Title IX Milestones: ND runner Laura Roesler shines on national stage

By Tom Mix
NDHSAA Media Specialist

Editor's Note: This story was part of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) "Title IX at 50" Campaign which celebrates achievements made by high school female athletes, trailblazers for female athletics and activities in state associations and moments of magnitude for high school female sports in every state.

Laura Roesler, a 2010 graduate of Fargo South High School, is the most decorated North Dakota prep runner in state history. During her high school athletic career, Roesler won two individual cross country state championships (2006 and 2007) and won 20 individual state girls track state championships.

Roesler continued to excel on the track in college competing for the University of Oregon – a national track and field powerhouse – and eventually became a 5-time NCAA track national champion with Ducks, including a career-defining win in the 2014 NCAA Division I women’s 800 meters (2:01.22) during the national meet held at the famed Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

In December of 2014, Roesler won The Bowerman Trophy – collegiate track and field’s most prestigious honor – awarded by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Roesler was a 17-time track and field All-American at Oregon and was the school’s first female runner to win The Bowerman Trophy.

Roesler competed in the United State Olympic Trials in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Roesler’s career achievements earned her a spot in the North Dakota Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 and her influence on the North Dakota prep track and field scene is still felt to this day.

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