October 24, 2026
ASHLAND, Neb. –
TayShaun Cudmore led Dakota State (S.D.) men's cross country Saturday morning as the Trojans recorded a 16th-place team finish at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic. The meet featured a competitive field of 412 runners from numerous NAIA programs across the country.
Cudmore was the top finisher for Dakota State in the 8-kilometer race, placing 78th overall with a time of 26 minutes, 35 seconds. He averaged approximately 5 minutes, 21 seconds per mile.
Finley McConniel followed Cudmore as the Trojans' second finisher, crossing the finish line in 105th place with a season best time of 27:04.
Tyler Nicke was the third Dakota State runner to finish, placing 134th overall in 27:27.
Joshua Tucker finished 145th overall with a time of 27:32, followed closely by
Lane Henrichs in 151st place with a time of 27:37. Just five seconds separated Tucker and Henrichs as the Trojans completed their top-five scoring runners.
Benjamin Strunk was the sixth Dakota State runner to cross the finish line, placing 161st overall with a time of 27:42.
Brendan Gillaspie rounded out the Trojans' seven runners, finishing 173rd in 27:51.
Dakota State's top five runners combined for a time of 2 hours, 16 minutes, 18 seconds, averaging approximately 27:16 per runner. The Trojans' first and fifth finishers were separated by just 1 minute, 2 seconds, while all seven Dakota State runners finished within 1:16 of each other.
The Trojans competed under favorable course conditions, with temperatures around 65 degrees and winds at 10 mph. The meet provided Dakota State with another opportunity to compete against a large NAIA field in preparation for the upcoming conference championships.
No. 2 ranked Southern Oregon won the men's title with 73 points.
Dakota State men's individual results – 8K
Team finish: 16th place
Top-five combined time: 2:16:18
Up next
Dakota State will turn its attention to the Frontier Conference Cross Country Championships on Nov. 6 in Billings, Mont.
