January 11, 2025

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – Dakota State (S.D.) added another athlete to their list of NAIA men's national qualifiers Saturday as they returned to indoor track & field action at the Dordt (Iowa) Open.  The indoor track & field meet was held at the Recreation Center on the campus of Dordt.  The Trojans captured two events titles in the meet.

James McClain captured the shot-put title for the Trojans, tossing a career best 16.28 meters (53 feet, 5 inches).  His mark is also the NAIA 'B' provisional qualifying mark, as well as the second best shot-put in DSU men's indoor track & field school record book.

Lukus Mentele added a runner-up honor in the shot-put, recording 15.68 meters (51 feet, 5.5 inches) for DSU.  Trenton Moran was fifth with 15.07 meters (49 feet, 5.5 inches).  Other DSU shot-put throwers results include Brock Tuttle – 11.88 meters (38 feet, 11.75 inches), Chantz Minear – 11.61 meters (38 feet, 1.25 inches – personal record), Robert Begalka – 11.02 meters (36 feet, 2 inches), and Joshua Shaffer – 10.82 meters (35 feet, 6 inches).

Kacey Cauley was fourth in the weight throw with a toss of 15.56 meters (51 feet, .75 inches).  Houston Lunde followed up with a fifth-place finish with 15.47 meters toss (50 feet, 9.25 inches), and Luke Borowicz with a sixth-place finish after throwing 14.80 meters (48 feet, 6.75 inches).  Lukus Mentele was eighth with 14.07 meters toss (46 feet, 2 inches).

Other DSU weight throwers results include Jack Hemmen – 13.89 meters (45 feet, 7 inches – personal record), Kendall Cauley – 12.59 meters (41 feet. 3.75 inches – personal record), Tarin Bingham – 12.07 meters (39 feet, 7.5 inches), Begalka – 10.59 meters (34 feet, 9 inches, and Tuttle – 9.65 meters (31 feet, 8 inches).

Evan Armstrong clocked his career best 2 minutes, 34.32 seconds to win the 1000-meter run title for the Trojans.  Logan Recoy was fifth in 2:43.60, followed by Holden Jelen sixth with a time of 2:43.88.  Yohannes Kassa placed eighth with a personal best time of 2:44.05.  Lucas Harr finished the race in 3:10.41, while Hunter Dimick registered a time of 3:25.26.

Grayson Madsen finished with a time of 4 minutes, 50.24 seconds in the 1-mile run for DSU.

Lukas Bennett was the fastest runner in the 60-meter dash prelims for Dakota State with a time of 6.96 seconds.  Braden Peterson was fourth in the prelims in 7.05 seconds.  Also running the 60-meter dash prelims included Minear – 7.19 seconds, Willie Hutchins – 7.22 seconds, Tayshaun Agard – 7.39 seconds, and Javon Newkirk – 7.74 seconds.

Bennett finished second in the 60-meter dash finals with a time of 6.94 seconds.  Peterson was fourth, improving his time from the prelims with a time of 7.00 seconds in the finals.

Peterson led the Trojans with a third-place finish in the 200-meter dash in 22.36 seconds.  Bennett was eighth in 22.79 seconds.  Agard finished the race in 24.88 seconds, followed by Newkirk in 25.59 seconds.

Newkirk leaped a personal record of 5.81 meters (19 feet, .75 inches) in the long jump.

Nolan Slominski collected a runner-up honor in the 600-meters after registering a time of 1 minute, 22.46 seconds.  Mohamed Muse was fourth in 1:26.10, followed by Franklin Johns fifth in 1:26.57, and Dawson Miller ninth in 1:29.73.

Caleb Sayler produced his career best time of 2:00.88 to place third in the 800-meter run for Dakota State.

Lane Henrichs paced DSU with a sixth-place finish in the 3000-meter run with his career best time of 9 minutes, 15.64 seconds.  Blake Schmiedt was eighth in 9:22.15.  Jonah Thiele produced a personal best time of 9:43.54, followed by Resse Henrie in 10:00.39, and Kaiden Akey in 10:57.98.

Aaron Van Hemert clocked the third fastest prelims time of 8.81 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles.  Tysen Grinde added a time of 9.12 seconds for fourth place in the prelims, followed by Bergen Irey with a personal record time of 10.79 seconds.

Van Hemert improved his time to 8.77 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles finals, where he finished fifth for DSU.

Grinde cleared the height of 1.98 meters (6 feet, 6 inches) to finish second in the high jump.  Caden Gortmaker cleared the height of 1.78 meters (5 feet, 10 inches), while Irey recorded a personal best mark of 1.73 meters (5 feet, 8 inches).

Mikal Bennett and Minear led the Trojans after clearing the height of 3.85 meters (12 feet, 7.5 inches) in the pole vault.  Samuel Olson cleared the height of 3.70 meters (12 feet, 1.5 inches).  Gortmaker recorded 3.55 meters clearance (11 feet, 7.75 inches), while Grinde produced a personal record height of 3.40 meters (11 feet, 1.75 inches).  Irey also hit a personal best height of 2.95 meters (9 feet, 8 inches) in the pole vault.

Brayden Houlette led DSU with a time of 53.68 seconds in the 400-meter dash.  Ben Witt added a time of 54.04 seconds, followed by Van Hemert in 54.25 seconds, Mattix Hausman in 55.19 seconds, Payton Anderson in 56.15 seconds, and Bryant Paulson in 59.51 seconds.

The Trojans had three different relay teams in the final event of the meet, the 4 x 400-meter relay.  The team of Houlette, Armstrong, Slominski, and Peterson earned the runner-up honor in 3:26.86.  Witt, Miller, Jelen, and Recoy finished fourth in 3:37.36.  The relay team of Van Hemert, Hausman, Anderson, and Johns finished seventh in 3:39.30.

Dakota State continues their busy indoor track & field schedule next Saturday as they travel to USD DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D.  The Trojans are set to compete in the NCAA Division I meet, the University of South Dakota Invitational with the first events starting at 12 noon.