Track and field athletes turned in stellar performances during the Dewey Donat Classic at the Barnett Center on Monday.

One of the many highlights occurred at the finish to the boys’ 400-meter dash between Ipswich’s Turner Thorson and Faulkton’s Roman DiMaria. Thorson led for much of the race, and looked destined to win by a wide margin before DiMaria closed the gap at the end, setting up an exciting close finish.

Thorson won by three one-hundredth’s of a second, holding off DiMaria’s comeback effort. Thorson was glad to come away with the victory.

“It started out I felt strong and didn’t really feel him coming until the last second, so it was pretty close there but a good run,” Thorson said.

A highlight in the field events was Webster’s Drew Reetz, who won the pole vault with a leap of 13 feet, 6.25 inches. Reetz was satisfied with his performance.

“Last year my PR was 14 foot, so I was pretty satisfied with how I did,” Reetz said. “New poles. Got on some 15-foot poles so that’s a big step for me, but I thought it went good overall.”

Reetz said there is a difference between pole vaulting indoors versus outdoors.

“Always a difference especially because it’s not freezing (like) outside, so it’s definitely a lot better inside,” Reetz said.

Reetz’s goals for the upcoming season include breaking the school record in the pole vault and performing well in other events.

“I’m hoping I can get our school record. That’s a big goal of mine this year. That’s 15-1,” Reetz said. “So, I’m aiming for that, but otherwise we have a very good relay team this year, so hoping to do really good on the relays this year.”

Webster also claimed a win in the triple jump, as the Bearcats’ Jacob Keller won with a distance of 40 feet, 3.25 inches. Faulkton’s Daniel Stoll won the 55-meter and 200-meter dashes and also was a member of the Trojans’ winning 1,600-meter relay squad.

Ipswich’s Maxwell Kulesa won the 800-meter run, while teammates Carter Geditz (55-meter hurdles) and Tyler Hettich (high jump) also took home first-place finishes. Miller’s Alex Schumacher and Pierce Baumberger placed first and second respectively, in the 1,600-meter run.

On the girls’ side, Miller’s Ally Mullaney won the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 3.75 inches. Mullaney said she was hoping for a higher mark, but was satisfied with the effort she gave.

“This is my first meet this year, so I thought I did pretty good for the first meet,” Mullaney said. “I was hoping to get 5-6, but didn’t quite get that.”

Mullaney described her strategy when she is competing in the high jump.

“(I) just try to run fast at a steady pace, jump high, and bend over,” Mullaney said.

Mullaney said she is hoping to make a return trip to state and place higher than she did last year.

Mullaney’s teammate Tyra Gates won the 55-meter hurdles, while another teammate, Morgan Kolda, tied for first-place in the 55-meter dash with Aberdeen Christian’s Shawnteah La Croix.

Ipswich had a pair of individual winners in the girls’ division as Madisyn Gellhaus won the 1,600-meter run and Gracie Lange won the long jump.

La Croix was a part of the Knights’ 1,600-meter relay that took first place at the meet. The relay also included Ali Isakson, Lauren Meyers, and Rachel Beaner.

Beaner said she and her teammates were looking forward to the relay event.

“I think we were all really excited about it,” Beaner said. “We were going to do it last week and it didn’t work out, and so we all just wanted to do our best.”

Beaner also claimed a victory in the 800-meter run, and said she had to overcome some obstacles in order to win the event.

“I was kind of behind in the first couple of laps because I kept getting cut off, but I just knew I had to trust it and once I finally got ahead I just had to give it everything I had,” Beaner said.

Beaner said it took strategy to overtake the other runners to claim the win.

“I was kind of annoyed because I didn’t want to go out to lane three, but eventually I just knew I had to if I wanted to win,” Beaner said.

Aberdeen Christian coach Sam Bjorkman was pleased with Beaner’s performance.

“She ran well,” Bjorkman said. “The cluttered indoor environment is honestly really good for what you see later in the year, like at the state meet. Those are good learning situations, and that’s kind of what she ran into today, where she’s just gotta buy her time and try to fight to get to the front.”

Bjorkman was also impressed with his team’s performance in the 4×400-meter relay.

