Dexter Gets First 2025 Win to Jumpstart  MHS Pole Vault Season

Bulldog pole vaulters are getting a jump on spring sports with their first indoor meets of the season. Jacy Dexter, a junior, already has one championship under her belt. Dexter took first place in a field of 21 female athletes at the Fuller Invitational hosted by Northern State University in Aberdeen on March 24. Senior Rylee Scoular followed in fourth place. Raina Untalan, a freshman, secured seventh place. Seventh-grader Timbree Spors brought home eighth place. Katie Kruger, a senior, and seventh graders Brielle Bumgardner, Joselyn Owen, and Tenley Bohn also posted strong performances.

Not to be outdone, junior Sam Rick, competing in a field of 19, brought home fourth place for the Milbank boys. Freshmen Bryton Blauert, Pierce Mathiason, and Max Scoular collected fifth, seventh, and ninth places, respectively. 

“We have a very young squad, but an exceptional group of young men,” JohnTrevett, head coach for Milbank, said. “Sam is a returning place winner from last year’s state meet. The other boys are looking to shatter their personal records from last year. Both Sam and Bryton rank in the top five this season.” 

Trevett, a 2024 NSU Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, who helped to revive pole vaulting at MHS after it had all but disappeared said, “This is my eighth season (coaching) since we started up pole vault again in Milbank, and it has been nothing but FUN! I am very excited about Ben Harstad helping me out this season.” Harstad is also a former Bulldog pole vaulter and was coached by Trevett. 

Trevett said that although the Fuller meet was just the second meet of the season, most of Milbank’s 15 active pole vaulters were able to attend, including the seventh-grade girls, who had been training hard since February. “I see a bright future for each one of the girls. They have embraced one of the most difficult sports to compete in,” he commented.

Milbank’s first indoor meet of the season was the Dan Lennon Invitational on March 17, at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. Mathiason led the team with a personal best jump of 10 feet. 

“Pierce is a freshman and is off to a great start for the season.,”Trevett said. “We competed against many of the AA schools, which is always a good opportunity to see how we match up. I was very pleased with our individual efforts. It is never easy to start a season that comes out of a long winter.”

Blauert, M. Scoular, and Mathiason competed for the Milbank boys. Dexter, R. Scoular, and Untalan represented the girls. 

What’s next? The Bulldogs head back to the campus of NSU for a meet on Monday, March 31.

Submitted Photo: Not pictured Sam Rick and Archie Mathiason.