There have been a handful of positive updates regarding local, or formerly local, athletes competing at the college level.
From getting offers, to making commitments, to transferring, to succeeding in Division I, here’s a rundown of some of the latest developments.
Suri Gourd gets her first college offer
The incoming Four Winds junior received her first college basketball offer from the University of Mary.
Gourd announced on Monday that she spent the day at the Mary campus with Marauders head coach Rick Neumann and assistant Haley Froelich. During the visit, she received an offer and posed for pictures while wearing the Marauders uniform.
Gourd has played varsity for Four Winds since she was a seventh-grader. She surpassed 1,000 career points as a freshman and is at 1,649 entering her junior year. She made the North Dakota High School Coaches Association all-state second team.
Mary is a D-II school that competes in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Marauders finished second in the North division last season with a 15-7 conference record. Another local athlete, Benson County’s Aubrey Kenner, will be a freshman on the Mary women’s basketball team this fall.
Gourd still has two years of high school, during which she will likely continue to explore opportunities for the next level.
The Journal covered Gourd’s development and accomplishments in editions on March 6, 2025 and Dec. 18, 2025.
Tylie Brodina makes her decision
While Gourd got an offer for the first time, Brodina accepted an outstanding offer.
The incoming Devils Lake senior announced on May 29 that she has committed to play basketball at Minot State University. Minot State was her first offer, at around the same time that Gourd is getting hers.
Minot State also competes in the NSIC North. The Beavers finished fifth out of eight teams in the North with an 8-14 conference record last season. They are coached by former Lake Region State College coach Ryan Clark.
Brodina was named state tournament MVP as a freshman in 2024, when Devils Lake won a state championship. She’s made the all-state second team and led Devils Lake back to state in each of the last two seasons.
Read more on Brodina’s commitment in a June 9 story for the Journal.
Cailee Hanson commits to LRSC basketball
Hanson is the latest Lady Indians alum to commit to Lake Region State College.
She joins her former Four Winds/Minnewaukan teammate Dru Longie, who committed to LRSC in April. Hanson, who went to Minnewaukan High School, was an all-region player for the Indians this season while averaging double-digit points.
She helped FW/M to a 16-8 season.
Hanson and Longie will join an LRSC team that has posted a .500 conference record or better in each of the last four seasons. The Royals will be led by first-year coach Kori Zarzutzki.
Kelsie Belquist continues to dominate on the track
The New Rockford native had already won a Big Ten championship this season.
Now she’s going to nationals.
Belquist, a sophomore on the University of Nebraska track and field team, ran a 55.24 in the 400-meter hurdles on May 30. It was not only her personal best, but a Nebraska program record, securing a spot at NCAA nationals in Eugene, Ore. It ranked third in the region.
Belquist was also part of a school record-setting mark in the 4×400 relay. The group’s 3:28.40 beat the old record by more than a second. The performance also secured a spot at nationals.
The NCAA nationals are scheduled for June 10-13 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Hayward Field is nowhere new for Belquist, having already competed there as a high-schooler in 2023 at the Nike Outdoor Nationals and 2025 in the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.
The Journal did a deeper dive into Belquist’s track career in the March 24, 2026 edition.
Veronica Asquith transfers to play NCAA hockey
It’s been a long time coming for Asquith, who spent parts of three seasons at Lake Region State College.
She announced Monday that she has committed to continue her hockey career at University of Wisconsin-Superior, a D-III school.
As a sophomore at LRSC during the 2024-25 school year, Asquith finished second in points in all of ACHA Division II with 69. She stayed with LRSC for about half of her junior year, but departed with a multitude of teammates after the Royals and head coach Sawyer Diseth parted ways. She transferred to Assiniboine Community College, which made it all the way to the ACHA D-II national championship, ultimately losing 1-0 to Sault College.
Asquith ended up fifth in points nationally last season, with 48.
Wisconsin-Superior plays in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Yellowjackets went 4-22-1 (4-8 conference) last season and 12-14-12 (3-9-0 conference) the year before.
The Journal took a close look at Asquith’s progression and goals in an April 8, 2025 feature.
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