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2026 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Meet Preview - 5/19/26
Site of the 2026 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championship - Asheville, N.C. - Kal Straus Field

Men's Track and Field Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director

Trojans get ready for 2026 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in North Carolina

Dakota State (S.D.) kicks off action Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. (ET)/8 a.m. (CT)

May 19, 2026

MADISON, S.D. – The Dakota State University outdoor track & field teams are preparing for the upcoming 2026 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships this week.  The three-day NAIA outdoor track & field national meet will take place at Karl Straus Track in Asheville, N.C.

Dakota State will have 18 athletes, along with three alternates, to the 2026 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.  The national outdoor track & field meet starts Wednesday at 9 a.m. (Eastern Time)/8 a.m. (Central Time) and continues through Friday evening.

The NAIA outdoor track & field national meet will conclude the 2025-26 athletics year at Dakota State University.

Glover named USTFCCCA Women's Midwest Region Coach of the Year
  • Dakota State's Alex Glover was selected as the USTFCCCA (United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association) Midwest Region Women's Coach-of-the-Year.
  • He led the Trojans to their first women's outdoor conference team title since 1997 in the former South Dakota-Iowa Conference (SDIC), winning the inaugural Frontier Conference Outdoor Championships with 167 points and capturing three event titles.
  • All four DSU's throwing crews ranked in the Top 10 in the national #EventSquad rankings.
  • Glover also was named Frontier Conference Women's Outdoor Track & Field Coach-of-the-Year, snapping Dickinson State's (N.D.) streak of eight consecutive women's outdoor track & field conference team titles.
Trojans open with hammer throw Wednesday morning
  • Three Dakota State hammer throwers will start on Wednesday, starting with the men's division.
  • Zachary Haugen will throw in the men's division at 9 a.m. (ET)/8 a.m. (CT).He is seeded 10th in the men's hammer throw division with 58.45 meters mark (191 feet, 9 inches), set at the Frontier Conference Championships on May 2 in Dickinson, N.D.
  • A total of 22 men's hammer throwers is set to compete.
  • The women's hammer throw event will follow the men's hammer throw at 12 p.m. (ET)/11 a.m. (CT).
  • The Trojans will have two throwers in the event – Oliviyah Thornton and Bella Maxwell.
  • A total of 27 throwers is scheduled to compete.Thornton is seeded No. 4 with 56.04 meters mark (183 feet, 4 inches) at the Steinborn/Beacom Twilight meet on March 30.Maxwell is seeded No. 14 with 54.17 meters mark (177 feet, 9 inches) in the regular-season finale at USD Twilight on May 8.
Three Dakota State multi-events to start Wednesday
  • A total of 16 multi-events in each gender division is set to compete in two-day competition, including three athletes from Dakota State.
  • Tysen Grinde, who was an All-American decathlon athlete last year, gets underway Wednesday at 10 a.m. (ET)/9 a.m. (CT) for the Trojans.  He will compete in five different events, starting with the 100-meter dash, followed by the long jump, shot put, high jump, and the 400-meter dash.
  • The decathlon continues Thursday at 11 a.m. (ET)/10 a.m. (CT) with the 110-meter hurdles, followed by discus, pole vault, javelin, and the 1500-meter run.
  • Grinde is seeded No. 7 in the NAIA men's decathlon.
  • Dakota State will have two athletes – Amelie Steins and Casey Olson – in the NAIA heptathlon competition.
  • DSU and Central Methodist (Mo.) are the only two schools that qualified two athletes in the heptathlon.
  • The heptathlon starts on Wednesday at 10:15 a.m. (ET)/9:15 a.m. (CT) with the 100-meter hurdles, followed by the high jump, shot put, and the 200-meter dash.
  • The action continues Thursday at 9:30 a.m. (ET)/8:30 a.m. (CT) with the long jump, javelin, and the 800-meter dash.
