November 6, 2025

MADISON, S.D. – The first 2025 fall sports conference championships in the Frontier Conference are set for Friday morning as Dakota State (S.D.) prepares for the cross country meet at Amend Park (5101 King Ave. East) in Billings, Mont.  Rocky Mountain (Mont.) is the host for this year's Frontier Conference Cross Country Championships.

The women's 6K race officially gets underway at 11:30 a.m. (Central Time)/10:30 a.m. (Mountain Time) and will continue with the men's 8K race at 12:30 p.m. (CT)/11:30 a.m. (MT).

It is the first time since 2014 season that Dakota State ran a conference cross country meet in Billings, Mont., where the Trojan men's squad won the first ever North Star Athletic Association title.

Trojans excel in regular season finale at Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic

• Dakota State excelled during their regular season finale in Ashland, Neb., highlighted with two women's cross country posting their season best 6K times in the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic.  The Trojan women's squad finished eight overall with 259 points and was the top Frontier Conference team place finisher in the meet with two hundred runners from over 25 teams at Mahoney State Park.
• Valerija Curikova led the Trojans with a season best time of 22 minutes, 49.11 seconds, placing 23^rd.  Lindsey Roth added a time of 23 minutes, .47 seconds, followed by Brooke Beaucaire 23:16.59 and Paige Wilnerd in 23:43.71.  Kierra Miller clocked a time of 24:29.97, and Anna Schneider improved her season time of 25 minutes, 9.95 seconds.
• Six Dakota State men's cross-country runners clocked a personal record 8K race in the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic.  The Trojans were the top Frontier Conference team place-finisher, defeating Bellevue (Neb.), Dickinson State (N.D.) and Montana Western.
• Lane Henrichs paced the Trojans with a personal record 8K time of 25 minutes, 41.44 seconds, which is the 26^th fastest time in DSU men's cross country school record book.  Evan Armstrong added a personal record time of 25 minutes, 53.99 seconds.  Joshua Tucker, Finley McConniel, Jonah Thiele, and Holden Jelen each added their career best time.
• Reese Henrie, Lucas Harr, Kaiden Akey, and Hunter Dimick also registered a season best 8K time in the race.

Frontier Conference Cross Country Championships Preview

• Eleven Frontier Conference members are set to compete in the 2025 Frontier Conference Cross Country Championships on Friday.
• There will be awards ceremony following the conclusion of the men's race at 1:45 p.m. (CT)/12:45 p.m. (MT).  The ceremony takes place directly north of the finish line.  The awards ceremony will include Champions of Character recipients, Academic All-Conference recipients, All-Conference award winners, Male and Female Runners-of-the-Year, Coaches-of-the-Year, and team conference champions.
• Each of the top 15 women and top 15 men will receive an All-Conference plaque that will be presented at the awards ceremony.
• The first-place team champion on the women's and men's side will both earn the conference's automatic bids to the NAIA National Championships at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla., on Friday, Nov. 21.
• There will be a selection show on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 4 p.m. (CT)/3 p.m. (MT) to determine the at-large bid teams and individual national qualifiers to the NAIA cross country national meets.  You can view the selection show on https://www.naia.org/sports/shows. 
• 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.
• Montana Tech women's cross-country team snapped Carroll's (Mont.) streak of four consecutive Frontier Conference titles last season at the same racecourse (Amend Park).  Dakota State is seeking for their return trip to the NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship after winning the final ever North Star Athletic Association title last season.
• The Carroll men's squad had won four straight Frontier Conference title last season, edging Rocky Mountain by a single point. 

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

• Brooke Beaucaire – 22 minutes, 35.5 seconds – Holiday Inn Express Clinic – Oct. 11
• Valerija Curikova – 22 minutes, 49.11 seconds – Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic – Oct. 25
• Kierra Miller – 23 minutes, 21.9 seconds – Holiday Inn Express Clinic – Oct. 11
• Lindsey Roth – 22 minutes, 57.3 seconds – Holiday Inn Express Clinic – Oct. 11
• Anna Schneider – 25 minutes, 9.95 seconds – Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic – Oct. 25
• Madelyn Sylva – 23 minutes, 50.3 seconds – Holiday Inn Express Clinic – Oct. 11
• Paige Willnerd – 23 minutes, 10.7 seconds – Holiday Inn Express Clinic – Oct. 11

Men's (8K)

• Kaiden Akey – 31 minutes, 26.88 seconds – Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic – Oct. 25
• Evan Armstrong – 25 minutes, 53.99 seconds – Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic – Oct. 25
• David Brock – 29 minutes, 42 seconds – Holiday Inn Express Clinic – Oct. 11
• Solomon Carter – 27 minutes, 14.18 seconds – Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic – Oct. 25
• Marc Corpus – 25 minutes, 51.6 seconds – Holiday Inn Express Clinic – Oct. 11
• Hunter Dimick – 36 minutes, 4.64 seconds – Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic – Oct. 25
• Lucas Harr – 31 minutes, 23.02 seconds – Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic – Oct. 25
• Lane Henrichs – 25 minutes, 41.44 seconds – Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic – Oct. 25
• Reese Henrie – 28 minutes, 35.01 seconds – Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic – Oct. 25
• Holden Jelen – 27 minutes, 53.24 seconds – Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic – Oct. 25
• Finley McConniel – 27 minutes, 4.21 seconds – Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic – Oct. 25
• Tyler Nicke – 26 minutes, 49.4 seconds – Holiday Inn Express Clinic – Oct. 11
• 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 – 26 minutes, 38.7 seconds – Holiday Inn Express Clinic – Oct. 11
• Jonah Thiele – 27 minutes, 19.36 seconds – Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic – Oct. 25
• Joshua Tucker – 26 minutes, 44.33 seconds – Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic – Oct. 25