December 6, 2024

BROOKINGS, S.D. – The Dakota State University Trojan men's indoor track & field team made their season debut Friday afternoon in the first day of the South Dakota State Holiday Invitational & Multi-Events.  The two-day meet was held at Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex.

The Trojans featured numerous athletes' debut, along with national individual qualifier and personal records at the meet.  Local NCAA Division I, II, and NAIA schools competed in the indoor track & field meet.  Dakota State is currently in eighth place in the team standings out of 26 teams listed after scoring 21 points.

Chantz Minear and Caden Gortmaker kicked off the day in the heptathlon, posting a personal record in the 60-meter dash.  Minear collected 826 points after registering a time of 7.16 seconds while Gortmaker clocked a time of 7.77 seconds for 628 points.

Minear leaped 6.36 seconds (20 feet, 10.5 inches) in the long jump for 666 points.  Gortmaker added 574 points after recording a long jump of 5.94 meters (19 feet, 6 inches).

The third event of the heptathlon was the shot put, led by Minear with a toss of 10.33 meters (33 feet, 10.75 inches) for 505 points.  Gortmaker produced a personal best throw of 9.56 meters (31 feet, 4.5 inches) for 459 points.

Minear cleared a career best high jump mark of 1.97 meters (6 feet, 5.5 inches) for 776 points.  Gortmaker scored 644 points in the high jump after clearing 1.82 meters (5 feet, 11.5 inches).

DSU's Minear is second in the heptathlon standings after the first day, scoring 2,773 points.  He is 38 points behind the leader Calder Erick of NCAA Division II Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) with 2,811 points.  Gortmaker is ninth after tallying 2,305 points after the first day.

Dakota State's former NAIA All-America heptathlon athlete Treshawn Roberts is third with 2,766 points.  The heptathlon concludes Saturday morning at 11 a.m. with three more events (60-meter hurdles, pole vault, and 1000-meter run).

Nolan Slominski became the first Trojan this season to produce the NAIA national qualifying time in the 800-meter run.  He clocked a time of 1 minute, 53.20 seconds to finish third in the race.  His time is the NAIA 'B' provisional qualifying time and is the third fastest time in the DSU men's indoor 800-meter run school record book.  Roger Oliete Tejedor added a time of 2 minutes, 1.63 seconds in the 800-meters.

Lukas Bennett captured a first place in the 60-meter dash qualifying, edging Austin Gobel of Mount Marty with a time of 6.99 seconds.  Tayshaun Agard (7.34 seconds) and Javon Newkirk (7.65 seconds) also make their collegiate debut at Dakota State.

A pair of Trojan sprinters were listed in the DSU 'Top 10' times in the 60-meter dash, led by Braden Peterson with the ninth fastest time all-time in 6.95 seconds.  He finished 12^th in the prelims. Bennett followed up with the 10^th fastest all-time of 6.97 seconds (personal record) and placed 14^th.

Bennett also earned a personal record time of 22.33 seconds in the 200-meter dash, placing 10^th.  Agard added a time of 23.91 second sin the race.

Peterson led DSU with a ninth-place finish in the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.41 seconds.  Brayden Houlette finished the race in 51.71 seconds, followed by Aaron Van Hemert in 52.52 seconds.  Ben Witt hit a personal record time of 53.32 seconds, while Payton Anderson finished in 54.22 seconds, Mattix Hausman in 54.80 seconds, and Bergen Irey in 56.20 seconds.

Van Hemert registered a time of 8.78 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles.

Brock Krueger registered a triple jump mark of 12.16 meters (39 feet, 10.75 inches) in his collegiate debut at Dakota State.  Javon Newkirk also made his debut in the long jump, leaping 5.79 meters (19 feet), as well as Irey with a 5.30 meters long jump mark (17 feet, 4.75 inches).

Lukus Mentele threw 13.47 meters (44 feet, 2.5 inches) to place 13^th in the shot-put championship event for the Trojans.

Trenton Moran posted a personal record shot-put toss of 14.86 meters (48 feet, 9 inches) to finish fourth in the event.  Robert Begalka made his collegiate debut with a toss of 13.44 meters (44 feet, 1.25 inches) to place 14^th.  Keegan Hensley threw 12.82 meters (42 feet, .75 inches), while Sam Sather added 12.62 meters (41 feet, 5 inches) in his collegiate debut.  Brock Tuttle also made his debut at Dakota State with 12.43 meters toss (40 feet, 9.5 inches).

Luke Borowicz hit a career best 15.87 (52 feet. .75 inches) to place fourth in the weight throw.  Houston Lunde followed up with a 10^th place finish after throwing 14.69 meters (48 feet, 2.5 inches).  Keegan Hensley earned a personal record of 13.87 meters (45 feet, 6.25 inches).  Mentele added 13.48 meters (44 feet, 2.75 inches), Moran 12.52 meters (41 feet, 1 inch), and Tarin Bingham 10.77 meters (35 feet, 4 inches).

Tysen Grinde cleared the high jump mark of 1.95 meters (6 feet, 4.75 inches), placing fifth for the Trojans.

Tyler Nicke was sixth in the 600-meter run in 1:25.35, followed by Dawson Miller 13^th in 1:26.81.

Caleb Sayler highlighted the 3000-meter run with a personal record time of 8 minutes, 47.19 seconds and placed fourth.  His time is the 10^th fastest time in the DSU men's indoor track & field school record book.  Evan Armstrong added a personal best time of 9:13.85 to finish 10^th.  Lane Henrichs also produced a personal record time of 9:17.57.  Grayson Madsen finished the race at 10:15.75.

Mikal Bennett earned his career best 4.10 meters (13 feet, 5.25 inches) clearance in the pole vault for DSU.

Blake Schmiedt led Dakota State in the 1-mile run with a time of 4 minutes, 36.86 seconds for a ninth-place finish.  Benjamin Strunk followed up with an 11^th place finish in 4:39.60.  Other DSU runners in the race included Logan Recoy (4:40.58), Yohannes Kassa (4:45.46 – personal record), Holden Jelen (4:46.38), Franklin Johns (4:48.95), Kaiden Akey (5:12.59), Lucas Harr (5:23.26), and Hunter Dimick (5:43.54).

The indoor track & field day one ended with three different Trojan teams in the 4 x 400-meter relay.  The team of Peterson, Houlette, Anderson, and Slominski finished 11^th in 3:27.36.  Van Hemert, Nicke, Hausman, and Johns registered a time of 3:33.98.  Witt, Newkirk, Krueger, and Irey finished with a time of 3:42.59.

Dakota State continues their indoor track & field action Saturday with the completion of the heptathlon and competing in a rare indoor event of discus at 11 a.m.