*The following is an article that represents part of a series on North Dakota running research. If you want to read about more incredible athletes from the greatest state in the Union, look under the 'Pages' tab on the right and click on 'North Dakota Running Research'.*
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Few high school athletes in any state have ever so thoroughly dominated their sport quite like Laura Roesler did from 2005-2010. She amassed an incredible number of state championships, broke numerous state records, and even ran at the Olympic Trials; this was, of course, just the beginning of a successful post-high school career as well. The English language struggles to describe that level of dominance, but I will attempt.
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| High School Laura Roesler at the 2008 Olympic Trials. Photo by PhotoRun.Net |
Roesler ran her high school career at Fargo South, rival of my alma mater, West Fargo. In North Dakota, student-athletes can start competing at the varsity level in 7th grade and continue through their senior year of high school, a total of 6 years. At the High School State Track and Field Meet, an athlete can run up to 4 events, which yields a total of 24 possible state titles an athlete can win in their high school career. Most athletes would be satisfied with one title. The best of the best may win as many as 10 throughout their career. Laura Roesler won 20. That's right, twenty INDIVIDUAL state track titles from grades 7-12. In fact, from her 8th grade year through her junior year, she won all four titles every time. Her senior year, she only won three, but another athlete had to break the state record to beat her (more on that in a bit). WOW. That is dominance. Throw in a couple other state championships, and we're talking about something amazing.
Let's dig a little:
7th Grade:
In the fall of 7th grade (2004), Roesler placed 2nd at the State Cross Country Meet, running the 4k course in 15:18 and finishing 19 seconds behind Minot's super stud Melanie Funke. The next 7th grader was a full minute behind.
In the spring of 2005, she ran 4 events at state track (not an easy feat for anyone): 400, 800, 4x400, and 4x800. She placed 5th in the 800 (2:20), 3rd as leadoff for the 4x400 (4:07), and 5th as the third runner in the 4x800 (9:55). BUT, she broke out and won the 400 by a full second with a time of 57.88, only 1.5 seconds off the state record. Just a reminder that 7th graders tend to turn 13 sometime during the school year.
State Championships Tally: 1
8th Grade:
In the fall of 8th grade (2005), Roesler again finished second at State XC, again to Minot's Melanie Funke. Her time was 15:37, 7 seconds away from that title.
In the spring of 2006, she officially took over ownership of the North Dakota State Track Meet, sweeping the 100, 200, 400, and 800 for the first of 4 years in a row. This means that on Day 1, she made it through prelims in the 100, 200, and 400, and then came back the next day and won the finals in all four events. Here's the stats:
100: 12.40
200: 25.07
400: 57.67
800: 2:20.53
I wonder if the weather might have been a little crappy, because times were generally slow across all divisions. I'd also like to add that Roesler was personally responsible for 40 of 2nd-place Fargo South's 114.5 points at state. At this point, pundits across the North Dakota track circuit were probably wondering if they were witnessing the beginning of one of the best athletes in state history, or a young female athlete that was peaking early in high school? They'd have their answer.
State Championships Tally: 5
9th Grade (Freshman):
In the fall of her freshman year (2006), Laura Roesler took that elusive 1st place at the State Cross Country Meet. Let's not think that it was a dominating performance though: that pesky Melanie Funke finished 2nd in 14:33.00, which is the exact same time listed for Roesler. A sprint to the finish between the top runners from each of the last two years? Yes, please.
Let me put this into perspective for you: in the same year, Roesler won the longest race competed in North Dakota high school sports (4km) and the shortest (100m). This means that she was simultaneously the fastest distance runner and sprinter in the state. AT THE SAME TIME. Absolutely insane.
In the spring of her freshman year (2007), Roesler again swept the 1, 2, 4, and 8 at the state meet. Here's the stats:
100: 12.90
200: 25.75
400: 55.56 (State Record)
800: 2:17.11
Here we see her first state record, in the event she won her first state title two years previous. She won the 400 by two full seconds. She only won the 100 by 0.03 seconds. At this point, it's clear that Roesler has the strength of a mid-distance runner, because she can hang with the cross country runners, nip the sprinters at the line, and demolish everyone in between. Her 40 team points helped Fargo South to the state title with 156.5 points. At this time, Roesler is the shining star of the state. We aren't even close to being done.
