April 18, 2025
MANKATO, Minn. – Dakota State (S.D.) added another NAIA women's outdoor track & field national qualifier Friday at the NCAA Division II meet, the Maverick Invitational at Mark Schuch Outdoor Track & Field Complex on the campus of Minnesota State-Mankato. The Trojans also produced personal record and season best marks in the meet, as well as a pair of event titles.
Dakota State finished sixth as a team in the standings out of 14 teams scored. The Trojans scored 33 points in the meet. Sioux Falls (S.D.) edged host-team Minnesota State-Mankato by 4.5 points (185.5 points – 181 points), followed by Augustana (S.D.) third with 117.25 points, Minnesota-Duluth fourth with 80.25 points, and Southwest Minnesota State fifth with 54 points. NCAA Division III schools also competed in the meet.
Gabriella Peitzmeier tossed a personal record 53.04 meters (174 feet) to win the hammer throw title for DSU. Her mark is the NAIA 'B' provisional qualifying mark, ranking No. 5 on the performance list after the meet. Peitzmeier's mark also is the second farthest in DSU women's hammer throw school history.
Bella Maxwell added a toss of 43.22 meters (141 feet, 9 inches) in the hammer throw for the Trojans.
Lilly Young threw 10.45 meters (34 feet, 3.5 inches) in the shot put. She added 35.23 meters (115 feet, 7 inches) in the discus. Maxwell registered a discus mark of 31.30 meters (102 feet, 8 inches).
Rebecca Hazlett led DSU with a fifth-place finish in the javelin, throwing 35.57 meters (116 feet, 8 inches).
Casey Olson followed up with sixth place after posting a mark of 34.33 meters (112 feet, 7 inches).
All six Dakota State runners earned the season best time in the 800-meter run, led by
Lindsey Roth with a ninth-place finish in 2 minutes, 25.22 seconds.
Anna Schneider added 11
th place finish in 2:25.52.
Kierra Miller finished the race in 2:31.51, followed by
Saddie Palmquist in 2:32.13,
Caitlin Dyer in 2:34.30, and
Valerija Curikova in 2:37.57.
Amelie Steins tied her personal record time in the 100-meter dash prelims, clocking a time of 12.66 seconds for DSU.
Molli Thornton finished with a time of 12.80 seconds. Other DSU runners' results included
Bridget Bartling in 13.43 seconds,
Bethany Lawson in 13.46 seconds, and
Averie Marshall in 13.70 seconds.
Alyssa Koffler finished with a time of 18.40 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles.
Marshall led Dakota State with a personal record time of 26.83 seconds in the 200-meter dash. Lawson produced a season's best time of 26.87 seconds.
Ella Carstensen registered a time of 27.70 seconds, followed by Bartling in 27.76 seconds, and Koffler in 29.56 seconds.
Thornton leaped 5.20 meters (17 feet, .75 inches) in the long jump for DSU. Carstensen posted a triple jump mark of 10.55 meters (34 feet, 7.5 inches), finishing ninth in the event.
The Trojans concluded the day by winning the 4 x 400-meter race. The relay team of Steins, Schneider, Thornton, and
RayLee Wallis captured the title with a time of 4 minutes, 3.14 seconds. Their time is the fourth fastest in the DSU school history. Dyer, Palmquist, Roth, and Miller finished third in 4 minutes, 28.58 seconds.
Dakota State heads to Yankton, S.D., Wednesday for the Mount Marty (S.D.) Invitational. The Trojans then will take selected members to the premier annual event in the nation, the Drake Relays Thursday through next Saturday at Bulldog Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