  • Steins is seeded No. 6 in the NAIA women's heptathlon, while Olson is seeded No. 13.Steins competed in last year's heptathlon where she placed 12th.
DSU's 4 x 800-meter relay start semifinals Wednesday evening
  • A pair of Dakota State's 4 x 800-meter relay teams will be competing on Wednesday evening
  • The Trojan women's 4 x 800-meter relay team consists of Anna Schneider, Valerija Curikova, Lindsey Roth, and Caitlin DyerBrooke Beaucaire and Kierra Miller serve as the alternate for DSU.
  • The NAIA women's 4 x 800-meter relay semifinals take place at 6:15 p.m. (ET)/5:15 p.m. (CT) Wednesday, with the finals scheduled for Friday at 6:10 p.m. (ET)/5:10 p.m. (CT).
  • The women's relay team is seeded No. 6 with a school record time of 9 minutes, 11.29 seconds, which was set at the Concordia (Neb.) Twilight meet (regular-season finale).
  • A total of 26 women's 4 x 800-meter relay teams is scheduled to compete on Wednesday.
  • Franklin Johns, Nolan Slominski, Cody Farland, and Tyler Nicke will run in the NAIA men's 4 x 800-meter relay semifinals Wednesday evening at 6:50 p.m. (ET)/5:50 p.m. (CT).  Mohamed Muse will serve as the alternate to the relay team.
  • They are seeded No. 10 with a time of 7 minutes, 35.88 seconds, set in the regular-season finale at the Concordia Twilight meet on May 8.
  • A total of 27 men's 4 x 800-meter relay teams is scheduled to run in the semifinals.
  • The 4 x 800-meter relay finals are scheduled for Thursday evening, starting with the women's at 6:10 p.m. (ET)/5:10 p.m. (CT) followed by the men's at 6:30 p.m. (ET)/5:30 p.m. (CT).
Action continues Thursday with 100-meter hurdles, shot put, javelin, and another relay
  • Action continues Thursday on the second day of the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.
  • Amelie Steins is scheduled to run in the 100-meter hurdles semifinals at 2 p.m. (ET)/1 p.m. (CT).  She is seeded No. 22 with 14.08 seconds.  A total of 29 hurdlers is set to compete in the semifinals.
  • Oliviyah Thornton and Bella Maxwell will throw shot-put Thursday evening at 5 p.m. (ET)/4 p.m. (CT).A total of 20 throwers is set to compete.
  • Thornton is seeded No. 3 with 14.68 meters mark (48 feet, 2 inches), while Maxwell is seeded No. 11 with 13.88 meters mark (45 feet, 6.5 inches).
  • Daynica Witzel and Casey Olson are two of the 39 women's javelin throwers set to compete Thursday evening at 7 p.m. (ET)/6 p.m. (CT).
  • Wtizel is seeded No. 20 with 42.23 meters mark (138 feet, 6 inches), while Olson is seeded No. 22 with 42.10 meters mark (138 feet, 1 inch).
  • Olson was an All-American women's javelin for Dakota State last season, the first Trojan women's javelin thrower to earn the status.
  • Dakota State concludes their action Thursday evening at 8:15 p.m. (ET)/7:15 p.m. (CT) with the women's 4 x 400-meter relay semifinals.
  • The members of Steins, Caitlin Dyer, Molli Thornton, and RayLee Wallis are seeded No. 19 with a school record time of 3 minutes, 51.75 seconds.  Anna Schneider will serve as the alternate.
NAIA national meet concludes Friday
  • The three-day NAIA national outdoor track & field meet concludes Friday, starting at 9 a.m. (ET)/8 a.m. (CT) with the discus.
  • Oliver Tordsen will make his debut at the national outdoor track & field meet as the No. 2 seed in the field of 20 throwers.
  • Tordsen holds the DSU school record of 55.33 meters (181 feet, 6 inches), set at the USD Snooze Button Classic on April 8, breaking his older brother Connor's school record.
  • Oliviyah Thornton will compete in her third national throwing event at the NAIA outdoor track & field national meet at 11:45 a.m. (ET)/10:45 a.m. (CT).
  • O. Thornton is seeded No. 17 with 45.22 meters mark (148 feet, 4 inches) in the women's discus.
  • If advanced from Thursday's semifinals, the women's 100-meter hurdles national final is set for 3:30 p.m. (ET)/2:30 p.m. (CT).
  • The women's 4 x 400-meter relay national final is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. (ET)/4:15 p.m. (CT).
2026 Dakota State University Trojan Outdoor Track & Field Top Marks
 
