In a commanding display of depth, balance, and grit, the Otter Tail Central Bulldogs claimed both the boys’ and girls’ team titles at the Park Region Conference track and field championships, held on May 13. The boys scored 125 points to edge out Pillager and Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale, while the girls matched their dominance with a 122-point finish to top Pillager and Parkers Prairie.

On the boys’ side, junior Peter Newark continued his outstanding season, capturing first in the 3200-meters (10:31.77) and placing second in the 1600. Senior Elijah Fronning backed him up with top-three finishes in both the 800 and 1600.

Eighth grader Marcus Roisum made a big impact in the hurdles, placing in both the 110 and 300-meter hurdle events.

Senior Aidan Heggem led the charge in the sprints and jumps, finishing third in the 400, second in the triple jump (39’ 10.5”) and anchoring a blistering 4×400 relay that took second in 3:44.38. But the highlight came in the 4×200 relay, where OTC’s team, Brock Resch, Mason Hoyt, Aidan Heggem and Gabe Lindstrom delivered a clutch performance to take first place, giving the Bulldogs key momentum.

In the field events, OTC threw their weight around—scoring 34 team points—with William Schwartz (42’ 5”) and Billy Durbin (41’ 0”) going first and third in the shot put. Max Mekalson launched the discus 131’ 10” to win, while Schwartz added a PR in second and Durbin in fourth.

The biggest moment came in the pole vault, where Gabe Lindstrom soared to a personal best and new school record of 11’ 4” to win the event. Teammate Quinn Condiff secured second, making it a 1-2 finish for the Bulldogs.

On the girls’ side, the Bulldogs were relentless in the relays. The 4×200 squad of Annabelle Evavold, Belle Bormann, Myiesha Antoni, and Kinley Bormann exploded to a conference title in 1:48.57—nearly five seconds ahead of the field. OTC also secured second in both the 4×100 and 4×400, showcasing their depth across all four legs.

Sophomore Kinley Bormann delivered a highlight-reel day, taking second in the 200-meters (26.75 PR), and earning first in the long jump (16’ 5.75”) and triple jump (34’ 4.25”). Sister Belle Bormann added valuable points in the 200, long jump, and high jump.

Junior Myiesha Antoni cleared 5’ 1” to win the high jump and sophomore Keytana Lopez Moen vaulted her way to first place with a school-record mark of 8’ 7” in the pole vault. Avaya Condiff followed in second, completing another 1-2 OTC finish.

In the distance events, Brielle Malone earned a strong sixth place finish in the mile, contributing important points for the team title.

Personal records (PRs) were plentiful, with more than 20 OTC athletes notching career bests.

“From top to bottom, this was a complete team win,” said coach Brady Speicher. “Whether it was a relay team stepping up, a field event athlete hitting a new PR, or a young runner dropping seconds, every athlete competed with the attitude that every point matters,” said head coach Brady Speicher. 

Final Team Scores

Boys

1. Otter Tail Central – 125

2. Pillager – 111

3. Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale – 106

4. Parkers Prairie – 76

5. Wadena-Deer Creek – 51

6. United North Central – 37

7. ACCS – 10

8. New York Mills – 8

Girls

1. Otter Tail Central – 122

2. Pillager – 113

3. Parkers Prairie – 107

4. Wadena-Deer Creek – 85

5. United North Central – 71

6. Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale – 46

7. New York Mills – 14

BOYS

100 Meters Varsity – Finals: 9. Jack Robinson 12.64, 14. Trystan Loghry 13.37 SR, 15. Camden Skjeret 13.65

200 Meters Varsity – Finals: 7. Mason Hoyt 25.22 PR, 10. Matthew Brandborg 25.77

400 Meters Varsity – Finals: 3. Aidan Heggem 55.20, 8. Mason Hoyt 57.31 PR, 9. Nelson Hubert 58.55 PR

800 Meters Varsity – Finals: 3. Elijah Fronning 2:15.51, 15. Benjamin Sanmoogan 2:28.55 PR, 16. Nathan Sanmoogan 3:14.27 PR

1600 Meters Varsity – Finals: 2. Peter Newark 5:03.75, 3. Elijah Fronning 5:06.55

3200 Meters Varsity – Finals: 6. Peter Newark 10:31.77 SR, 7. Phoenix Allison 11:42.98 SR

110m Hurdles – 39” Varsity – Finals: 5. Max Mekalson 18.98, 7. Marcus Roisum 19.49 PR, 8. MaCade Barbe 20.22

300m Hurdles – 36” Varsity – Finals: 6. Marcus Roisum 47.46, 12. Ethan Sonju 1:00.83 PR