“It’s fun to see them get out and race,” Bjorkman said. “I’m super glad for them. It’s fun and it gives them a little motivation, a little immediate feedback for them, so that’s fun.”

Overall, Bjorkman said it was nice to get his kids out to be able to compete.

“Another good, early season meet,” Bjorkman said. “It’s fun when you perform well, but obviously, I’m much more focused on eight weeks from now than today. (It was) just good to get out and see some kids compete.”

Participating Teams: Aberdeen Christian, Britton-Hecla, Ellendale, N.D., Estelline-Hendricks, Faulkton, Ipswich, Leola, Linton-Hazelton-Moffit-Braddock, N.D., Miller, North Central, Oakes, N.D., Ortonville, Minn., Warner, Webster.

GIRLS’ DIVISION

55-Meter Hurdles: 1, Tyra Gates, Miller, :09.82; 2, Marley Guthmiller, Ipswich, :09.85; 3, Lauren Marcuson, Warner, 10:14; 4, Carley Cotton, Faulkton, :10.77; 5, Kaidence Bulgin, North Central, :10.79; 6, Presleigh Martinmaas, Faulkton, :10.81; 7, Jolie Palmer, Miller, :10.83; 8, Jalyssa Hutson, Ipswich, :10.85.

55-Meter Dash: 1, (tie) Shawnteah La Croix, Aberdeen Christian, :07.82, and Morgan Kolda, Miller, :07.82; 3, Jaden Werdel, Miller, :07.84; 4, Tyra Gates, Miller, :08.14; 5, Ashley Ptacek, Ipswich, :08.15; 6, Emma Pierce, Estelline-Hendricks, :08.29; 7, Ali Isakson, Aberdeen Christian, :08.31; 8, Brianna Geditz, Ipswich, :08.37.

200-Meter Dash: 1, Kali Norton, Ellendale, :28.39; 2, Morgan Kolda, Miller, :28.99; 3, Ally Mullaney, Miller, :29.27; 4, Jaden Werdel, Miller, :29.49; 5, Ashley Ptacek, Ipswich, :29.97; 6, Emma Weiser, Linton-HMB, :30.11; 7, Lindsey Geier, North Central, :30.43; 8, Riley Goehring, Ellendale, :30.84.

400-Meter Dash: 1, Emma Weiser, Linton-HMB, 1:07.66; 2, Gracen Werdel, Miller, 1:07.87; 3, MaKenna Leidholt, Warner, 1:09.18; 4, Paige Werdel, Miller, 1:10.43; 5, Riley Goehring, Ellendale, 1:11.79; 6, Kyleigh Schopp, Warner, 1:12.11; 7, Aubree DeRaad, Ipswich, 1:13.65; 8, Amelia Currington, Faulkton, 1:13.68.

800-Meter Run: 1, Rachel Beaner, Aberdeen Christian, 2:47.97; 2, Reese Hadrick, Faulkton, 2:49.32; 3, Jersey Vogel, Linton-HMB, 2:50.47; 4, Gabby Wald, Ipswich, 2:52.95; 5, Gracyn Kadlec, Ipswich, 2:53.05; 6, Shelby Miller, Ellendale, 2:56.09; 7, Olivia Hadrick, Faulkton, 2:57.60; 8, McKenna Glynn, Ellendale, 2:58.91.

1,600-Meter Run: 1, Madisyn Gellhaus, Ipswich, 5:51.83; 2, Kennadee Wiedebush, Warner, 6:15.06; 3, Addisyn Heinrich, Warner, 6:28.63; 4, Jenessa Carda, Warner, 6:52.97; 5, Kassandra Abbas, North Central, 7:10.66.

Shot Put: 1, Danielle Hawley, Estelline-Hendricks, 35-10; 2, Chloe Rabe, Ortonville, 33-5.25; 3, Mackenize Thorpe, Ellendale, 32-5; 4, Jaymi Senn, Faulkton, 31-9.50; 5, Lacey Bosch, Linton-HMB, 31-0; 6, Alyx Hoffman, Leola, 30-7; 7, Savanna Hayes, Faulkton, 30-6.25; 8, Kara Kwasniewski, Webster, 30-1.50.

