August 19, 2025
MADISON, S.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) made their Frontier Conference men's cross-country debut with a fifth place in the coaches' preseason poll, announced Tuesday morning by the conference office. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams in the preseason poll. First place is worth 10 points, second place is worth nine points (9), third place is worth eight (8) points, and go down the list to last place with one (1) point.
The Frontier Conference expanded this fall with five new programs including Dakota State and remaining former North Star Athletic Association members – Bellevue (Neb.), Dickinson State (N.D.), and Valley City State (N.D.). In addition, Bismarck State (N.D.) also joined the NAIA and the Frontier Conference this season.
Four-time Frontier Conference defending champion Carroll (Mont.) was the preseason favorite to win the title, racking up eight first-place votes and 98 points. Rocky Mountain (Mont.) picked up the final three first-place votes and 87 points to finish second in the poll.
Bellevue, who won the NSAA Men's Cross Country conference title last season, was placed third in the preseason poll with 79 points. Montana Tech was fourth with 70 points followed by Dakota State fifth with 64 points.
Bismarck State placed sixth with 57 points, Dickinson State seventh with 54 points, Montana Western eighth with 32 points, MSU-Northern ninth with 30 points, Valley City State 10
th with 20 points, and Providence (Mont.) 11
th with 14 points.
The Frontier Conference will be holding their virtual media day, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 1 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Mountain Time). Stay tuned to the fcsports.com website for the virtual media day schedule with the cross -country programs via Frontier Conference's YouTube live streaming platform.
Dakota State, under the guidance of first-year head coach
Alex Glover, assisted by
Taylor Hauge, returns 15 runners from last year's team. The Trojans kick off their 2025 season on Friday, Sept. 5, running under the lights at NCAA Division II Augustana (S.D.) Twilight meet. The men's race is set for 9 p.m. at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls.
The Frontier Conference Cross Country Championships are set for Friday, Nov. 7 at Amend Park in Billings, Mont., hosted by Rocky Mountain. The team winner will receive an automatic bid for the NAIA Cross Country National Championships, which is set for Friday, Nov. 21 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla.
Below is the complete 2025 Frontier Conference Men's Cross Country Coaches' Preseason Poll:
| 2025 Frontier Conference Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Rank |
School (First Place Votes) |
Total Points |
| 1 |
Carroll (Mont.) (8) |
98 |
| 2 |
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) (3) |
87 |
| 3 |
Bellevue (Neb.) |
79 |
| 4 |
Montana Tech |
70 |
| 5 |
Dakota State (S.D.) |
64 |
| 6 |
Bismarck State (N.D.) |
57 |
| 7 |
Dickinson State (N.D.) |
54 |
| 8 |
Montana Western |
32 |
| 9 |
MSU-Northern |
30 |
| 10 |
Valley City State (N.D.) |
20 |
| 11 |
Providence (Mont.) |
14 |
