by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Jalen Chase is a sophomore at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He joins his younger brother freshman Ricardo on the Cross Country team. Eldest brother Joe Jr. competed at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa.
Jalen Chase is a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes (TAT) from New Town, ND on the Fort Berthold Reservation. His dad Joe Sr. is TAT enrolled and Fort Peck Reservation-raised from Poplar, MT and stepmom Nikki is TAT from New Town, ND.
Stepmom Nikki shared: “Since a young age, Jalen has always been a hard worker. He always strives to do his best in everything he does and it’s no different when it comes to running. He grew to love running and it became a passion of his. New Town is home to many talented runners going back to when I was still in high school. Brian Anderson took the head coach position, and they’ve become unstoppable. Thanks to the strong running program here, Jalen was able to find a talent that he didn’t know he had deep down inside. Running has not only brought so many opportunities to Jalen, it has built lifelong friendships for him. It’s awesome to see the bond that him and his former teammates have, even beyond high school and I’m happy to have witnessed that from when Jalen was a 7th grader up until he graduated. I’m beyond proud of Jalen in everything he does and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.”
“When it comes to Ricardo, he had some big shoes to fill having two big brothers that had a lot of achievements in their running. He worked his butt off and got better with each and every race. Now that he’s able to run with Jalen at the collegiate level, I believe that he will only get better. The same goes for Ricardo and building lifelong friendships, particularly with two of his former teammates, Jaiven Hale and Colby Antell. They have a bond that no one else would understand. I’m just glad that our boys were able to be a part of such an awesome running program and I’m thankful for their former teammates and coaches, along with their own hard work and effort, for helping them become the runners they are today,” added Nikki.
“Jalen, Ricardo and Joe Jr. also have three younger sisters who really look up to them: Tianna, 13 years old, Takiyah, 11 years old, and Taiya, 10 years old,” said Nikki. “They are also runners, but they prefer short distance so they only run in track. Tianna qualified for the ND State Youth Track Meet in Fargo for the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, and 4×100 meter relay in 2016 and 2017. Takiyah also qualified in the state meet in the same exact events as Tianna for the last three years and did very well. Taiya competed in the meet for her first time this past June in the 100 and 200 meter dashes and took 1st in both events. All of our girls have expressed that they are proud of their brothers’ success in running. They said they motivate them to do try harder and do better in athletics in hopes to be like them one day.”
“Jalen is a highly motivated, hard working kid,” said Joe Sr. “He’s held a job since he was 12 years old. He worked at the local grocery store for six years and now has been working at the local casino the past two years. All while going to school and participating in XC & T&F and a couple years of basketball. He’s always saying he wants to be a role model for his brother Ricardo and his 4 younger sisters. He gives 110% on any task giving to him.”
“Ricardo also started working at a young age of 14, working at the same places as Jalen. He’s worked hard to be as good of a runner as his two older brothers Jalen and Joe Jr.,” added Joe Sr.
“Jalen is an all around team player, and he had interest from numerous D1 colleges but passed on those opportunities to run with Ricardo at Northern State University. Ricardo and Jalen have always listened to our advice and followed it to a ‘T’. Both really want to be successful and strive to be a role model for native kids on my home reservation of Ft. Peck in Montana and here with the Three Affiliated Tribes in North Dakota.”
“I have competed at many different levels of running, from Nike regional races to Foot Locker regional races, and I was also a part of two Wings of America XC teams, the 2015 Down Under Sports XC team, and a dominant XC program for six years at New Town HS so I bring a lot of competitive experience to the team,” said Jalen. “I know how to push my teammates to their full potential and it has made me a better runner in the long run as well.”
“Jalen’s performances on the Wings National Team in 2016 and 2017 were valuable learning experiences for a runner aiming to compete in college,” said Dustin Martin (Dine’), Executive Director of the Wings of America based in Santa Fe, NM. “Both years he had to run a new distance (8K) on a difficult course in Bend, OR. To add to the challenge, he had to line up alongside college runners with a lot more miles under them. Though I don’t think he ran as fast as he would have liked either year, it gave him a vision of where he wanted to be and the amount of work it would require to get there. Finish time and race pace aside, Jalen’s enthusiasm and support for his teammates was unrivaled. Being from North Dakota, I can imagine feeling isolated or different from the other members of a SW-dominated Wings team. Jalen didn’t let it get to him one bit. Never once did I doubt he was training despite the subzero temperatures of the northern plains. If they’re anything like Jalen, I’m really hoping we’ll get another New Town Eagle on the Wings Team soon.”
