Prairie Track & Field Podcast

Episode 64: Griak & Border Battle Recap 2022

Two weeks ago, one of the biggest weekends of the cross country season took place. On Friday, September 23^rd, several schools from the Fargo metro ran at the prestigious Roy Griak Invite. The next day, the Inaugural Border Battle took place in Grand Forks, where over 1,000 athletes from North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Manitoba went head-to-head.

While plenty of racing has taken place between then and now, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to recap such an exciting, especially when we had the opportunity to record in-person. Lots of banter, jokes, and exciting commentary in this episode. Give it a listen! Then get ready for our EDC/WDA/West Region Championship updates coming later this week!

Episode 63: 2022 XC Midseason Update

Can you believe the cross country season is halfway done? In any professional sport, we’d be coming up on the all-star break; instead, we approach the Border Battle this weekend.

As we near the end of September, we wanted to provide you with a mid-season report. At the high school level, team races are looking tight in Class A, new athletes are at the top of the individual polls, and schools are looking to make a strong final push as we approach championship season. On the college scene, we talk about the MSUM Twilight, how UND has approached their first two meets, and what we’re looking forward to the rest of the collegiate season. We discuss all these things plus important info regarding the Border Battle weekend on this episode!

Episode 62: Erin Teschuk

A few weeks ago, Cam and I had the opportunity to sit down with Erin Teschuk, a Team Canada and New Balance athlete who was a teammate of ours at NDSU. We interviewed her right after the NACAC Championships in the Bahamas, where she wore the Team Canada uniform and placed 5^th in the 1500. She had a tremendous 2022 season, competing in the steeplechase early before shifting her focus to the 1500. Erin’s had an awesome running career, earning multiple All-American finishes at NDSU to competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics. We’ve really enjoyed cheering for Erin Teschuk and we think you’ll be a fan, too, after listening to this interview.

Episode 61: 2022 Collegiate North Dakota XC Preview

With the collegiate cross country season now underway, we wanted to record a preview episode for North Dakota’s eight colleges and universities with cross programs. Last weekend, UND and NDSU opened their seasons in Grand Forks, and Minot State kicked their season off at the Augustana Twilight meet. But it’s tomorrow, Friday September 9^th, that’s going to be a HUGE day for the North Dakota cross country scene. Every North Dakota college and university will be racing at the MSUM Dragon Twilight Meet in Moorhead, Minnesota. Even cooler? Bismarck State College will be making their program debut. The Mystics just started their cross country and track and field programs this year, so it will be a historic meet for that reason, too. If you want to watch, that meet will be taking place tomorrow, Friday September 9^th, at the Bluestem Arts Center in Moorhead, Minnesota. The high school JV races will start at 5:20 p.m., the high school varsity races will start at 6:40 p.m., and the collegiate races will start at 8 p.m.

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Episode 60: 2022 North Dakota XC Season Preview

It’s that time of the year again! The North Dakota high school cross country season kicked off just a couple of weeks ago, and today is the first day of the racing season. Before the season gets going, however, Cam and I wanted to bring you the 2022 Cross Country preview, an episode dedicated to this season of XC. We break down the preseason coaches' poll, tell you which teams you need to watch, athletes we’ve got our eyes on, and who will be bringing home the titles at the state meet at Jamestown in October.

Episode 59: The Border Battle - XC’s Newest Mega Meet

After 50 years, the nation’s largest cross country meet, the Milaca Mega Meet, has come to an end. Enter The Border Battle, a new cross country meet hosted in Grand Forks that will take the Mega Meet's place. We sit down with Sean Allan, head coach at Grand Forks Central, to discuss the new meet, what athletes, coaches, and fans can expect, and why you need to compete there this fall!

Episode 58: Shelby Frank

Shelby Frank is establishing herself as one of the best throwers in North Dakota history, and she's only a sophomore. In a monster season in which she set the University of Minnesota discus school record, finished runner-up at the Big 10 Championships, and was named a First-Team All-American, Shelby isn't finished yet. This weekend she will take on the country's best at the USATF 2022 Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Listen to Shelby share her journey to the upper echelon of track and field.

Episode 57: Carter Elde

In our second State Meet Spotlight, Ryan and Cam sit down with Grand Forks Central's Carter Elde. Elde, who won both the 110H and 300H, shares about what it means to win a title for Central, how he found the hurdles after he thought he was a distance runner, and what he looks forward to at North Dakota State, where he will continue his track career. Plus we take a deep dive into the art of hurdling!