April 23, 2025
MADISON, S.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) posted the most combined spring sports scholar athletes with 51 individuals earned the 2025 NAIA Daktronics Scholar Athlete award, announced by the national office Wednesday.
This prestigious academic honor recognizes student-athletes in each of the spring sports who have excelled academically including baseball, softball, and track & field.
To qualify as a Daktronics NAIA Scholar Athlete, students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, appear on the eligibility certificate for their sport, and have attended their institution for at least one full year. This year, the list features an impressive number of student-athletes who have met these criteria.
The Trojan women's and men's outdoor track & field teams established a single school combined record for most NAIA scholar athletes with 40 (23 men's and 17 women's). DSU baseball team recorded eight scholar athletes, while the softball program registered three scholar athletes.
The DSU men's and women's track and field teams produced the most NAIA scholar athletes in the North Star Athletic Association.
Below is the list of 2025 NAIA Fall Sports Daktronics Scholar Athletes by each sport (name – year – hometown – major):
Baseball
- Cole Drumheller – Junior – Papillion, Neb. – computer science
- Dylan Gillespie – Senior – Whitewood, S.D. – physical education
- Trey Heckenlaible – Junior – Sioux Falls, S.D. – computer information systems/business analytics
- Samuel Kampshoff – Junior – Yankton, S.D. – computer science
- Daniel Lesher – Junior – Sioux Falls, S.D. – computer graphics
- Dawson Portner – Senior – Tea, S.D. – business management
- Alex Swack – Senior – Coralville, Iowa – business technology
- Sam Tyrpa – Senior – Excelsior, Minn. – cyber operations
Softball
- Hannah Feser – Senior – Cut Knife, Sask., Canada – biology
- Jordyn Jeffries – Sophomore – Overton, Neb. – elementary education
- Ally Morrissey – Sophomore – Sacramento, Calif. – professional accountancy
Men's Track & Field
- Kaiden Akey – Sophomore – Mankato, Minn. – cyber operations
- Luke Borowicz – Sophomore – Jordan, Minn. – cyber operations
- Cody Farland – Senior – New Underwood, S.D. – cyber operations
- Caden Gortmaker – Junior – St. Lawrence, S.D. – computer science
- Tysen Grinde – Sophomore – Spring Grove, Minn. – computer science
- Lucas Harr – Senior – Sioux Falls, S.D. – cyber operations
- Zachary Haugen – Senior – Bath, S.D. – physical education
- Noah Haynes – Sophomore – Crooks, S.D. – computer science
- Lane Henrichs – Sophomore – Doon, Iowa – cyber operations
- Curtis Johnson – Junior – Indianola, Iowa – cyber operations
- Yohannes Kassa – Senior – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – computer science
- Houston Lunde – Senior – Pierre, S.D. – elementary education
- Corbin Mackaben – Junior – Newell, S.D. – computer science
- Grayson Madsen – Sophomore – Rosholt, S.D. – exercise science
- Dawson Miller – Sophomore – Mitchell, S.D. – cyber operations
- Taylor Myers – Graduate Student – Estherville, Iowa – cyber operations
- Tyler Nicke – Sophomore – Hartington, Neb. – cyber operations
- Bryant Paulsen – Junior – Marshall, Minn. – exercise science
- Blake Schmiedt – Junior – Dakota Dunes, S.D. – cyber operations
- Nolan Slominski – Sophomore – Blair, Neb. – cyber operations
- Jonah Thiele – Sophomore – Olathe, S.D. – computer science
- Jordan Upton – Sophomore – Columbus, Ohio – exercise science
- Ben Witt – Junior – Burke, S.D. – exercise science
Women's Track & Field
- Bridget Bartling – Sophomore – Burke, S.D. – exercise science
- Brooke Beaucaire – Junior – Beaumont, Calif. – cyber leadership/intelligence
- Valerija Curikova – Sophomore – Riga, Latvia – computer science
- Caitlin Dyer – Junior – Morphettville, South Australia – physical education
- Rebecca Hazlett – Senior – Columbus, Neb. – physical education
- Alyssa Koffler – Sophomore – Buffalo Gap, S.D. – business administration
- Casey Olson – Senior – Fergus Falls, Minn. – professional accountancy
- Bella Maxwell – Junior – Madison, S.D. – cyber operations
- Kierra Miller – Sophomore – Hemingford, Neb. – integrated biology
- Saddie Palmquist – Senior – Howard, S.D. – cyber operations
- Gabriella Peitzmeier – Senior – Omaha, Neb. – elementary education
- Lindsey Roth – Junior – Parkston, S.D. – elementary education
- Anna Schneider – Sophomore – Sioux Falls, S.D. – professional accountancy
- Amelie Steins – Sophomore – Dusseldorf, Germany – integrated biology
- Molli Thornton – Sophomore – Hartford, S.D. – integrated biology
- Oliviyah Thornton – Sophomore – Garretson, S.D. – cyber leadership/intelligence
- RayLee Wallis – Senior – Roseville, Minn. – cyber operations