“I represent the Three Affiliated Tribes, and being a role model for many Native Americans, not only through sports, but also education,” said Jalen. “I can go far with the degree I earn and show many Native Americans that your dreams can come true when you put in the work, and stay motivated. Like they say it’s now or never, what you do now defines your future.”
“I’m heading in the direction I want to be, and running is a big motivation in getting me there,” said Jalen. “Running is the reason why I’m going to college, and also the reason why I’m in a good college. It’s helped get me this far, and it’s going to continue to keep doing that when I put in the effort.”
“Some people that have influenced me as a student athlete are my parents, Coach Anderson, Coach Hale, Rob White, Sr., and Nan Reimer. They all made sure I was getting my school work done, checking on my grades, helping me work things out with the teachers and anything else I needed help with,” added Jalen.
“Jalen Chase was someone special to be around,” said Jay Hale, assistant cross country and track coach at New Town HS. “He always had a good attitude. Never hung on to a bad race. He was tough mentally and physically. He always had a ton of energy and it carried over to his teammates. He has such a high ceiling. He holds the North Dakota State Track and Field Record in the 2 mile 9:23.”
Jalen Chase is a remarkable young man,” said Robert White Sr. “I have had the pleasure of watching him develop into a fine human being. This kid would go to school then to practice then to work. He did this throughout his high school career. In the offseason I would see him running after work. The drive and determination he has for academics and athletics is unmatched. He is always smiling and has a great demeanor about him. I thank Jalen for allowing my family to be part of his life. Jalen has been a role model and positive influence on my sons.”
“Jalen is an awesome student that is very conscientious of not only himself but the others around him,” said Nan Reimer. “He’s an awesome teammate because he cheers them on to do their best even if that means they they move ahead of him. Jalen is not only an athlete but in his senior year he also joined the drama team and the speech team in which he did very well as I was his coach. Those experiences helped to boost his self-confidence. I have followed the cross country team for the last six years and the dedication of the team and the family feel because of leaders like Jalen make what being a part of a championship team is all about.”
After high school, Jalen enrolled at Northwest Indian College and attended school only. “I wanted to meet NCAA requirements, and run at the NCAA level,” said Jalen. So I went to a small school to get my GPA and grades up.”
“Getting to know Jalen throughout the recruiting process last year, I knew he was going to be a special athlete,” said Livia Mahaffie, head men’s cross country coach at Northern State University. “He is very passionate about the sport, willing to learn, and made it known he was ready for next level training and competition at the collegiate level.”
“After being away at school in Washington, he has come back into training and competing pretty seamlessly,” said Coach Livia. “He shows up to practice ready to work, always giving 100 percent effort, while also motivating his teammates.”
“He has consistently been in our top three this year, which is very exciting! Going into the NSIC championship this weekend, I know Jalen will make a push to close the gap between himself and our number two runner. He has gotten better throughout the season at running a smarter race through the first half in order to finish strong at the end. We have worked a lot on pack running this season as well, the guys are very tight knit and push each other constantly. As Jalen moves up in the pack, I know it will only encourage and strengthen the whole. I expect big things from Jalen as he continues to develop during his time at Northern,” added Coach Livia.
“I plan to run a good race Saturday and earn an award,” said Jalen. “That would be the goal, and for a good team placing. I would have to say top 15 max because it’s my freshman year. But we’ll see. A lot of talent in the field.” Jalen is a part of that talent. “Appreciate continuing to work hard towards it,” added Jalen.
“Something I would like to share with the readers is that it’s possible to do whatever you set your mind to,” said Jalen. “Just go out and work hard, whether it’s sports or academics, you don’t need natural skill, as long as you put in the effort and work hard the results will come.”
“Some of my high school running accomplishments were winning State XC as an individual and winning the 3200 meter run at State Track my junior year,” said Jalen. “I also set the Class B 3200 meter record of 9:23 that still stands after three years. Most of all would be the accomplishments we built as a team. When I graduated, we had six consecutive XC titles, and now they’re working towards the 8th title. Also, from my freshman to junior year we won State Track three years in a row. The coaches and teammates on the team helped me become a better a runner, and I seriously believe I wouldn’t be where I am now without the effort we all put in together.”
Photographs provided by Northern State Wolves and Six Eleven Photography.
