PERFECT TRANSITION — Fairmont senior Carissa Saxton leans and makes a perfect handoff of the baton to Cardinal teammate Laura Thompson during the 4x400-meter relay race during the track & field team’s season-opening outdoor triangular at Bob Bonk Track in Fairmont on April 9. Saxton and Thompson will look to guide Fairmont to another Sentinel Relays crown on Friday. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Growing up on a farm outside of Granada, Carissa Saxton did not have an opinion one way or the other about track & field.

Calvin and Jody Saxton, however, thought maybe their seventh-grade daughter should give the spring sport a chance, and the rest is history.

“My parents pushed me to try something new — a sport I knew nothing about at the time,” said Carissa Saxton, who’s currently the Fairmont girls track & field team’s fourth-leading point producer this spring. “Looking back, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I love the sport and the competition.

“I’ll admit that it’s below soccer, but it’s right there. Soccer will always have my heart, but track is really, really close.”

Saxton literally kicked off her senior year last fall by playing an integral role in helping the Fairmont Area Cardinal soccer program earn its first-ever Class A state tournament appearance.

The hard-working Saxton utilized her quickness, agility, strength and outstanding closing speed to earn all-Big South Conference soccer honors as one of the top defenders in the southern Minnesota ranks.

Saxton then opted to train with fellow senior long-distance extraordinaire Laura Thompson during the winter season in order to get into peak shape for her final high school track & field campaign.

“Laura and I spent more time in the weight room this winter, and we also went to Spirit Lake (Iowa) for speed training,” said Saxton. “Two years ago, I would not have been that fast, but working out with her really pushed me to the next level.”

Fairmont head track & field coach Bob Bonk concurred with Saxton’s self-assessment.

“She’s been a great captain both on and off the track this spring,” said Bonk. “She’s definitely shown improved speed this year, so we’ve been able to use her in the sprints more.”

Saxton has utilized her increased velocity and acceleration to hover close to the 13-second mark in the open 100 this season, capturing second place to Cardinal teammate Corene Moeller in the race at both the outdoor season-opener (13.3) and the Buc Mini-Invite in Blue Earth (13.1).

“I’d really like to run a 13-flat or faster in the 100, but it’s a constant question what events I’m going to be in every meet,” Saxton said with a grin. “I don’t think he (Bonk) thought I’d run the 100 this season, but I told him that I wanted to.”

“Carissa has been great in the open 100 for us, but she’s just so versatile in the relays that sometimes we need her in those events rather than the individual races,” said Bonk.

Indeed. The multi-tasking Saxton has competed in eight different events thus far, topped by three appearances in the 100-meter dash, three entries in the high jump and four times in the 4×400 relay.

In fact, Saxton etched her name into the Fairmont track & field record books when she exchanged handoffs with Moeller, David Maakestad and Hudson Artz to capture second place in the first mixed 4×400 relay at last Friday night’s Hamline Elite Meet in St. Paul. The foursome combined for a time of 3:43.99.

Saxton, Moeller, Hadley Artz and Thompson opened the indoor track campaign by winning the 4×400 at Minnesota State University in Mankato before Saxton traded the baton with Moeller, Mackenzie Householder and Jazlyn Geerdes to set the Fairmont indoor school record in the 4×200 with a time of 1:54.2 — eclipsing a mark of 1:55.6 set two decades ago in 2002.

Bonk also has inserted Saxton in the 400-meter dash twice and one time apiece in the 4×100, 4×200 and medley relays during the outdoor portion of the season and the legendary coach always receives dividends in point production from the senior standout.

During Friday’s Sentinel Relays in Fairmont, Bonk will likely pencil Saxton into the 30-team invitational’s final event — the 4×400 — to help the Cardinals capture their seventh consecutive big-schools’ team championship.

So what’s Saxton’s favorite event?

“I’d say 100 percent the 4×4,” said a smiling Saxton. “I think the adrenaline rush you get before the race is great — I love it.”

Now, as the Cardinals enter the backstretch of the spring season, Saxton will look to improve each and every day, “hit PBs (personal-bests)” in every event she’s entered and help the Fairmont girls program succeed at every stop of the postseason.

“I’m going to the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire and majoring in rehab science,” said Saxton. “I talked to the (soccer) coach and went to their camp, but I think I want to take a break from the commitment of sports when I get to college.”

But for the next four to five weeks, Saxton will make the most of her final high school track & field season.

What a great and high-impacting decision by the Saxton family six years ago.