Mia Hoffmann goes D-I, 4 Jacks baseball players sign with college programs

Nov. 15—BEMIDJI — Mia Hoffmann is running all the way to Fargo, N.D.

The Bemidji High School cross country and track and field star, fresh off a second-place finish at the MSHSL Class 3A girls state cross country meet, signed on Monday to run at Division I North Dakota State. It was a fitting way to honor and cap what has been a historic cross country career at BHS.

"It's definitely been a whirlwind," Hoffmann said. "There was so much going on with the recruiting process and then training to meet my goals my senior year. So it's definitely been a process, but I wouldn't change it for the world."

That process concluded with Hoffmann remaining close to home, just a few hours away with the Bison. NDSU boasts an excellent running program, one that won the Summit League women's cross country championship as recently as 2022 and the outdoor track and field championship in 2023. The Bison took third at this year's conference cross country meet and finished 17th at the NCAA Midwest Cross Country Regional.

"I'm looking forward to being part of that winning environment and the drive to always better yourself and the great camaraderie that they have," Hoffmann said. "It means so much (to go Division I). It's been a dream of mine for the past few years, and I didn't know if I could actually achieve it. So it just feels great to have it (happen)."

Hoffmann also communicated with coaches from South Dakota State, Augustana and Colorado State. Ultimately, North Dakota State separated itself from the pack in multiple ways.

"I really loved all the great facilities and things they had available to the athletes," she said. "It really made you feel valued. And also just the great team atmosphere that they had and their drive to always push forward. I really liked how I could drive home on the weekends, and it was just close enough that I could do my own thing but also come back."

Though her senior track season awaits in the spring, this signing marks an official end to Hoffmann's five-year Lumberjack cross country career. She made history as the best-ever BHS finisher at the state meet, and now, she'll try to blaze new trails at the next level.

"It was awesome," said Hoffmann of her finish at the state meet. "It was the accumulation of all my hard work, and I'm just super proud of how my high school career ended."

The Bemidji baseball team was well represented on Monday as well. The diamond Lumberjacks had four players on hand who signified the continuity of their careers past high school.

Landon Hanson will join 2023 BHS alumnus Cam Justice at Division II Minnesota Crookston, while Peyton Neadeau and Gavin Kapaun became the first known Lumberjacks to sign with Division III Minnesota Morris for baseball.

Dylan Waukazo was the lone BHS baseball signee to commit to a school outside of Minnesota's borders, inking with Division III Cornell College in Iowa.

"I liked Crookston the best because I loved their coach," Hanson said. "I loved the way everything was done there. I loved the campus and the way the structure was all around. Their exercise science and wellness program is really nice as well. So that's kind of what did it for me there."

Kapaun and Neadeau will each know at least one other person in Morris, a fact that comforts them as they ready to go off on their own for college.

"It's a great program," Kapaun said. "They're going to be good in the next few years. It'll be fun to play with a winning team and win a lot of games."

"I picked Morris because of their coaching staff," Neadeau added. "They've been there for five years, and ever since they got there, they've been a winning program, like Gavin said."

Waukazo opted for a more far-flung locale, setting his course for Mount Vernon, Iowa — an eight-hour drive from Bemidji.

"I was talking to the coach, and he actually got me pretty excited to go there, because he said I would start right away for them," Waukazo said. "I'm pretty excited about that."

These four Lumberjacks are used to winning, having helped comprise a group that earned the No. 1 seed in Section 8-4A this past spring. As they look toward the future and their final high school season in 2024, they plan to continue those victorious traditions.

"It's been nice knowing that it's a winning program, because you know you're going to go into a season, try your best and try to win," Waukazo said. "So this year, I think it's a goal for all of us to make a state run."