
Derek Shape — 7th, 200m finals (22.83)
Derek Shape — PB in 200m prelims (22.52)
Boys 4x200 Relay — 4th (1:31.50)
- Jayden Suhr, Hunter Undem, Finn Dockter, Derek Shape
Finn Dockter — 2nd, Long Jump (21’4.75”)
Owen Hunt — 7th, Shot Put (47’3”)
Owen Hunt — 12th, Discus (135’7”)
Andon Bulow — 4th, Javelin (169’2”)