MOORHEAD-Chelsea Klemetson set three personal bests Saturday afternoon, capping her day with Minnesota State Moorhead school record and a hug from her mom.
The Dragons senior cleared 5 feet, 9¾ inches in the women's high jump at the Ron Masanz Track and Field Classic at Alex Nemzek Stadium.
"It's such a supportive atmosphere to be in that I think it's really what got me up there today," said Klemetson, a Moorhead High School graduate.
The final three heights Klemetson cleared were all outdoor personal records. She had cleared 5-8¾ during the indoor season, her overall best performance heading into Saturday. The 5-foot-5 Klemetson broke the Dragons outdoor women's mark, clearing a bar that was nearly five inches taller than here.
"We go to a lot of meets and Chelsea is usually the shortest one in the field," said Dragons assistant coach Dave Bergstrom, who coaches high jump. "She ends up walking away the winner most of the time in these meets. ... It's pretty fun to watch."
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Bergstrom gave Klemetson a hug moments after she set the new school record. Earlier in the competition, Klemetson cleared 5-9¼ to tie Ashley Roemer for the school outdoor mark. Roemer set that standard in 2008.
"This is the best place for me to do it," said Klemetson, who started her track career at Concordia before transferring to MSUM. "I get to have all my teammates sitting here cheering, even people from Concordia, (since) I was there, too."
Klemetson didn't try didn't attempt to go higher once she cleared 5-9¾. The meet record is 5-10, which was set by Lora Schloss, who competed unattached, in 1988.
Klemetson had a cheering section of about 10-15 family and friends Saturday, watching the competition from a grassy berm near the high jump pit. After she was done competing, she went to that area and gave her mom, Sherry, a big hug.
Klemetson said her mom urged her to go out for track and field when Chelsea was a sophomore at Moorhead High to stay in shape for soccer, which was Chelsea's primary sport at the time.
"My mom was like 'Do something for the rest of the year,' " Chelsea said.
Klemetson started her college career at Concordia, competing in both women's soccer and track. In her second year with the Cobbers, Klemetson focused solely on track.
She won a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference outdoor championship in the high jump as a freshman with the Cobbers. She holds the Concordia indoor high jump record at 5-6½.
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Once she decided to focus on track in college, she looked at other schools and transferred to MSUM before her junior season. Klemetson, who said she also considered North Dakota State, wanted to stay in the Fargo-Moorhead area to stay close to family.
Bergstrom said Klemetson spent last summer running, lifting, bounding and doing stadium stairs. That offseason work has helped her excel in her senior season.
"All these things that people never see," Bergstrom said. "That's really been the key to her success I think."
Dragons redshirt freshman Brian Huber also had a big day, setting the school record in the men's long jump at 25-0¾. Huber, from Staples, Minn., also won the men's high jump, clearing 6-10¼.
