March 28, 2025

WAYNE, Neb. – Dakota State (S.D.) produced numerous personal records Friday in the outdoor track & field season opener in the Wildcat Outdoor Classic.  The outdoor track & field meet was hosted by NCAA Division II Wayne State (Neb.) at WSC Memorial Stadium.  The Trojans captured an event title in the meet.

The team members of Lukas Bennett, Ben Witt, Evan Armstrong, and Nolan Slominski captured the 4 x 400-meter relay title with a time of 3 minutes, 24.83 seconds.  Aaron Van Hemert, Tayshaun Agard, Curtis Johnson, and Bryant Paulsen added a fifth-place finish after clocking a time of 3 minutes, 41.90 seconds.

Bennett led the Trojans with a ninth-place finish in the 100-meter dash, finishing in 10.72 seconds.  Ashton Sandbulte posted a time of 11.08 seconds.  Agard was 11.47 seconds in the race, followed by Javon Newkirk with a time of 11.56 seconds.

Bennett registered a time of 22.10 seconds to place eighth in the 200-meter dash.  Sandbulte added a time of 22.86 seconds, followed by Tysen Grinde and Van Hemert with 22.98 seconds each.  Brayden Houlette finished the race in 23.39 seconds, followed by Newkirk in 23.86 seconds.

Former DSU's NAIA All-America Treshawn Roberts won the 110-meter hurdles after posting a time of 15.24 seconds.  Van Hemert was third with a time of 15.69 seconds, followed by Grinde fifth in 15.75 seconds.  Bergen Irey finished the 110-meter hurdles in 18.49 seconds.

Brock Krueger cleared a personal record 1.83 meters (6 feet) to finish third in the high jump for the Trojans.  Bryant Paulsen added 1.68 meters clearance (5 feet, 6 inches) to place seventh.

Krueger also posted his personal record in the triple jump, recording 12.36 meters mark (40 feet, 6.75 inches).  He finished fifth in the event.  Newkirk leaped 5.98 meters (19 feet, 7.5 inches) in the long jump.

Mohamed Muse produced a personal record time of 51.95 seconds to place fifth in the 400-meter dash for Dakota State.  Witt added a seventh-place finish in 52.45 seconds.

Tyler Nicke registered a time of 2 minutes, 2.01 seconds to place fourth in the 800-meter run.  Grayson Madsen added an eighth-place finish in 2:07.18.  Other DSU runners in the 800-meter run included Franklin Johns – 2:10.69, Kaiden Akey – 2:26.62, and Hunter Dimick – 2:30.12.

Seven Trojans runners placed in the Top 10 in the 1500-meter run, led by Caleb Sayler with a third-place finish in 4 minutes, 16.15 seconds.  Armstrong followed up with a fourth-place finish in 4:16.81, Lane Henrichs fifth in 4:17.51, Slominski sixth in 4:22.59, and Yohannes Kassa seventh in 4:24.36.  Joshua Tucker was ninth in 4:29.26 and Blake Schmiedt tenth in 4:29.67.

Other DSU results in the 1500-meter run included Benjamin Strunk – 4:30.72, Logan Recoy – 4:32.64, Jonah Thiele – 4:36.12, Holden Jelen – 4:38.63, Johnson – 4:39.99, David Brock – 4:47.15, and Lucas Harr – 5:07.29.

Four DSU throwers hit personal record in the discus.  Luke Borowicz placed sixth after throwing a personal record 44.13 meters (144 feet, 9 inches).  Trenton Moran followed up with a career best 39.13 meters (128 feet, 4 inches) toss, followed by Kendall Cauley with a personal record 38.77 meters (127 feet, 2 inches).  Brock Tuttle threw 38.74 meters (127 feet, 1 inch), while Jack Hemmen hit a personal record 38.09 meters (124 feet, 11 inches).  Robert Begalka threw 31.65 meters (103 feet, 10 inches).

Lukus Mentele produced the sixth farthest hammer throw mark in the DSU men's outdoor track & field school record book, hitting 50.88 meters (166 feet, 11 inches).  He finished seventh in the event.  Borowicz added a career best 46.87 meters (153 feet, 9 inches), followed by Moran with a personal record 43.29 meters toss (142 feet).

Other DSU hammer throwers results include Hemmen – 41.83 meters (137 feet, 3 inches), Cauley – 41.39 meters (135 feet, 9 inches – personal record), and Tuttle – 31.43 meters (103 feet, 1 inch).

Moran was fifth in the shot put, throwing 14.82 meters (48 feet, 7.5 inches) for Dakota State.  Mentele added 13.41 meters (44 feet), followed by Begalka with 12.99 meters toss (42 feet, 7.5 inches) and Tuttle with 11.62 meters toss (38 feet, 1.5 inches).

Xander Sheehan led DSU with a sixth-place finish in the javelin, throwing 44.16 meters (144 feet, 10 inches).  Caden Gortmaker added 36.04 meters mark (118 feet, 3 inches), followed by Grinde with 35.65 meters mark (116 feet, 11 inches).  Irey recorded a mark of 30.19 meters (99 feet).

Samuel Olson cleared the height of 3.80 meters (12 feet, 5.5 inches) to place fifth in the pole vault for DSU.  Gortmaker and Grinde each cleared the height of 3.50 meters (11 feet, 5.75 inches), finishing for an eighth-place tie.

Dakota State heads to Vermillion, S.D., next weekend for the two-day NCAA Division I meet.  The Trojans compete in the University of South Dakota Early Bird Invitational at Lillibridge Track Complex.