April 20, 2026

DICKINSON, N.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) produced three total athletes in the top eight – two athletes in the women's heptathlon and one athlete in the men's decathlon – in the two-day 2026 Frontier Conference Outdoor Multi-Events Championships Monday at Biesiot Activities Center, hosted by Dickinson State (N.D.).  Amelie Steins, Tysen Grinde, and Casey Olson highlighted the Trojans with the NAIA national qualifying marks in the multi-events.

Women's Heptathlon

Dakota State took the early lead in the team standings for the 2026 Frontier Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships after scoring 15 points in the heptathlon, thanks to the title winner by Steins and a fourth place by Olson.

The second day kicked off with the long jump, led by Steins as the top jumper with 5.74 meters mark (18 feet, 10 inches) for 771 points.  Olson leaped 5.12 meters (16 feet, 9.75 inches) for 592 points, followed by Daynica Witzel's mark of 5.04 meters (16 feet, 6.5 inches) for 570 points.

Witzel was the top javelin thrower with the NAIA 'B' provisional qualifying standard of 42.10 meters (138 feet, 10 inches), just .10 shy of tying her personal record for DSU.  She collected 708 points in the event.  Olson added 38.86 meters (127 feet, 6 inches) for 645 points, followed by Steins with 28.96 meters (95 feet) for 457 points.

The final event of the heptathlon was the 800-meter run.  Steins posted a personal best time of 2 minutes, 36.10 seconds for 618 points.  Olson also added a personal record of 2 minutes, 40.30 seconds for 569 points.  Witzel registered a time of 3:26.35 for 159 points.

Steins captured the Frontier Conference's heptathlon title with a new school record mark of 4,796 points, breaking the previous school record of 4,375 points set by herself in 2025.  Steins did not trail on the second day of the multi-events after holding the lead after the first day.

Olson also produced her career best with 4,505 points to place fourth for the Trojans.  Her heptathlon mark is the second most in DSU school history.

Both Steins and Olson earned the NAIA national qualifying standard in the heptathlon, with Steins ranking fifth in the NAIA and Olson ranking No. 13 nationally.

Witzel finished with a total of 3,293 points in her heptathlon debut at Dakota State.

As the Trojans lead the women's division of the Frontier Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, other team places finishers included Carroll (Mont.) second with 11 points, Montana Tech third with six points, Dickinson State (N.D.) fourth with five points, and Valley City State (N.D.) fifth place with two points.

Men's Decathlon

The second day of the decathlon started with the 110-meter hurdles, led by Grinde with the second fastest time in the field with a time of 16.07 seconds.  He earned 725 points in the event.  Bergen Irey recorded 566 points after registering a tie of 17.57 seconds, followed by Talon George with 560 points in 17.63 seconds, and Miles Eide with 550 points in 17.73 seconds. 

George led the Trojans with 34.69 meters (113 feet, 9 inches) in the discus, earning 557 points.  Grinde threw 30.56 meters (100 feet, 3 inches) for 475 points.  Eide tossed 24.86 meters (81 feet, 6 inches) for 364 points, and Irey with 23.68 meters mark (77 feet, 8 inches) for 342 points.

The third event of the decathlon on the second day was the pole vault. Grinde cleared the height of 4.40 meters (14 feet, 5.25 inches) for 731 points.  Irey tied his personal best 3.60 meters clearance (11 feet, 9.75 inches) for 509 points.  Eide also tied his personal record of 3.20 meters (10 feet, 6 inches) for 406 points.  George recorded 3.10 meters mark (10 feet, 2 inches), which was his personal record.  He scored 381 points in the event.

The final field event of the decathlon after the pole vault was the javelin.  Eide led the Trojans with the third best throw in the field, hitting a personal record 51.91 meters (170 feet, 3 inches) for 617 points.  Grinde added 49.03 meters mark (160 feet, 10 inches) for 574 points.  George recorded 42.80 meters throw (140 feet, 5 inches) for 483 points.  Irey recorded 37.28 meters (122 feet, 3 inches) for 403 points.

The 1500-meter run was the final event of the decathlon.  Grinde finished the race in 4 minutes, 53.14 seconds for 600 points, followed by Irey with a time of 5:18.68 for 457 points.  Eide finished with a time of 5:53.30 for 292 points, followed by George with time of 6:00.97 for 260 points.

Grinde completed the decathlon with a career best 6,667 points, earning third place in the Frontier Conference for Dakota State.  Carson Krack of Carroll won the league's decathlon title with 7,078 points, followed by his teammate Tucker Monaco second with 6,693 points (edging Grinde by 26 points).

Grinde, who was NAIA All-America decathlon in last year's national championships, produced the national qualifying standard.  He is currently ranked No. 7 in the NAIA.

George finished with 5,367 points, followed by Eide with 4,832 points.  It was their first decathlon debut at Dakota State, with George producing the 10^th best decathlon score in DSU men's outdoor track & field school record book.  Irey collected a personal record of 4,821 points for the Trojans.

Carroll grabbed the early lead in the Frontier Conference Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships after scoring 18 points.  Montana Tech is second with 10 points, followed by Dakota State third with six points, Dickinson State fourth with three points, and Valley City State fifth with two points.

Up Next

Dakota State continues their busy schedule this week with three different track & field meets.  The Trojans are scheduled to compete in the Mount Marty (S.D.) Twilight meet Wednesday in Yankton, the Drake Relays on Thursday through Saturday in Des Moines, and the Vikings Classic hosted by Grand View in Des Moines on Friday.

Stay tuned to the dsuathletics.com for scheduled times of each of those meets.