Paige Halder is acclimating to the challenges of college track and field

Apr. 18—FARGO, N.D. — Paige Halder called the introduction to her new event — the seven-pronged heptathlon — "a little rough."

Done by the heptathlon athlete in the same meet are the 100 meters, the high jump, the shot put, the 200 meters, the long jump, the javelin throw and the 800 meters. Those seven events are done over a two-day period. The heptathlon is done outdoors. During the indoor season the javelin and 200 are left off the list, it's done in one day and it's called the pentathlon.

"It was way different than anything I'd done in high school, so I had to figure out getting in the flow of everything," said Halder, a former Byron standout track and field athlete.

After a freshman year of getting the hang of things, Halder is now "in the flow." She'd been a complete novice to the hurdles, shot put and javelin coming in.

But yes, times have changed.

Halder has gone from not qualifying to participate in the pentathlon at the Summit League indoor meet as a freshman, to finishing third overall in the meet this season.

And her best mark of 3,317 points in the pentathlon already ranks seventh in the history of the school. This season she ranks third out of all Summit League athletes in the heptathlon.

"I'm very pleased with the jump I've made," Halder said. "With the heptathlon, you just have to stick with it. It's an event where there are lots of ups and downs. If you have one bad event, you just have to move on to the next one. I do like it, but it's definitely a challenge."

Halder not only likes the event she's been given, but she's happy overall in Fargo, home of NDSU. She admits that she could do without the cold and wind of Fargo, but beyond that this has been an ideal fit.

That starts with the powerful track and field team she is on, one which has won 17 Summit League indoor titles in the last 19 years.

This is an extremely together team.

"The weather is the biggest downside here because it is cold," Halder said. "But this has been a really good fit for me and track really helps with that. I'm around a lot of great people and friends. I hang out with a lot of the track people. We like to do homework together, get food and go to other friends' houses and hang out with them. I love being on the track team. It's super fun. We all push ourselves to the best of our abilities. Everyone helps each other out."

Multi-events coach Jackson Schepp sees her as a perfect piece to this NDSU team. One thing he appreciates is that she knows how to have fun.

"She is awesome to work with — very fun, very goofy," Schepp said. "She and the other girls have these weird voices that they do and dances. She's great to have at practice. And she works hard. You can't compete at this level like she does and not be a hard worker. That is her greatest strength — being goofy while still staying locked in."

The hurdles have turned out to be the most challenging event for Halder. She also says that the shot put needs some work, but it is getting better and the javelin has gotten a lot better.