October 9, 2025
MADISON, S.D. - Dr. Theodore (Ted) Sees left an incredible mark on the Dakota State cross country and track & field programs during his standout four-year career from 1999 to 2003. A four-time all-conference selection in cross country, Sees consistently ranked among the school's top distance runners under the former legendary DSU head coach
Buzz Stevenson.
He was an All-Conference cross-country runner in the final year of the South Dakota-Iowa Conference (SDIC). He followed up with three more All-Conference accolades in the Dakota Athletic Conference-10 (DAC-10), which consisted of ten schools in the states of South Dakota and North Dakota.
He still owns two of the Top 30 all-time cross country 8K times in school history. His time of 25 minutes, 40 seconds at the 2000 Dakota Cross Country Championships in Madison, which is currently 24th fastest time in the school record book. He also posted the current 28th fastest time of 25 minutes, 48 seconds in the 2001 DAC-10 Cross Country Championships, which was also held in Madison.
Sees qualified for the 2001 NAIA Cross Country National Championships in Kenosha, Wis., where he placed 39th. He finished the 8K national racecourse with a time of 26 minutes, 15 seconds. He returned to Kenosha for the 2002 national cross country meet and finished with 43rd place with a time of 26 minutes, 33 seconds.
Sees added multiple NAIA Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field national appearances during his running career at DSU. His highlights came in the 2001 indoor track national meet in Johnson City, Tenn., placing fifth in the 3000-meter run prelims with a time of 8 minutes, 42.17 seconds, and advanced to the finals. He placed seventh with a time of 8 minutes, 38.04 seconds.
Another highlight came in the 2002 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championship in the 5000-meter run. He placed third in the prelims breaking under the 15-minute mark with a time of 14 minutes, 54.83 seconds and advanced to the finals. He was seventh in the national finals with a time of 14 minutes, 57.65 seconds.
Sees was the DSU record holder in the indoor 3,000-meter run (8 minutes, 37.27 seconds in 2002), a mark that stood for 18 years. He added the indoor 5,000-meter run school record (14 minutes, 52.97) and held that school record for 17 years. He was also listed in the outdoor track & field school record book – currently 8th fastest in the 5000-meter run (15 minutes, 8.36 seconds) and 5th fastest in the 10,000-meter run (31 minutes, 22.90 seconds).
His dominance earned him Dakota State's Outstanding Male Athlete award twice in 2002 and 2003. While excelling on the track and course, Sees also shined in the classroom and was considered for the conference's academic honors. He graduated from Dakota State in 2003.
Sees pursued a Doctor of Optometry degree at the Illinois College of Optometry, graduating in 2007. That same year, he married his classmate Dr. Carrie Sees. The couple lived in Washington, D.C. for six years before settling in Rockford, Mich., where they opened their first optometry practice in 2014. Today, they operate two offices employing more than a dozen staff members, including four doctors.
Theodore and Carrie have two children, Penelope and Oliver. He enjoys traveling, exploring new restaurants and breweries, staying active, and cheering on his kids in their athletic pursuits, especially watching his son follow in his footsteps by running cross country.
