After hamstring pull derailed 2022, Hillsboro-CV's Micah Longthorne feels redemption in long jump state title
May 26—BISMARCK — On Friday, Hillsboro-Central Valley senior Micah Longthorne had his revenge.
On the opening day of the 2022 North Dakota state track and field meet, Longthorne pulled a hamstring running a leg on the Burros' 4x200 relay team and couldn't compete in any events the rest of the weekend.
"That just destroyed me," Longthorne said. "Coming back for revenge this year was pretty cool."
Longthorne exacted that revenge by leaping 21 feet, 10.25 inches — besting the field by more than 4 inches — en route to a Class B state championship in the long jump at the Bismarck Community Bowl.
"I think Micah has spent a grand total of 15 minutes practicing long jump all year; he's just a natural athlete," Hillsboro-Central Valley coach Kirk Zink said. "The kid is an absolute natural athlete and is good at about anything he does. He felt he under-performed in the high jump, but (in the long jump) he absolutely hammered it. He had six jumps and five were over 21 feet. He was clearly the best."
Zink said Longthorne came a long way from his early high school track and field days.
"He's a kid we talk about in terms of being average as a freshman and even into his sophomore year," Zink said. "It's a good lesson for these kids who think I'm not as good as these other kids. You don't have to be as an eighth, ninth, 10th grader."
Longthorne said his key Friday was registering strong jumps early in his attempts.
"From there on, I knew I had it in me and just had to execute," Longthorne said.
When he heard 21 feet, 10-plus inches called out after his winning jump, he was confident.
"That would have won last year and I think all the way back to 2017, so when I heard that number I knew that was sealed," Longthorne said.
Longthorne was the only Class B athlete in the Herald coverage area to win an individual title Friday.
Hunter Hagler of North Star was secodn in the long jump. Brynley Coleman of Hatton-Northwood was runner-up in the girls pole vault. Noah Mehus of Mayville-Portland-Clifford-Galesburg was second in the boys pole vault.
In the girls shot put, Griggs Midkota's Asia Becher was third. Hatton-Northwood's Trista Bilden was fifth and teammate Elizabeth Pinke, who won the discus Thursday, was seventh.
Hatton-Northwood currently leads the girls races with 30 points, followed by Carrington with 27 and Rugby with 23.
