March 4, 2026

MADISON, S.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) is sending twelve (12) athletes – four women's and eight men's – to the 2026 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships.  The three-day indoor track & field national meet is being held at Alachua Country Sports & Events Center at Celebration Pointe in Gainesville, Fla.  It is the second straight year that the indoor track & field national meet is being hosted in Gainesville.

The field consists of 543 women's in the 46^th annual running of the national meet, while a total of 647 men's athletes competing in the 61^st annual running of the national championship.  All events are televised free on NAIA's Urban Edge Network on https://urbanedgenetwork.net/?school=naia-championships.  The live results can be found on http://live.halfmiletiming.com/meets/901/events/.

Dakota State begins their competition in multi-events on Thursday and continues through Saturday. Below is the schedule of events that the Trojans are scheduled to compete in:

Thursday, March 5

• Tysen Grinde:  Heptathlon – 10 a.m. (Eastern Time)/9 a.m. (Central Time) – 60-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump; qualifying mark – 5,029 points
• Amelie Steins:  Pentathlon – 10:30 a.m. (ET)/9:30 a.m. (CT) – 60-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump, 800-meter run; qualifying mark – 3,339 points
• Solomon Carter, Franklin Johns, Mohamed Muse, Tyler Nicke (Logan Recoy – alternate): 4 x 800-meter relay – 3:15 p.m. (ET)/2:15 p.m. (CT) – qualifying mark – 7:47.18
• Tysen Grinde:  High Jump – 5 p.m. (ET)/4 p.m. (CT) – qualifying mark – 2.08 meters (6 feet, 9.75 inches)

Friday, March 6

• Tysen Grinde:  Heptathlon – 10 a.m. (ET)/9 a.m. (CT) – 60-meter hurdles, pole vault, 1000-meter run
• Amelie Steins:  Long Jump – 12 p.m. (CT)/11 a.m. (CT); qualifying mark – 5.63 meters (18 feet, 5.75 inches)
• Oliviyah Thornton: Weight Throw – 12 p.m. (ET)/11 a.m. (CT) – 18.31 meters (60 feet, 1 inch)
• Bella Maxwell:  Weight Throw – 12 p.m. (ET)/11 a.m. (CT) – 17.05 meters (55 feet, 11.25 inches)
• Zachary Haugen:  Weight Throw – 3 p.m. (ET)/2 p.m. (CT) – 17.92 meters (58 feet, 9.5 inches)
• Tarin Bingham:  Weight Throw – 3 p.m. (ET)/2 p.m. (CT) – 17.85 meters (58 feet, 6.75 inches)
• Oliver Tordsen:  Weight Throw – 3 p.m. (ET)/2 p.m. (CT) – 17.72 meters (58 feet, 1.75 inches)
• Men's 4 x 800-meter Relay (if qualified for finals) – 6:25 p.m. (ET)/5:25 p.m. (CT)

Saturday, March 7

• Oliviyah Thornton:  Shot Put – 11:30 a.m. (ET)/10:30 a.m. (CT); qualifying mark – 14.38 meters (47 feet, 2.25 inches)
• Bella Maxwell:  Shot Put – 11:30 a.m. (ET)/10:30 a.m. (CT); qualifying mark – 13.74 meters (45 feet, 1 inch)
• Valerija Curikova:  3,000-meter run – 3 p.m. (ET)/2 p.m. (CT); qualifying mark – 10:12.15
• Oliver Tordsen:  Shot Put – 2:30 p.m. (ET)/1:30 p.m. (CT); qualifying mark – 16.31 meters (53 feet, 6.25 inches)

Frontier Conference Indoor Track & Field Recap

• Dakoto State women's and men's teams finished as a runner up in the inaugural Frontier Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb. 21-22 in Brookings, S.D.
• Despite taking the team lead after the first day of the Frontier Conference Championship, the Trojan women's squad was edged by Dickinson State (N.D.) by two points (144-142).
• DSU men's team finished second with 116 points, edging Montana Tech by one point (115 points).
• A total of 16 athletes earned the Frontier Conference All-Conference awards after placing in the top eight at the conference meet.
• Tysen Grinde shared the 2026 Frontier Conference Indoor Field Athlete-of-the-Meet, scoring the most points in the field events with 23 points (Ty Leischner of Dickinson State).
• Grinde (high jump and Amelie Steins (400-meter dash) each earned an individual title at the conference meet.

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
RayLee Wallis – 25.83 seconds	200-meter dash	Lukas Bennett – 22.20 seconds
RayLee Wallis – 58.65 seconds	400-meter dash	Franklin Johns – 49.96 seconds
RayLee Wallis – 1:38.71	600-meter run	Mohamed Muse – 1:20.15
Anna Schneider – 2:19.02	800-meter run	Tyler Nicke – 1:54.68
Lindsey Roth – 3:06.96	1000-meter run	Solomon Carter – 2:35.76
Lindsey Roth – 5:18.92	1-mile run	Evan Armstrong - 4:21.36
Valerija Curikova – 10:12.15	3000-meter run	Lane Henrichs – 8:55.29
Valerija Curikova – 18:17.93	5000-meter run	Joshua Tucker – 15:53.45
Amelie Steins – 8.89 seconds	60-meter hurdles	Tysen Grinde – 8.78 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
Valerija Curikova, Brooke Beaucaire, Lindsey Roth, Anna Schneider – 9:36.11	4 x 800-meter relay	Franklin Johns, Logan Recoy, Tyler Nicke, Mohamed Muse – 7:48.36
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
Adow Thyab – 1.61 meters	High Jump	Tysen Grinde - 2.08 meters
N/A	Pole Vault	Tysen Grinde – 4.45 meters
Amelie Steins – 5.63 meters	Long Jump	Tysen Grinde – 6.80 meters
Ella Carstensen – 10.92 meters	Triple Jump	Brock Krueger – 13.77 meters
Oliviyah Thornton – 14.38 meters	Shot Put	Oliver Tordsen – 16.31 meters
Oliviyah Thornton – 18.31 meters	Weight Throw	Zachary Haugen – 17.92 meters
Amelie Steins – 3,339 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
Bella Maxwell	Shot Put	B Provisional		13.74 meters (45 feet, 1 inch) Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational—Feb. 7, 2026
Lukus Mentele	Shot Put	B Provisional		15.97 meters (52 feet, 4.75 inches) South Dakota State Indoor Classic—Feb. 14, 2026