VC Track & Field hosted Bill Jansen Last Chance Invite Monday

The Valley City Hi-Liners closed out the regular season in style Tuesday at Hanna Field, hosting the Bill Jansen Last Chance Invite and turning in one of their strongest all-around performances of the spring. From explosive sprint finishes to dominant throws and relay victories, the Hi-Liners showed they are peaking at the right time heading into postseason competition.

Before competition began, Valley City also honored Hi-LIner senior athletes for their dedication and commitment to the Hi-Liner track and field program. The senior recognition highlighted years of early mornings, long practices, bus rides, and representing Valley City athletics with pride — a fitting moment before one of the team’s best home performances of the season.

The headline performance of the day came from sophomore thrower Owen Hunt, who uncorked a monster personal-best throw of 51 feet, 6 inches to win the boys shot put title in dominant fashion. Hunt became the only athlete in the event to break the 51-foot barrier and continued what has quickly become a breakout season in the throwing events. He also added a fourth-place finish in discus at 135 feet, 5 inches.

Derek Shape continued his outstanding spring campaign for the Hi-Liners as well. Shape placed fourth in the 100-meter dash before exploding to a first-place finish in the 200 meters with a personal-best time of 22.52 seconds. He also anchored Valley City’s second-place 4x100 relay team and helped lead the Hi-Liners to a runner-up finish in the 4x400 relay.

The Hi-Liner boys also saw strong performances from distance standout Jack Sorby, who captured the 800-meter title in 2:11.49, while Elijah Drummond placed fifth in the 1600 meters with a personal-best run of 5:05.66.

In the field events, Finn Dockter delivered one of the top jumps of the entire meet, placing second in the long jump with a leap of 22 feet, 4 inches. Andon Bulow added another event championship for Valley City, winning the javelin with a throw of 164 feet, 9 inches.

On the girls side, the Hi-Liners continued to show their depth and versatility.

Brynn Lueck claimed a meet championship in the 300-meter hurdles with a winning time of 48.21 seconds, while the Valley City girls 4x400 relay team of Morgan Larson, Brynn Lueck, Chesney Thomsen, and Cadence Fetsch captured first place with an impressive time of 4:13.00.

Cadence Fetsch added a fourth-place finish in the 800 meters, Morgan Larson placed sixth in the 400 meters, and Layni Bakalar turned in strong performances in both the long jump and triple jump, placing sixth and seventh respectively.

Senior Kadie Kocka continued to shine in the pole vault, clearing 10 feet to place second overall and giving the Hi-Liners another strong postseason-caliber performance. Dacota Potratz also placed fourth in the high jump and added points in the triple jump.

The Bill Jansen Last Chance Invite served exactly as intended — one final tune-up opportunity before the postseason begins — and the Hi-Liners took advantage of it with personal bests, event wins, and momentum building across the board.

Hi-Liner Boys Stat Pack 📊

🥇 Owen Hunt — Shot Put Champion — 51’6” (PB)
🥈 Finn Dockter — Long Jump — 22’4”
🥇 Derek Shape — 200m Champion — 22.52 (PB)
🥈 4x100 Relay — 45.59
(Jayden Suhr, Hunter Undem, Finn Dockter, Derek Shape)
🥈 4x400 Relay — 3:36.30
(Hunter Undem, Derek Shape, Aaden Stanton Ring, Jack Sorby)
🥇 Jack Sorby — 800m Champion — 2:11.49
🥇 Andon Bulow — Javelin Champion — 164’9”
🥈 Owen Hunt — Discus — 135’5”
🥉 Trey McPartland — Discus — 134’2” PB
🥉 Kellen Westman — High Jump — 5’4”
🥉 Aaden Stanton Ring — 110 Hurdles — 17.35 PB
🥉 Aaden Stanton Ring — 300 Hurdles — 46.41

Hi-Liner Girls Stat Pack 📊

🥇 Brynn Lueck — 300m Hurdles Champion — 48.21
🥇 4x400 Relay Champions — 4:13.00
(Morgan Larson, Brynn Lueck, Chesney Thomsen, Cadence Fetsch)
🥈 Kadie Kocka — Pole Vault — 10’0”
🥉 Layni Bakalar — Long Jump — 17’3.25”
🥉 Layni Bakalar — Triple Jump — 33’9.5”
🥉 Cadence Fetsch — 800m — 2:34.70
🥉 Morgan Larson — 400m — 1:03.97
🥉 Dacota Potratz — High Jump — 4’10”
🥉 Brooklyn Botz — Javelin — 83’11”
🥉 Chesney Thomsen — 100m — 13.36
🥉 Valley City Girls 4x100 Relay — DNF after strong early pace