February 6, 2026

MADISON, S.D. – The Dakota State University women's and men's indoor track & field teams begin the month of February with a pair of indoor track & field meets this weekend.  The Trojans will be sending selected members to the two-day NCAA Division I meet, the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational, on Friday and Saturday.  The meet will be held at Bob Devaney Center Indoor Track (1600 Court St.) in Lincoln, Neb.

The Trojans also will compete in the Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) Alumni Meet on Saturday, held at DWU/Avera Sports and Wellness Complex (500 W Norway Ave.) in Mitchell.   

Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational – Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7

• Dakota State will be sending 19 men's athletes to the NCAA Division I meet in Lincoln, Neb., this weekend.
• The Trojan men's will be competing in 13 different events at the meet – 5000-meter run, 60-meter dash, 600-meter run, 1-mile run, 400-meter dash, 800-meter run, 200-meter dash, 3000-meter run, weight throw, long jump, high jump, triple jump, and shot put.
• DSU will be sending 12 women's athletes to the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational.
• Dakota State women's events at the NCAA Division I meet includes 5000-meter run, 60-meter dash, 60-meter hurdles, 600-meter run, 1-mile run, 400-meter dash, 800-meter run, 200-meter dash, 3000-meter run, 4 x 400-meter relay, pentathlon, long jump, weight throw, shot put, and triple jump.
• The Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational indoor track & field meet is available via on B1G+ Network (paid subscription).  The women's start at 11 a.m. on Friday, while the first DSU men's event is set for 2:25 p.m.  The meet continues Saturday, starting at 11 a.m.

Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) Alumni Meet – Saturday, Feb. 7

• Most of the Trojan indoor track & field men's and women's athletes are set to compete at the Dakota Wesleyan Alumni meet on Saturday in Mitchell.
• It marks the second time this season that DSU competed at DWU/Avera Sports and Wellness Complex in Mitchell.  The last time the Trojans competed in the indoor track & field meet hosted by DWU was on Dec. 13, where DSU claimed both men's and women's team titles.
• The indoor track & field meet is set to kick off at 11 a.m.

O. Thornton earns Frontier Conference and NAIA Women's Indoor Field Athlete-of-the-Week awards

• Oliviyah Thornton continued their throwing dominance last weekend at the Concordia (Neb.) Track & Field Classic held at Walz Fieldhouse in Seward, Neb.
• She won a pair of throwing titles at the meet, winning both the weight throw and shot put with NAIA national qualifying marks.As a result, Thornton was selected by the Frontier Conference and the NAIA as the Women's Indoor Field Athlete-of-the-Week.
• She highlighted her day in the weight throw, where she delivered a meet-winning mark of 17.68 meters (58 feet, .25 inches) to take first place in a nine-athlete field.  The throw not only improved her career record but also reset the Dakota State school record and met the NAIA 'A' automatic qualifying standard.Her 17.68-meter effort currently ranks fifth in the NAIA.
• She followed up with another victory in the shot put, again finishing first among nine competitors.Thornton recorded a top throw of 13.97 meters (45 feet, 10 inches), reaching the NAIA 'B' standard and completing a sweep of the meet's top seeded throwing events.
• It was the first time DSU women's indoor track & field program history to record the NAIA Women's Indoor Field Athlete-of-the-Week.

Steins set pentathlon school record again; Trojans add more national qualifiers

• Dakota State set a pair of women's indoor track & field school records last weekend, highlighted by Amelie Steins' new school record pentathlon for the second time this season.
• Steins captured the pentathlon title with a new school record of 3,319 points for the Trojans.She is currently in the NAIA's Top 10 pentathlon.  Casey Olson added a runner-up honor with a new personal record of 3,196 points, where she is in the Top 15.
• The top 16 pentathlon athletes will qualify for the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in early March.
• Another women's school record was set at the Mark Schuck Open & Multi's, held at NCAA Division II Minnesota State-Mankato last weekend.
• The DSU women's distance medley relay team of Presli White, RayLee Wallis, Anna Schneider, and Lindsey Roth clocked a season best time of 12 minutes, 38.46 seconds.  The previous DMR school record was set in 2024 by Roth, Wallis, Schneider, and Valerija Curikova with a time of 12:39.08.
• Oliver Tordsen added to the men's national qualifying list after the meets at Concordia.He hit a pair of NAIA 'B' provisional qualifying marks in the weight throw (17.71 meters – 58 feet, 1.25 inches) at the Concordia Polar Dog Invitational and added the NAIA 'B' standard in the shot put in the Concordia Track & Field Classic with a mark of 16 meters (52 feet, 6 inches).

Trojans prepare for the inaugural Frontier Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships

• The final regular season meet is scheduled for Feb. 13-14.DSU is slated to compete in the two-day South Dakota State Indoor Classic in Brookings, while selected athletes will compete in the Mount Marty (S.D.) Last Chance meet on Feb. 13.
• The Frontier Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships are scheduled for Feb. 21-22 at Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D.  The field and long-distance running events are set on the first day, while full day of events are set on the second day.  Dakota State will be the host to their inaugural Frontier Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships.
• The three-day NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held in Gainesville, Fla., for the second straight year.  The dates are set for March 5-7.

