February 18, 2024
MADISON, S.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) took control and dominated the 2024 North Star Athletic Association Men's Indoor Track & Field Championship, leading from start to finish with a new conference meet record of 296 points for the third consecutive team title. It was the first time since the 1996-98 seasons that the Trojans had won three straight indoor track & field conference team titles (in the former South Dakota-Iowa Conference).
The 2024 indoor track & field conference meet was held at the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex (SJAC) on the campus of NCAA Division I South Dakota State. The Trojans collected their fifth team title in the last six conference meets.
Dakota State also established a new conference meet total points in the previous two meets (254 points in 2023 and 253 points in 2022). The scoring system is set for the top eight place finishers on 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
DSU scored in all 18 events at the NSAA Men's Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Dickinson State (N.D.) was second with 168 points. Valley City State (N.D.) finished third with 80 points, edging out Viterbo (Wis.) by six points (74 points). Waldorf (Iowa) placed fifth with 46 points, followed by Bellevue (Neb.) sixth with five points.
The conference meet kicked off with three different field events.
Jacob Joachim led the Trojans in the weight throw, where he earned a runner-up finish with 17.86 meters toss (58 feet, 7.25 inches, which is also NAIA 'A' automatic toss).
Houston Lunde added an eighth-place finish after throwing 15.59 meters (51 feet, 1.75 inches).
Zachary Haugen followed up with a ninth-place finish with a career best 15.37 meters toss (50 feet, 5.25 inches) for DSU.
Kacey Cauley was 10
th with 14.65 meters toss (48 feet, .75 inches), while
Jackson Zastera was 12
th with 13.84 meters toss (45 feet, 5 inches) and
Jack Hemmen 13
th with 13.39 meters toss (43 feet, 11.25 inches).
James McClain improved his NAIA 'A' automatic qualifying shot-put toss to 16.23 meters (53 feet, 3 inches), where he finished second in the event. His shot-put mark is the second best in the DSU men's indoor track & field school record book.
Dylan Johansen followed up with a sixth-place finish with a personal best 14.82 meters (48 feet, 7.5 inches).
Trenton Moran added a career best 14.12 meters toss (46 feet, 4 inches) to finish eighth.
Joshua Shaffer was 15
th after throwing 11.56 meters (37 feet, 11.25 inches).
Treshawn Roberts claimed the runner-up honor in the pole vault, clearing the height of 4.20 meters (13 feet, 9.25 inches).
Caleb Roberts earned a fourth-place finish after clearing the height of 3.60 meters (11 feet, 9.75 inches).
T. Robers leaped 6.15 meters (20 feet, 2.25 inches) to place fifth in the long jump for DSU.
Tysen Grinde produced a personal record 6.12 meters leap (20 feet, 1 inch) to follow up with a sixth-place finish. Ingalls was seventh with a 6.10 meters long jump mark (20 feet, .25 inches).
Grinde cleared the high jump with a personal best 1.97 meters (6 feet, 5.5 inches) to clinch the runner-up honor for Dakota State.
Chantz Minear followed up with a third-place finish after clearing the height of 1.92 meters (6 feet, 3.5 inches). T. Roberts was fourth with 1.87 meters (6 feet, 1.5 inches) clearance.
Ingalls collected a third-place finish in the triple jump for DSU, leaping 13.06 meters (42 feet, 10.25 inches).
Corbin Mackaben was eighth after jumping 12.10 meters (39 feet, 8.5 inches).
The running events kicked off with the 5000-meter run, where DSU's
Taylor Myers captured the title for the second straight year. He clocked a time of 15 minutes, 53.16 seconds to win the title.
Harrison Greathouse earned a third-place finish in 16:13.48, followed by
Lane Henrichs with a fifth-place finish in 16:35.47.
Joshua Tucker hit a personal record time of 16:35.56 to place sixth, followed by
Reese Henrie with an eighth-place finish with a career best time of 17:48.93.
Jonah Thiele was 10
th after clocking a time of 18 minutes, 14.48 seconds.
Dakota State earned another title in the next running event, winning the 4 x 800-meter relay. The team members of
Evan Armstrong,
Curtis Johnson, Graysen Madsen, and
Daniel Green registered a time of 8 minutes, 22.88 seconds to capture the title.
T. Roberts clocked the second fastest time in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.41 seconds for Dakota State. Minear added a time of 8.49 seconds for the third fastest prelims time, followed by C. Roberts with a time of 9.37 seconds for an eighth-place finish. All three hurdlers advanced to the finals.
Minear was edged out by NSAA Men's Indoor Track Athlete-of-the-Meet and Most Valuable Athlete Jalen Anderson of Viterbo in a thrilling 60-meter hurdles finals. Minear clocked a time of 8.04 seconds, which improved his NAIA 'A' automatic qualifying time as well as producing the new DSU school record book for the fifth time this season. T. Roberts was fourth in 8.50 seconds, while C. Roberts hit his career best time of 8.88 seconds to finish seventh.
