For a team that doesn’t even have its own home track, the Nova Classical Academy boys’ track and field team is carving out quite a niche for itself.
The Knights pay Highland Park High School to use its track, according to Nova coach Kimberly Strand. However, it is only authorized to use it for an hour a day. Strand said most schools are able to use their tracks 10-12 hours per week.
Still, that drawback didn’t prevent the Knights from winning the boys’ Class A state championship last season, and from putting up solid numbers in defense of their title this spring. Strand said her team perhaps functions best as an underdog.
“I don’t think we went into last year’s state thinking we’d win it,” said Strand, now in her 10th season at Nova. “But we showed well. We’re a scrappy team. We’re consistent and we want to have our athletes in positions to be successful.”
The small West End charter school is making a big impression in an area it hasn’t been much known for in the past. “We’re not known for our athletes,” said Strand, who also teaches at the school.
She said she doesn’t pay that much attention to her team’s status in regular-season meets. It’s more about showing consistent improvement. But she is proud of its showing in the Section 4A true team meet, in which the Knights finished sixth out of 15 schools.
With the Skyline Conference meet looming this week, she is hoping that her team’s improved numbers—there are 35 boys on the team right now—will be beneficial. “We’ve been growing,” Strand said. “We have a bit more depth.”
The section meet will take place on June 1 and 3 at Bethel University.
“I don’t think we went into last year’s state thinking we’d win it,” said Strand, now in her 10th season at Nova. “But we showed well. We’re a scrappy team. We’re consistent and we want to have our athletes in positions to be successful.”
Hoiland sets the pace
The Knights have some talented athletes who are known to perform well during crunch time. Strand referred to senior Sebastian Hoiland as “the reason we won state last year,” where he took fifth in the 100 and fourth in the 200.
This spring, Hoiland boasts personal best numbers of 11.34 in the 100 and 22.95 in the 200, and has been clutch at anchoring the 4×100 relay.
Junior Henry Peklo is close to Hoiland with personal best times of 11.45 in the 100, 23.19 in the 200 and is solid running the second leg of the 4×100.
Strand is especially sold on her 4×100 relay group since it returns three members from 2022. Junior Mark Evenson runs the third leg of that quartet, and also does service in the 110 and 300 hurdles.
The 4×100 group broke in a new leadoff runner this spring in senior Nikolai Farber. Despite being a distance runner who had never used blocks before, Farber has stepped seamlessly into the relay. “He’s a competitor,” Strand said.
Senior Henry Karelitz has posted personal bests of 4:26.54 in the 1600 and 9:34.03 in the 3200. He finished sixth in the state last year in the 1600.
Also outstanding in the field
The Knights are strong in the field events as well. Junior Silas Revnaugh set a new school record in the discus with a throw of 116-5. He is also the holder of the school record in the shot at 39-11.
Nova might not have a track it can call its own, but it knows what to do no matter which track it steps onto. Strand said a return to state will be no cakewalk, with squads like Minneapolis North and Perham looming. But she likes her squad and the depth that she now has.
“We want to win the conference meet and then we’ll take it from there,” she said.
— Bill Wagner
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