May 9, 2025

DICKINSON, N.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) concluded their North Star Athletic Association era with a second-place finish at the 2025 conference men's outdoor track & field meet Friday.  The two-day conference meet was hosted by Dickinson State (N.D.) at Badlands Activity Center and Roger Huffman Field (at Biesiot Activities Center).

Dickinson State snapped Dakota State's streak five consecutive conference titles, earning 305.5 points.  The Trojans finished second with 251 points.  Jamestown (N.D.) was third with 143.5 points, followed by Valley City State (N.D.) with 73 points and Bellevue (Neb.) fifth with 62 points.

DSU highlighted the second day of the conference meet with a pair of North Star Athletic Association conference meet records.

The field events kicked off the morning session in the long jump, led by Tysen Grinde with a long jump mark of 6.62 meters (21 feet, 8.75 inches).  He finished seventh in the event.

Robert Begalka threw a personal record mark of 14.67 meters (48 feet, 1.75 inches) to place seventh in the shot put for the Trojans.  Houston Lunde added 12.57 meters shot put toss (41 feet, 3 inches).

Dakota State wrapped up the field events with the high jump and the discus.  Brock Kreuger tied his personal record of 1.86 meters (6 feet, 1.25 inches) to place fifth in the high jump.  Grinde and Chantz Minear also cleared the height of 1.86 meters, finishing in a two-way tie for sixth.

Brock Tuttle produced a personal record 40.29 meters (132 feet, 2 inches) to place ninth in the discus for the Trojans.  Jack Hemmen added 39.30 meters (128 feet, 11 inches), followed by Luke Borowicz with 38.86 meters (127 feet, 6 inches), and Lunde 37.03 meters (121 feet, 6 inches).

The running events began in the afternoon session with the 3000-meter steeplechase.  Lane Henrichs collected a runner-up honor with a time of 9 minutes, 48.40 seconds.  Blake Schmiedt followed up with a third-place finish with his career best time of 9 minutes, 57.70 seconds. 

Jonah Thiele was seventh in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a personal record time of 10:32.80.  Lucas Harr also hit his career best time of 11:57.53 to place ninth.

The Trojans' 4 x 100-meter relay team was edged by Jamestown by .002 seconds.  The members of Javon Newkirk, Ben Witt, Payton Anderson, and Lukas Bennett finished third with a time of 42.39 seconds (official time 42.389 seconds).

Evan Armstrong clocked a personal record time of 4:02.80 to finish as runner-up in the 1500-meter run for Dakota State.  Curtis Johnson hit a season best time of 4:08.06 to finish third, followed by Logan Recoy fourth with a time of 4:08.40.  Tyler Nicke added a fifth-place finish with a personal record time of 4:08.45.  Grayson Madsen was eight in 4:23.72.  Hunter Dimick finished the race in 5:05.82.

Bennett won the 100-meter dash finals with a time of 10.71 seconds for DSU.  Willie Hutchins registered a season best time of 11.46 seconds to finish eighth.

The North Star Athletic Association presented the Champions of Character awards to each school.  Zachary Haugen of Dakota State was the recipient to this year's NSAA Men's Outdoor Track & Field Champions of Character.

Nolan Slominski claimed the second straight NSAA's outdoor 800-meter run title after clocking a time of 1 minute, 52.71 seconds.  It was the sixth consecutive year that the Trojan athlete had won the 800-meter run title at the outdoor conference meet.

Slominski broke an eight-year North Star conference meet record in the 800-meter run, previously held by Alex Der with a time of 1:55.48 in 2017.

Mohamed Muse placed third with a personal record time of 1 minute, 53.78 seconds.  Yohanna Kassa was fifth with a career best time of 1:56.21.  Franklin Johns posted a season best time of 1:57.52 to finish seventh in the race.  Dawson Miller recorded a personal record time of 1:59.31 to finish ninth, followed by Holden Jelen with a season best time of 2:01.94 to finish 11^th.

The Trojans established another NSAA conference meet record in the 400-meter hurdles.  Minear clocked a career best time of 52.67 seconds to win the title, breaking the previous school record held by Magic Walton with a time of 53.80 seconds in 1989).  The previous NSAA conference meet record holder in the 400-meter hurdles was by Khamarly Holmes of Waldorf (Iowa), which was set in the 2023 conference meet.

Minear's time is just .03 seconds to reaching the NAIA 'A' automatic qualifying time. 

Aaron Van Hemert added a third-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal best time of 56.69 seconds.  Bryant Paulsen finished ninth with a season best time of 1:04.16.

Bennett was edged by Kohbe Smith of DiSU for the 200-meter dash title.  Both runners finished with a time of 21.47 seconds, while Bennett finished with a time of 21.469 seconds while Smith finished in 21.462 seconds.  Witt added seventh with a personal record time of 22.66 seconds.  Anderson finished the race in 23.20 seconds, followed by Hutchins in 23.96 seconds, Newkirk in 24.17 seconds, and Noah Haynes with a personal record time of 25.17 seconds.

Caleb Sayler led the Trojans with a runner up finish in the 5000-meter run, recording a time of 15 minutes, 33.17 seconds.  Benjamin Strunk added an eighth-place finish in 16:55.57, followed by Joshua Tucker ninth in 17:04.20.  Schmeidt produced a career best time of 17:24.82.

The Trojans closed the conference meet by winning their sixth straight 4 x 400-meter relay title.  The team members of Bennett, Witt, Muse, and Slominski finished with the team's season best time of 3:21.24.

Two DSU athletes received postseason awards after the conclusion of the meet.  Bennett completed the season sweep of the NSAA Track Athlete-of-the-Meet for scoring the most points in the running events (he also won the NSAA Indoor Track Athlete-of-the-Meet last winter).  Bennett scored 30 points in the running events to receive the NSAA Men's Outdoor Track Athlete-of-the-Meet award.

Minear also swept the season awards for the Track & Field Most Valuable Athlete for the Trojans, voted by the league coaches.  Minear was awarded the NSAA Men's Outdoor Track & Field Most Valuable Athlete (he was named to the NSAA Indoor Track & Field Most Valuable Athlete last spring).

Dakota State waits to see the official listing for the 2025 NAIA Men's Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.  The multi-events qualifiers will be announced Monday, with the full list of national qualifiers on Wednesday.

The three-day NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships meet is set for May 21-23 at Wildcat Stadium, hosted by Indiana Wesleyan in Marion, Ind.