Willie Hutchins paced the Trojans to the second fastest time in the 60-meter dash prelims in 7.09 seconds.
Michael Foster added a time of 7.15 seconds to finish fifth, followed by
Niyongabo Yohana sixth in 7.16 seconds,
Tramayne Black seventh in 7.18 seconds,
Lukas Bennett eighth in 7.20 seconds, and
Hudson Fix ninth with a personal record time of 7.21 seconds.
Five sprinters competed in the 60-meter dash finals, placing fourth through eighth. Yohana hit a personal record time of 7.12 seconds for a fourth-place finish, followed by Foster fifth in 7.14 seconds, Black sixth in 7.16 seconds, Hutchins seventh in 7.20 seconds, and Bennett eighth in 7.23 seconds.
Nolan Slominski highlighted the 600-meter run by winning the race after improving his personal record and NAIA 'B' provisional qualifying time of 1 minute, 21.15 seconds. His time also established a new North Star indoor conference meet record time, breaking the previous conference meet record time of 1:21.40 by Marcus Brown of Waldorf (Iowa) during the 2023 conference meet.
Nicke followed up with a third-place finish in the 600-meter run with a personal best time of 1 minute, 24.51 seconds.
Joshua Krull was fourth in 1:26.03, followed by
Dawson Miller with a personal record time of 1:26.28. Madsen was eighth in 1:30.67.
Lucas Harr was 13
th with a time of 1 minute, 35.07 seconds.
Cody Farland won the 1-mile run with a time of 4 minutes, 22.27 seconds for Dakota State.
Evan Slominski earned a career best time of 4:25.16 to place third. Green followed up with a fourth-place finish in 4:26.83, while
Blake Schmiedt posted a personal record time of 4:33.36 to place sixth. Armstrong was ninth in 5:01.49, followed by
Kaiden Akey 10
th in 5:28.07.
Minear clocked a personal record time of 50.47 seconds to claim the 400-meter run title for DSU. N. Slominski earned the runner-up honor in 50.93 seconds.
Joseph Larson was eighth after recording a time of 52.78 seconds. Jaacks produced a personal record time of 52.98 seconds to finish ninth, followed by Krull 11
th in 53.19 seconds and C. Roberts 15
th in 54.55 seconds.
Dakota State dominated the 800-meter run event, placing six runners in the top eight (including the top four places). The Trojans won the 800-meters event for the eighth time in the last 10 years. Farland earned his second individual title of the day, hitting a time of 1:55.95. Johnson followed up with a runner-up honor in 1:56.86 and E. Slominski with a third-place finish in 1:58.70.
Nicke produced a personal record time of 2 minutes, .24 seconds to finish fourth in the 800-meters. Green was sixth in 2:03.18 and Miller seventh in 2:06.64.
Foster led the Trojans with a third-place finish in the 200-meter dash, registering a time of 22.66 seconds. Fix followed up with a fourth-place finish with a time of 22.87 seconds. Minear was ninth with a personal record time of 23.17 seconds, followed by Bennett 10
th with a personal record 23.34 seconds, Hutchins 11
th in 23.40 seconds and Yohana 13
th in 23.86 seconds.
Myers collected a runner-up honor in the 3000-meter run with a time of 9 minutes, 11.72 seconds. Greathouse edged out Collin Kotz of Bellevue for third place by .03 seconds, clocking a time of 9:14.04. Schmiedt was eighth in 9:36.99, followed by Tucker ninth in 9:38.10.
Dalton Brouwer clocked a time of 9:39.90 for an 11
th place finish, followed by Henrichs 12
th in 9:41.39.
The conference meet concluded with the Trojans completing the relays sweep, winning the 4 x 400-meter relay. The team of Larson, E. Slominski, Armstrong, and N. Slominski clocked a time of 3 minutes, 27.87 seconds to win the title.
Head coach
Anthony Drealan was voted as the North Star Athletic Association Men's Indoor Track & Field Coach-of-the-Year for the third straight year.
Ingalls was named to the NSAA Men's Indoor Track & Field Champions of Character recipient.
Dakota State will be sending eight athletes to the 2024 NAIA Men's Indoor Track & Field National Championships, returning to SJAC on Feb. 29-March 2.
They are (tentative events in parenthesis):
Treshawn Roberts (heptathlon),
Chantz Minear (heptathlon),
Cody Farland (4 x 800-meter relay, plus to be announced),
Curtis Johnson (4 x 800-meter relay),
Nolan Slominski (4 x 800-meter relay),
Evan Slominski (4 x 800-meter relay),
Jacob Joachim (weight throw), and
James McClain (shot put).
Stay tuned to the DSU Athletics website on dsuathletics.com for download the Trojan Nation Fan mobile app to stay up to date with the schedule and events.