High Jump: 1, Ally Mullaney, Miller, 5-3.75; 2, Kaylin Slivoskey, Ellendale, 4-11.75; 3, Allie Dockter, Linton-HMB, 4-9.75; 4, Gracen Werdel, Miller, 4-9.75; 5, Erin Sannes, Webster, 4-9.75; 6, Addison Melius, Faulkton, 4-7.75; 7, Elliot Steiner, Webster, 4-7.75; 8, Gracie Lange, Ipswich, 4-7.75.

Long Jump: 1, Gracie Lange, Ipswich, 16-3.25; 2, Sadie Johnson, Estelline-Hendericks, 15-2; 3, Sterling Mertens, Britton-Hecla, 14-10; 4, Kaylin Slivoskey, Ellendale, 14-9.75; 5, Lindsey Geier, North Central, 14-8.75; 6, Lauren Marcuson, Warner, 14-8; 7, Abigail Lee, Britton-Hecla, 14-1.25; 8, Bayleann Moen, Webster, 13-6.

Triple Jump: 1, Allie Dockter, Linton-HMB, 33-8.75; 2, Elliott Steiner, Webster, 32-6.25; 3, Lindsey Geier, North Central, 31-11.25; 4, Bayleann Moen, Webster, 30-2.25; 5, Abigail Lee, Britton-Hecla, 30-0; 6, Macy Norton, Ellendale, 27-4.75; 6, Macy Norton, Ellendale, 27-4.75; 7, Aspen Ehley, Linton-HMB, 27-4; 8, Kaitlyn Mueller, Leola, 26-3.

Pole Vault: 1, Sadie Johnson, Estelline-Hendricks, 9-0.25; 2, Marley Guthmiller, Ipswich, 9-0.25; 3, Erin Case, Webster, 8-6; 4, Kaitlyn Williams, Ipswich, 8-6; 5, Bayleann Moen, Webster 7-11.50; 6, Jalyssa Hutson, Ipswich, 7-5.75; 7, Lydia Vogl, Webster, 7-0.25; 8, Allie Case, Wesbter, 6-6.

1,600-Meter Relay: 1, Aberdeen Christian (Shawnteah La Croix, Ali Isakson, Lauren Meyers, Rachel Beaner), 4:47.18; 2, Ipswich, 4:48.12; 3, Warner, 4:48.75; 4, Faulkton, 4:59.62; 5, Britton-Hecla, 5:06.54 6, Ipswich 5:16.04; 7, Ipswich, 5:41.24; 8, Leola, 5:51.13.

BOYS’ DIVISION

55-Meter Hurdles: Carter Geditz, Ipswich, :08.31; 2, Hunter Cramer, Warner, :08.50; 3, Ramus Loken, Ipswich, :09.34; 4, Spencer Melius, Faulkton, :09.62; 5, Isaak Hunter, Miller, :09.74; 6, Grant Weiser, Ipswich, :09.86; 7, Greg Fuher, Ellendale, :10.07; 8, Elijah Gonzalez, Ellendale, :10.13.

55-Meter Dash: 1, Daniel Stoll, Faulkton, :06.83; 2, Gavin Witt, Webster, :06.94; 3, (tie) Tyler Hettich, Ipswich, :07.02, and Abe Kretchman, Aberdeen Christian, :07.02; 5, (tie) Nathan Gustafson, Ortonville, :07.03, and Daunte Fetters, Ortonville, :07.03; 7, Trevor Heinz, Ipswich, :07.05; 8, Hans Lapka, Leola, :07.07.

200-Meter Dash: 1, Daniel Stoll, Faulkton, :24.26; 2, Abe Kretchman, Aberdeen Christian, :25.01; 3, Kyle Hettich, Ipswich, :25.42; 4, Nathan Gustafson, Ortonville, :25.60; 5, Colby Kolda, Miller, :25.75; 6, BoDell Davidson, Britton-Hecla, :25.79; 7, Carter Brown, Ortonville, :25.93; 8, Noah Aldrin, Linton-HMB, :25.96.

400-Meter Dash: 1, Turner Thorson, Ipswich, :56.54; 2, Roman DiMaria, Faulkton, :56.57; 3, Daunte Fetters, Ortonville, :57.16; 4, Raynor Sprague, North Central, :58.01; 5, Joseph McAninch, Estelline-Hendricks, :58.02; 6, Derek Brueggeman, Miller, :58.14; 7, James Lesher, Estelline-Hendricks, :58.37; 8, Kellan Hurd, Miller, :59.08.

