Over the weekend, hundreds of athletes laced up for the Hunter Seifert Memorial Meet, an event honoring the memory of an athlete at Shiloh Christian whose life was cut short after a battle with cancer. However, one race reminded the family that he’s never too far away.
“This one’s going to stay with me for a long time,” says Mason Seifert.
That’s what eighth-grader Mason Seifert thought when he crossed the finish line in the 1600 at Shiloh Christian over the weekend, winning his first-ever race at the varsity level.
“It was kind of like in the middle of the race, after the 400 I was like, I know I can stay with these guys,” says Mason. “And I just ran my race and that’s how it turned out.”
His brother Carter just catching his breath after his event, just in time to see Mason pull off the victory.
“I think it was the last 200 meters, him and the guys he was racing against were neck and neck,” says Carter Seifert. “And then at the last 150, he just sprinted the rest of the time.”
A special moment for two brothers at a meet named after their oldest brother Hunter, who passed away a few years ago from a rare form of cancer.
“Mason has really worked hard at those workouts and it’s also his confidence as an underclassman,” says head coach Jeremy Harms. “Sometimes you don’t see that but his maturity is really good. He’s got some excellent team goals, personal goals that he wants to fulfill.”
The Hunter Seifert Memorial Meet has been held at Shiloh Christian since 2018, one that continues to bring the top class B track teams in the state to the Capital City.
“It raises some awareness throughout the teams that participate on what the Seifert family has endured,” says Harms. “We’ve had really good performances, we’ve had a lot of records set at that meet including this year. We’ve had a lot of good performances, so to be able to memorialize it has been very special for Shiloh Christian school and the Seifert Family.”
“It’s really comforting,” says Carter. “It makes us feel like we’re not alone and that we have people to look forward to, look up to when we’re at a tough spot.”
As for Mason, he knows that this moment will allow him to believe in himself with just weeks to go in the season.
“Boosts up my confidence a lot more,” says Mason. “And it helps me prepare for the rest of the races left.”
Shiloh Christian and the Seifert brothers will be back in action Tuesday when they compete in the Bismarck twilight meet.