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Aug. 3—STEELE, N.D. — Kennedy Harter has worn three different jerseys since 2023.
Harter was a four-time North Dakota Class B state champion in the triple jump. She was also four-time state place winner in the long jump and a three-time state place winner in the high jump. In her senior year, Harter was named the North Dakota Track & Field Athlete of the Year.
Her success at the prep level made her a natural selection for North Dakota State University. The Kidder County alum spent two years with the Bison.
"I loved track at NDSU," Harter said. "It went very well ... but I did tear my ACL freshman year so getting back from that was a little difficult. It was a silly little accident that happened at the end of the season, so I had the whole summer to recover.
"I have never had any big injuries before," she said. "Rolling an ankle was probably the worst I had ever dealt with, and no one in my family had ever dealt with something like that. It was definitely hard right away, but in the athletics world you meet so many people who go through injuries like these, and so I talked to people about what worked for them and my PT was very helpful."
Harter's recovery took between seven and eight months. She red-shirted the indoor season her sophomore year and competed during the outdoor season.
"There were definitely some struggles with trusting myself and my body," Harter said. "I was a little nervous right away and couldn't let my body do what it needed to. I think it just took time because now I don't even second-guess anything."
In the 2024-25 season, Harter hit a season and personal best of 17-09.75 feet or 5.43 meters in the long jump. Her best mark in the triple jump while at NDSU was 37-09.5 feet.
While she was enjoying her time in Fargo, NDSU wasn't quite the right fit, and Harter moved to Bismarck to continue her academic and athletics journey at Bismarck State College.
"I got into the surgical technology program at BSC and that is just more what I was looking to do," Harter said. "Another big part was playing basketball again. I kept with basketball at NDSU, just shooting around with some other people on the track team, and then I reached out to (BSC's coach) Jason Harris, who was my AAU coach in high school.
"There was an opportunity for me to go there and play basketball and do track," she said. "I just missed it so much that I had to try it again."
In basketball, Harter played in 20 games and averaged 4.7 points per game. She recorded 17 rebounds and went 5-for-8 at the line.
"It was good, but it was a lot doing both basketball and track," Harter said. "I did well in track this past season, so I am just going to focus on that for my last year."
In triple jump, Harter hit 12.18 meters or 39.96 feet. In long jump, Harter recorded a mark of 5.74 in meters or 18.84 feet.
"Being a 12-meter jumper has always been my goal, even since high school," Harter said. "Now my goal is to get into the 12.50 range and stay consistently at that spot."
After her final year of competing, Harter has plans to stay in Bismarck to start her career — and maybe coach a few younger athletes.
"I love coaching so if there is anyone out there who needs tips — I love helping," Harter said. "That is my favorite thing. I've always wanted to coach — basketball, volleyball or track — I love them all and I would love to help people out if they want it."
Continue reading...
Harter was a four-time North Dakota Class B state champion in the triple jump. She was also four-time state place winner in the long jump and a three-time state place winner in the high jump. In her senior year, Harter was named the North Dakota Track & Field Athlete of the Year.
Her success at the prep level made her a natural selection for North Dakota State University. The Kidder County alum spent two years with the Bison.
"I loved track at NDSU," Harter said. "It went very well ... but I did tear my ACL freshman year so getting back from that was a little difficult. It was a silly little accident that happened at the end of the season, so I had the whole summer to recover.
"I have never had any big injuries before," she said. "Rolling an ankle was probably the worst I had ever dealt with, and no one in my family had ever dealt with something like that. It was definitely hard right away, but in the athletics world you meet so many people who go through injuries like these, and so I talked to people about what worked for them and my PT was very helpful."
Harter's recovery took between seven and eight months. She red-shirted the indoor season her sophomore year and competed during the outdoor season.
"There were definitely some struggles with trusting myself and my body," Harter said. "I was a little nervous right away and couldn't let my body do what it needed to. I think it just took time because now I don't even second-guess anything."
In the 2024-25 season, Harter hit a season and personal best of 17-09.75 feet or 5.43 meters in the long jump. Her best mark in the triple jump while at NDSU was 37-09.5 feet.
While she was enjoying her time in Fargo, NDSU wasn't quite the right fit, and Harter moved to Bismarck to continue her academic and athletics journey at Bismarck State College.
"I got into the surgical technology program at BSC and that is just more what I was looking to do," Harter said. "Another big part was playing basketball again. I kept with basketball at NDSU, just shooting around with some other people on the track team, and then I reached out to (BSC's coach) Jason Harris, who was my AAU coach in high school.
"There was an opportunity for me to go there and play basketball and do track," she said. "I just missed it so much that I had to try it again."
In basketball, Harter played in 20 games and averaged 4.7 points per game. She recorded 17 rebounds and went 5-for-8 at the line.
"It was good, but it was a lot doing both basketball and track," Harter said. "I did well in track this past season, so I am just going to focus on that for my last year."
In triple jump, Harter hit 12.18 meters or 39.96 feet. In long jump, Harter recorded a mark of 5.74 in meters or 18.84 feet.
"Being a 12-meter jumper has always been my goal, even since high school," Harter said. "Now my goal is to get into the 12.50 range and stay consistently at that spot."
After her final year of competing, Harter has plans to stay in Bismarck to start her career — and maybe coach a few younger athletes.
"I love coaching so if there is anyone out there who needs tips — I love helping," Harter said. "That is my favorite thing. I've always wanted to coach — basketball, volleyball or track — I love them all and I would love to help people out if they want it."
Continue reading...