4×100 Relay Varsity – Finals: 5. Jack Robinson, Brock Resch, Trystan Loghry, Camden Skjeret 49.32

4×200 Relay Varsity – Finals: 1. Mason Hoyt, Aidan Heggem, Brock Resch, Gabe Lindstrom 1:35.97

4×400 Relay Varsity – Finals: 2. Brock Resch, Elijah Fronning, Gabe Lindstrom, Aidan Heggem 3:44.38

4×800 Relay Varsity – Finals: 4. Phoenix Allison, Nelson Hubert, Benjamin Sanmoogan, Erik Stans 10:21.66

Shot Put – 12lb Varsity – Finals: 11. William Schwartz 42’5”, 12. Billy Durbing 41’0”, 13. Sawyer Gunderson 30’5”

Discus – 1.6kg Varsity – Finals: 4. Max Mekalson 131’10”, 5. William Schwartz 126’9.5” PR, 6. Billy Durbing 103’11.5”

High Jump Varsity – Finals: 5. Braxtyn Cameron 5’6”, 7. Jack Robinson 5’4”, 8. Matthew Brandborg 5’4”

Pole Vault Varsity – Finals: 7. Gabe Lindstrom 11’4” PR, 8. Quinn Condiff 10’10” SR, 9. Eli Chase 7’10”

Long Jump Varsity – Finals: 9. Jack Robinson 16’10.75”, 17. Houston Schwartz 16’3.75” PR, 18. Phoenix Allison 15’2.75” PR,

Triple Jump Varsity – Finals: 2. Aidan Heggem 39’10.5”, 7. Brock Resch 36’11.5”, 8. Gabe Lindstrom 36’1”

GIRLS

100 Meters Varsity – Finals: 4. Annabelle Evavold 13.82, 10. Brenna Saurer 14.23, 11. Jalena Loder 14.49

200 Meters Varsity – Finals: 2. Kinley Bormann 26.75 PR, 6. Belle Bormann 26.75, 7. Brenna Saurer 28.07 PR

400 Meters Varsity – Finals: 6. Kallyn Grove 1:07.70 PR, 11. Trinity Baker 1:07.80 PR, 12. Jasmine Sanmoogan 1:14.11

800 Meters Varsity – Finals: 8. Brielle Malone 2:42.09 PR, 14. Mae Hagemesiter 3:03.84

1600 Meters Varsity – Finals: 6. Brielle Malone 5:57.20 PR, 12. Tegan Brandon 6:08.99 SR, 13. Quinn Hagemesiter 6:26.35 PR

3200 Meters Varsity – Finals: 7. Tegan Brandon 13:35.39 PR

100m Hurdles – 33” Varsity – Finals: 5. Sam Lanners 19.98 SR, 11. Kylie Akerman 23.32

300m Hurdles – 30” Varsity – Finals: 5. Kylie Akerman 52.30 PR, 13. Sam Lanners 53.44 PR, 14. Delia Tebrugge 1:04.79

4×100 Relay Varsity – Finals: 3. Clara Mark, Brenna Saurer, Jalena Loder, Annabelle Evavold 52.99

4×200 Relay Varsity – Finals: 1. Annabelle Evavold, Belle Bormann, Myiesha Antoni, Kinley Bormann 1:48.57

4×400 Relay Varsity – Finals: 2. Kylie Akerman, Trinity Baker, Kallyn Grove, Jasmine Sonmoogan 4:30.63

4×800 Relay Varsity – Finals: 5. Mae Hagemesiter, Quinn Hagemesiter, Ruby Fronning, Delia Tebrugge 11:48.24

Shot Put – 4kg Varsity – Finals: 13. Emma Dirkman 24’0” PR, 18. Maggie Mark 21’8”, 19. Alyssa Witt 21’2”

Discus – 1kg Varsity – Finals: 4. Maggie Mark 91’3”, 12. Clara Mark 75’8” PR, 13. Kallyn Grove 67’9.5” SR

High Jump Varsity – Finals: 9. Myiesha Antoni 5’1”, 10. Belle Bormann 4’7”, 11. Emma Dirkman 4’1” PR

Pole Vault Varsity – Finals: 2. Keytana Lopez Moen 8’7” PR, 3. Avaya Condiff 7’7” SR

Long Jump Varsity – Finals: 5. Kinley Bormann 16’5.75”, 6. Belle Bormann 15’8.25” PR, 7. Clara Mark 14’9.75” SR

Triple Jump Varsity – Finals: 4. Kinley Bormann 34’4.25”, 5. Aubrey Borgos 30’8.5”, 6. Katrina Lindstrom 30’5.25” PR