800-Meter Run: 1, Maxwell Kulesa, Ipswich, 2:12.98; 2, Luke Kaiser, Aberdeen Christian, 2:15.50; 3, Holter Bridwell, Linton-HMB, 2:22.02; 4, Trey Dunse, Webster, 2:22.24; 5, Jacob Cloos, Ortonville, 2:23.94; 6, Dillon Anderson, Ortonville, 2:24.01; 7, Camden Hobbs, Estelline-Hendricks, 2:27.64; 8, Cooper Schaefer, Estelline-Hendricks, 2:27.76.

1,600-Meter Run: 1, Alex Schumacher, Miller, 4:43.89; 2, Pierce Baumberger, Miller, 4:52.05; 3, Aidan Thurber, Ellendale, 5:13.38; 4, Theo Thurber, Ellendale, 5:23.10; 5, Jacob Cloos, Ortonville, 5:24.49; 6, Holter Bridwell, Linton-HMB, 5:26.35; 7, Xavier, Kadlec, Ipswich, 5:32.50; 8, Anthony Miller, North Central, 5:37.21.

Shot Put: 1, Jon Nefzger, Estelline-Hendricks, 48-1.25; 2, Lucas Rowland, Ipswich, 43-4.50; 3, Dustin Wurtz, Leola, 41-5; 4, Trevor Werdel, Miller, 41-3.25; 5, Marcus Garza, Oakes, 40-7.75; 6, Ashton Schuchhardt, Warner, 40-2; 7, Ian Speck, Miller, 39-9.75; 8, Matthew Mount, Webster, 39-0.50.

High Jump: 1, Tyler Hettich, Ipswich, 6-0; 2, Jeron McCreary, Webster, 5-10; 3, (tie) Elijah Gonzalez, Ellendale, 5-8, and Jaiden McCreary, Webster, 5-8; 5, Hunter Cramer, Warner, 5-4.25; 6, Chays Mansfield, Warner, 5-4.25; 7, Daunte Fetters, Ortonville, 5-2.25; 8, Trey Dunse, Webster, 5-2.25.

Long Jump: 1, Abe Kretchman, Aberdeen Christian, 20-3.50; 2, Trevor Heinz, Ipswich, 19-5.50; 3, Carter Pfeifer, Linton-HMB, 18-7.75; 4, Andrew Brennan, Aberdeen Christian, 18-3; 5, Hans Lapka, Leola, 18-1; 6, (tie) Carter Brown, Ortonville, 18-0.50, and Spencer Melius, Faulkton, 18-0.50; 8, Payton Volk, Warner, 16-10.50.

Triple Jump: 1, Jacob Keller, Webster, 40-3.25; 2, Abe Kretchman, Aberdeen Christian, 37-7.75; 3, Lucas Gulbranson, Leola, 34-3.50; 4, Isaak Hunter, Miller, 33-11.25; 5, (tie) Drew Bakeberg, Warner, 31-11.25, and Collin Beaner, Britton-Hecla, 31-11.25; 7, Raynor Sprague, North Central, 31-9.25; 8, Tate Mammenga, Webster, 31-0.50.

Pole Vault: 1, Drew Reetz, Webster, 13-6.25; 2, Jaiden McCreary, Webster, 12-6; 3, Max Duerre, Webster, 10-6; 4, Rasmus Loken, Ipswich, 9-6.25; 5, Gavin Witt, Webster, 9-6.25; 6, Jeron McCreary, Webster, 9-6.25; 7, Chays Mansfield, Warner, 9-6.25; 8, Brody Davis, Ipswich, 9-0.25.

1,600-Meter Relay: 1, Faulkton (Garrett Cramer, Roman DiMaria, Spencer Melius, Daniel Stoll), 3:47.47; 2, Miller, 3:49.63; 3, Ipswich, 3:51.75; 4, Ellendale, 3:58.19; 5, Warner, 4:05.26; 6, Linton-HMB, 4:05.80; 7, Britton-Hecla, 4:07.60; 8, Ipswich, 4:17.81.