State Championships Tally: 10 individual, 1 team
10th Grade (Sophomore):
In the fall of her sophomore year (2007), Roesler, for the second year in a row, won the State Cross Country Meet. This was Melanie Funke's senior year, and the finish was again close: Roesler's 14:36 to Funke's 14:38. The only other people under 15? Alissa Mears (West Fargo) who won the next year, and Tarin Lachowitzer (FS) who won the next three years after Mears. What a stacked race! Was it the deepest in state history? I'll leave that up to people who were actually there.
In the spring of her sophomore year (2008), she, again, *yawn* won all four events at state track. Stats:
100: 12:07
200: 24.30 (State Record)
400: 55.76
800: 2:10.78
This time she scored 40 of her team's 120 points (that's one-third), but they only took 3rd as a team.
Ok, these times are starting to get elite. The 200 was won by over a full second, the 400 by two seconds, and the 800 by NINE (!!) seconds. Roesler has a vice-grip on the xc/track scene in this state. She could hop into any non-hurdle running event at state track and win. This is year that things change for her, though.
On June 27th, 2008, 16-year-old Laura Roesler toed the line of the first round of the 800 at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. During track, she had run 2:03 to qualify, and now she was racing against the professionals- the people that would be on the Olympic Squad. She ended up running 2:04.3, which placed 7th overall and was easily enough to advance her to the semifinals. To be clear: nobody knew who she was- an unsponsored high schooler from North Dakota.
On June 28th, 2008, 16-year-old Laura Roesler toed the line for the semifinals of the 800 at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. She ran 2:06.82, which placed her 12th, and was not enough to qualify for the next round. Her season ended there, almost a month after the state track meet where she pummeled on lesser beings. "There's not much to do in Fargo", she tells the media.
State Championships Tally: 15 individual, 1 team
11th Grade (Junior):
In the fall of her junior year (2008), Roesler placed 50th at the State Cross Country Meet, with a time of 16:37.
....
Wait, what? I actually competed at this meet as an athlete, and the question was definitely asked how the greatest track athlete any of us had ever seen ran so poorly at state. I can't say I know the answer, but my best guess is that she probably took a long, deserved break after a track season that almost made it to July. She probably eased into training and wasn't in 100% fitness at state. Maybe she was hurt, I don't know.
In the spring of her junior year (2009), she started out the state track meet by breaking two state records in the prelims: the 200 (24.66) and the 400 (55.37). Then, she came back for finals and swept all 4 events, again.
100: 12.45
200: 25.16
400: 55.10 (State Record, again)
800: 2:13.82
She scored 40 of second-place Fargo South's 94 points. As an individual, she would've placed 8th out of 14 in the team standings. Lurking 1-2 places behind her in each event was a little-known 8th grader from Minot named Morgan Milbrath. With Roesler's absolute dominance of the state for so many years, nobody wondered to themselves, 'will another Minot athlete throw down with Roesler at state?' We were about to find out.
State Championships Tally: 19 individual, 1 team
12th Grade (Senior):
In the fall of her senior year (2009), Roesler placed 5th at the State Cross Country Meet, running 15:08 and finishing 15 seconds behind 1st-place teammate Tarin Lachowitzer. At this point I wonder if Roesler's training was more 400/800 focused in preparation for college and cross country was more of a base phase for track. Maybe she had injuries, I'm speculating at this point. I've just always found it strange that she maintained dominance on the track but not on the cross country course.
In the spring of her senior year (2010), Roesler received the challenge of her high school career (other than the Olympic Trials, of course). For the first time since her 7th grade year, she did not win all four events at state track, but DO NOT let yourself think she had slipped off her game. She still won the 200, 400, and 800, but not the 100. You see, in the 100, 200, and 400, freshman Morgan Milbrath (Minot) pushed her further than any athlete in previous years. If you want read a more in-depth discussion of that weekend, I suggest checking out this post: The Greatest Race I've Ever Witnessed.
Here's a short breakdown:
100: 2nd place, 12:38 to Milbrath's 12:35. Both athletes had flirted with the state record in prelims.
