Catching up with ... Paige Bauer

2021 North Branch graduate Paige Bauer has endured quite the journey since joining the Maverick track family, where she competes in both indoor and outdoor track and field for Division II Minnesota State University, Mankato.

From being ill for most of the indoor season her freshman year, to dislocating her ankle and tearing multiple ligaments shortly after that, the current junior seemingly couldn’t catch a break.

But a few minor setbacks can allow for a major comeback, one she hopes to achieve as she awaits her senior year of indoor track this fall.

“My freshman year was a little bit of a battle,” Bauer said. “I was sick a majority of spring semester, and then at the end of my freshman track season, I dislocated my ankle and tore all of the surrounding ligaments, which made my sophomore year mainly a rehab and comeback season.

“I had to work very hard in physical therapy and the season was just hard overall because I was limited in so many ways.”

A multi-sport athlete, Bauer competed in a variety of sports leading into her high school years, including gymnastics, soccer, softball and track.

At North Branch Area High School, Bauer was a six-time varsity letter award winner in track and field, while also grabbing a plethora of All-Mississippi 8 Conference awards to go along with just as many academic all-conference accolades.

In her senior year, Bauer won the Section 7AA title in the long jump to qualify for state in that event, while also adding a third-place finish in the Class AA state pole vault.

Despite the waves of adversity, Bauer noted how her junior season – which just wrapped up earlier this month – was the first year of her collegiate tenure where she didn’t suffer any injury or illness setbacks.

“However, I feel like I fell behind on some training, so I didn’t do as well as I was hoping to,” she said. “This summer, I’m trying my best to train and lift more so I can have a more successful senior year –which I am really looking forward to.”

In terms of adjustments, Bauer describes the pros and cons of having a coach you’ve known for years to not having a familiar face at the helm.

“The biggest adjustment for me was having a new coach. I really loved my high school coaches, I grew up with them,” Bauer said. “They were my coaches from the seventh grade all the way till my senior year, and I was very used to their coaching styles and how they explained things to me.

“Then getting a new coach in college, it was definitely a big change and it’s taken some time to learn from each other. But now, going into my senior year, I have definitely adjusted.”

Bauer discussed in depth the struggles of being a student-athlete and noted how she’s handled that workload as a Maverick.

“Since I’ve been an athlete my entire life so far, I think not being in a sport in college would almost be more difficult for me. It’s definitely a lot of work, but it keeps me in such a solid routine where I don’t really have time to procrastinate or push things off,” Bauer said.

“I usually just figure out my practice times and my work schedule, and then I’ll have two or three days with open time and that is when I do all of my homework. This next year will be very different, though, because I am starting the dental hygiene program in the fall. It is a much more strict school schedule and all in-person classes, so I’m not sure what that is going to look like for me yet.”

Bauer said she wanted to continue a sport in college because of mostly wanting to stay active and busy.

“I chose to continue track because I knew I wanted to stay in a sport; I couldn’t imagine my life without one while doing school,” Bauer said.

“I mostly chose MSU because it wasn’t too far away from home, but also far enough where I wouldn’t come home every weekend. I wanted to make sure I found my independence and made the best out of my college years. I also really loved the campus and knew they had a really good track program.”

With the dental hygiene program accepting just 24 students a year, Bauer is ecstatic on her acceptance into the major.

“I’m very excited that I got in. I start the program this fall, and then it’s two years, so I will graduate in spring of 2026, although I only have one year of eligibility left for track, so I’ll be done with that in spring of 2025,” she said.