October 9, 2025

MADISON, S.D. – The Dakota State University Trojan cross country teams continue their action Saturday morning as they return to Sioux Center, Iowa, for the second time this season.  The Trojans run on the Dordt (Iowa) Cross Country course on campus (700 7^th Street NE) in the Holiday Inn Express Classic.

Numerous teams from NCAA and NAIA will be competing in the cross country meet on Saturday.  There will be two divisions in each gender, starting with the women's 6K Gold Division at 10 a.m. (DSU women's are scheduled to run in this division). 

The Trojan men's squad is scheduled to run in two different divisions (8K racecourse) on Saturday morning.  The Gold Division is set for 10:35 a.m., while the Black Division is slated for 11:45 a.m.

Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open Highlights

• Dakota State ran on a flat racecourse at Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve in the Briar Cliff (Iowa), featuring teams from NCAA Division I to NAIA.
• (RV) Morningside (Iowa) edged (RV) Dakota State (S.D.) by one point (134-135) to finish fourth in the women's team standings.
• Brooke Beaucaire led the Trojans with her career best 6K time of 22 minutes, 42.59 seconds to place 17^th in the race.  Her time is the second fastest 6K in DSU's women's cross country program history.  As the result, Beaucaire was selected as the Erck Hotels/Frontier Conference Women's Cross Country Runner-of-the-Week for the second time this season.
• Lindsey Roth added 31^st place finish in 23 minutes, 41.41 seconds, followed by Valerija Curikova 33^rd in 23:45.01, and Paige Willnerd 34^th in 23:52.92.  Madelyn Sylva clocked a time of 24 minutes, 16.59 seconds.
• Dakota State finished sixth as a team with 144 points in the men's team standings.  The Trojans highlighted with personal record times in the meet.
• Lane Henrichs highlighted the Trojans with a career best 8K time of 25 minutes, 59.68 seconds.  He finished 13^th in the race.  Evan Armstrong followed up with a 24^th place finish in 26 minutes, 32.79 seconds for DSU.  Benjamin Strunk added his season best time of 27:22.12.
• Tyler Nicke posted his personal record time of 27:23.71 for Dakota State.  Blake Schmiedt registered a season best time of 27:29.30, followed by Solomon Carter with a personal best time of 27:40.81.  Holden Jelen earned his career best 8K time of 28:51.80.

Dakota State prepares for Frontier Conference meet

• Dakota State had their virtual media day with the Frontier Conference via FC YouTube Wednesday (Oct. 8).  Ten other schools also took part of the virtual conference media day – Bellevue (Neb.), Bismarck State (N.D.), Carroll (Mont.), Dickinson State (N.D.), MSU-Northern, Montana Tech, Montana Western, Providence (Mont.), Rocky Mountain (Mont.), and Valley City State (N.D.).
• The Frontier Conference Cross Country Championships are just less than a month away.  Rocky Mountain will be the host of the cross-country conference meets this year and next year at Amend Park in Billings, Mont.
• The team winner from each gender division will receive the automatic bid from the Frontier Conference for the 2025 NAIA Cross Country National Championships.  The 70^th annual Men's and 46^th annual Women's Cross Country National Championships take place at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla., on Nov. 21.

Upcoming Meets
Dakota State takes a week off before their final regular season meet.  The Trojans head to Ashland, Neb. For the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic, hosted by Doane (Neb.) and College of Saint Mary (Neb.).

The 2025 Frontier Conference Cross Country Championships are just less than one month away at Amend Park in Billings, Mont., hosted by Rocky Mountain (Mont.) on Friday, Nov. 7.  The women's race is set for 11:30 a.m. (Central Time)/10:30 a.m. (Mountain Time), followed by the men's 8K race at 12:30 p.m./11:30 a.m. (MT).

1. Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic – Oct. 25 in Ashland, Nebraska.
2. Frontier Conference Championships – Nov. 7 at Amend Park, Billings, Mont.
3. NAIA Cross Country National Championships – Nov. 21 at Apalachee Regional Park, Tallahassee, Fla.

2025 Dakota State University Top Times
Women's (6K)

• Brooke Beaucaire – 22 minutes, 42.6 seconds – Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open – Oct. 4
• Valerija Curikova – 23 minutes, 45.1 seconds – Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open – Oct. 4
• Kierra Miller – 25 minutes, 10.4 seconds – Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open – Oct. 4
• Lindsey Roth – 23 minutes, 41.5 seconds – Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open – Oct. 4
• Anna Schneider – 25 minutes, 38.4 seconds – Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open – Oct. 4
• Madelyn Sylva – 24 minutes, 16.6 seconds – Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open – Oct. 4
• Paige Willnerd – 23 minutes, 53 seconds – Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open – Oct. 4

Men's (8K)

• Kaiden Akey – 35 minutes, 28.9 seconds – Sunflower Open – Sept. 13
• Evan Armstrong – 26 minutes, 32.2 seconds – Sunflower Open – Sept. 13
• Solomon Carter – 27 minutes, 40.9 seconds – Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open – Oct. 4
• Marc Corpus – 26 minutes, 40.2 seconds – Sunflower Open – Sept. 13
• Hunter Dimick – 36 minutes, 50.9 seconds – Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open – Oct. 4
• Lucas Harr – 32 minutes, 22.7 seconds – Sunflower Open – Sept. 13
• Lane Henrichs – 25 minutes, 59.7 seconds – Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open – Oct. 4
• Holden Jelen – 28 minutes, 51.8 seconds – Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open – Oct. 4
• Finley McConniel – 27 minutes, 48.6 seconds – Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open – Oct. 4
• Tyler Nicke – 27 minutes, 23.8 seconds – Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open – Oct. 4
• Logan Recoy – 29 minutes, 50.1 seconds – Sunflower Open – Sept. 13
• Blake Schmiedt – 27 minutes, 29.3 seconds – Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open – Oct. 4
• Benjamin Strunk – 27 minutes, 22.2 seconds – Briar Cliff (Iowa) Open – Oct. 4
• Jonah Thiele – 28 minutes, 14,8 seconds – Sunflower Open – Sept. 13
• Joshua Tucker – 28 minutes, 56.4 seconds – Sunflower Open – Sept. 13