2025-26 Dakota State University Trojan Indoor Track & Field Top Marks
 

Women's	Events	Men's
Amelie Steins – 7.83 seconds	60-meter dash	Lukas Bennett - 6.88 seconds
Amelie Steins – 27.20 seconds	200-meter dash	Lukas Bennett – 22.34 seconds
RayLee Wallis – 59.09 seconds	400-meter dash	Mohamed Muse – 50.87 seconds
Anna Schneider – 1:39.84	600-meter run	Mohamed Muse – 1:20.15
Anna Schneider – 2:22.86	800-meter run	Franklin Johns – 1:57.78
Lindsey Roth – 3:09.12	1000-meter run	Solomon Carter – 2:35.76
Valerija Curikova – 5:21.79	1-mile run	Evan Armstrong - 4:21.36
Valerija Curikova – 10:18.45	3000-meter run	Lane Henrichs – 8:55.29
Valerija Curikova – 18:20.25	5000-meter run	Lane Henrichs – 15:54.51
Amelie Steins – 8.89 seconds	60-meter hurdles	Tysen Grinde – 8.84 seconds
Amelie Steins, Anna Schneider, Molli Thornton, RayLee Wallis – 3:58.50	4 x 400-meter relay	Solomon Carter, Evan Armstrong, Franklin Johns, Lukas Bennett – 3:22.08
Anna Schneider, Kierra Miller, Presli White, Lindsey Roth – 9:47.81	4 x 800-meter relay	Franklin Johns, Evan Armstrong, Solomon Carter, Mohamed Muse – 7:53.86
Presli White, RayLee Wallis, Anna Schneider, Lindsey Roth – 12:38.46	Distance Medley Relay	Franklin Johns, Lukas Bennett, Mohamed Muse, Finley McConniel – 10:41.71
Amelie Steins – 1.55 meters	High Jump	Tysen Grinde - 2.08 meters
N/A	Pole Vault	Tysen Grinde – 4.25 meters
Amelie Steins – 5.63 meters	Long Jump	Tysen Grinde – 6.80 meters
Molli Thornton – 10.29 meters	Triple Jump	Brock Krueger – 13.77 meters
Oliviyah Thornton – 14.10 meters	Shot Put	Oliver Tordsen – 16.00 meters
Oliviyah Thornton – 17.68 meters	Weight Throw	Zachary Haugen – 17.86 meters
Amelie Steins – 3,319 points	Pentathlon/Heptathlon	Tysen Grinde – 5,029 points

 
 2026 Dakota State University NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Qualifiers list
 

Athlete	Event		NAIA Standard	Where/When Qualifying Mark Set
Oliviyah Thornton	Weight Throw	A Automatic		17.68 meters (58 feet, .25 inches)) Concordia (Neb.) Track & Field Classic – Jan. 30, 2026
Mohamed Muse	600-meter run	B Provisional		1 minute, 20.15 seconds South Dakota State Holiday Open – Dec. 5, 2025
Oliviyah Thornton	Shot Put	B Provisional		14.10 meters (46 feet, 3.25 inches) Concordia (Neb.) Polar Dog Invitational – Jan. 23, 2026
Franklin Johns, Evan Armstrong, Solomon Carter, Mohamed Muse	4 x 800-meter relay	B Provisional		7 minutes, 47.18 seconds DWU Snow Tiger Invitational – Dec. 13, 2025
Amelie Steins	Pentathlon	B Provisional		3,339 points Concordia (Neb.) Track & Field Classic – Jan. 30, 2026
Casey Olson	Pentathlon	B Provisional		3,216 points Concordia (Neb.) Track & Field Classic – Jan. 30, 2026
Amelie Steins	Long Jump	B Provisional		5.63 meters (18 feet, 5.75 inches) Mount Marty (S.D.) Invitational & Multi's – Jan. 17, 2026
Tysen Grinde	High Jump	A Automatic		2.08 meters (6 feet, 9.75 inches) Mount Marty (S.D.) Opener – Jan. 10, 2026
Tysen Grinde	Heptathlon	B Provisional		5,029 points Mount Marty (S.D.) Invitational & Multi's – Jan. 17, 2026
Zachary Haugen	Weight Throw	B Provisional		17.86 meters (58 feet, 7.25 inches) Mount Marty (S.D.) Opener – Jan. 10, 2026
Oliver Tordsen	Shot Put	B Provisional		16.00 meters (52 feet, 6 inches) Concordia (Neb.) Track & Field Classic—Jan. 30, 2026
Oliver Tordsen	Weight Throw	B Provisional		17.71 meters (58 feet, 1.25 inches) Concordia (Neb.) Polar Dog Invitational—Jan. 23, 2026