200: 1st place, 24.9 to Milbrath's 25.07. Both athletes had shattered the state record by over 3/4 of a second in prelims.
400: 1st place, 53.25 to Milbrath's 53.31. Both athletes won by over 5(!!) seconds, destroyed the state record by over 2 seconds, and ran 2 of the top 5 high school times in the country that year.
800: 1st place, 2:17.64. Milbrath ran a relay.
Fargo South placed second as a team with 133 points, of which Roesler scored 38.
State Championships Tally: 22 individual, 1 team
To round out her high school career: 22 individual state titles and 1 team title; currently is the 2nd-fastest in state history in the 100 meters; currently is the fastest in state history in the 200, 400, and 800 meters; qualified for the semifinals of the US Olympic Trials. Not bad, eh? Oh, she went on to that track school- the University of Oregon.
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| College Roesler. Photo from Hapa Productions |
College:
Roesler was highly recruited with her 400/800 talent. Her 800 time of 2:03 in her junior year of high school would put her up there with some of the best in the NCAA every year, and if she could shave a few seconds off of that, she'd be looking at an NCAA title to add to her resume.
In her freshman year of college, she qualified for both the indoor and outdoor national championships. At indoor nationals she placed 11th in the 800 prelims, and at outdoor nationals she placed 10th in the 800 prelims, neither was good enough to advance. She did place 8th and 3rd, respectively as a member of the 4x400 relay for Oregon. Her pr that year: 2:03.12.
In her sophomore year at Oregon, she failed again to advance in the 800 at indoor nationals (16th in prelims), her 4x400 placed 10th, and her DMR (Distance Medley Relay, 1200-400-800-1600) placed 2nd. At outdoor nationals, she had a breakthrough, running 2:02.09 in the prelims to advance, and then running 2:02.96 in the finals to place 4th. She was an All-American! Additionally, her 4x400 relay placed first- she was a National Champion!
In her junior year, she kept climbing. She placed 2nd at indoor nationals (another All-American) in the 800, running 2:02.32, and her 4x400 won another national title. At outdoor nationals, she tacked on ANOTHER 2nd place (another All-American) with a blistering new PR of 2:00.98 in the 800. Oh, and her 4x400 took 4th.
Senior year was her last chance at an individual title. She started off the season with a 4:40 indoor mile and a 2:01 800 a week later. At indoor nationals, she finally did it- 1st place with a time of 2:03.85. Laura Roesler was an NCAA Individual Champion! Her 4x400 won again, too. Outdoors, she ran 4:19 in the 1500 and lowered her 800 PR to 2:00.54. At nationals, she dominated with top time in prelims and then came back and won another national title, this time with a 2:01.22. Her 4x400 placed 3rd.
So this girl from Fargo, North Dakota, went to powerhouse Oregon and won two individual NCAA titles in the 800 and three NCAA championships as a member of the 4x400 relay. She was truly great. To honor that, she was awarded the Bowerman, which is annually given to the best male and female track and field athletes in the NCAA. The next step for an athlete of her caliber? Professional career.
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| Pro Roesler at the Pre Classic. Photo from JWill Photography |
Professional:
After college, Roesler signed with Nike. In the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Trials, she was unable to qualify for the Olympic Team, despite having PR's similar to the some of the athletes that made it. She did have a breakout race in 2014 after she finished her college career, running 1:59.04 at the USA Track and Field Championships, and she has qualified for two different world track and field championships.
Unless I'm mistaken, she is the only female North Dakotan to go sub-2 in the 800, which is an amazing accomplishment. Recently, she's been training in Jacksonville, Florida and gearing up for the 2020 Olympics, which we all know didn't happen. She's not done yet, despite the ups-and-downs of pro running and nagging injuries. Hopefully we hear more from her next year at the Olympic Trials!
Links I used to assist me:
North Dakota All-Time Class A Girls
Milesplit State XC Meet History
NY Times- Roesler at the Trials
Runner's World Pre-Trials Interview with Roesler
The Forum- Olympics Cancelled for Roesler, Everyone
One of my all-time favorites from Oregon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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