Women's Events Men's
Averie Marshall – 11.94 seconds 100-meter dash Lukas Bennett – 10.23 seconds
Amelie Steins – 25.00 seconds 200-meter dash Lukas Bennett – 21.60 seconds
Amelie Steins – 57.92 seconds 400-meter dash Franklin Johns – 49.67 seconds
Caitlin Dyer – 2:15.47 800-meter run Franklin Johns – 1:53.77
Valerija Curikova – 4:52.65 1500-meter run Blake Schmiedt – 4:18.86
Valerija Curikova – 18:03.21 5000-meter run Joshua Tucker – 15:46.22
Brooke Beaucaire – 38:16.45 10,000-meter run Joshua Tucker – 35:32.22
Amelie Steins - 13.91 seconds 100-/110-meter hurdles Tysen Grinde – 15.61 seconds
Ella Carstensen – 1:08.34 400-meter hurdles Franklin Johns – 1:00.02
Brooke Beaucaire – 11:44.66 3000-meter steeplechase Blake Schmiedt – 10:33.74
Averie Marshall, RayLee Wallis,
Molli Thornton, Amelie Steins
48.71 seconds
4 x 100-meter relay James Burke, Jagger Lombard,
Talon George, Lukas Bennett
41.60 seconds
N/A 4 x 200-meter relay Jagger Lombard, Lukas Bennett,
Ben Witt, Franklin Johns – 1:33.82
Amelie Steins, Molli Thornton,
Caitlin Dyer, RayLee Wallis – 3:51.75
4 x 400-meter relay Jagger Lombard, Lukas Bennett, Ben Witt, Franklin Johns – 3:22.28
Anna Schneider, Valerija Curikova,
Lindsey Roth, Caitlin Dyer – 9:11:29
4 x 800-meter relay Franklin Johns, Nolan Slominski,
Cody Farland, Tyler Nicke – 7:35.88
Casey Olson – 1.62 meters High Jump Tysen Grinde – 2.02 meters
N/A Pole Vault Tysen Grinde – 4.47 meters
Amelie Steins – 5.78 meters Long Jump Trevor Heinz – 6.90 meters
Ella Carstensen – 11.06 meters Triple Jump Brock Krueger – 14.30 meters
Oliviyah Thornton – 14.68 meters Shot Put Dylan Johansen – 15.99 meters
Oliviyah Thornton – 45.22 meters Discus Oliver Tordsen – 55.33 meters
Oliviyah Thornton – 56.04 meters Hammer Throw Zachary Haugen – 58.45 meters
Daynica Witzel – 42.23 meters Javelin Miles Eide – 51.91 meters
Amelie Steins – 4,796 points Heptathlon/Decathlon Tysen Grinde – 6,667 points
 
 2026 Dakota State University NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Qualifiers list (Bold means competing at NAIA Nationals this week)
 
Athlete Event NAIA Standard (NAIA seed) Where/When Qualifying Mark Set
Amelie Steins Long Jump B Provisional
(will not compete)
5.78 meters (18 feet, 11.75 inches)
Central Methodist (Mo.) Open – March 21
Oliviyah Thornton Shot Put A Automatic
(No. 3 seed)
14.68 meters (48 feet, 2 inches)
Red Raider Open – April 16-17
Oliver Tordsen Discus A Automatic
(No. 2 seed)
55.33 meters (181 feet, 6 inches)
USD Snooze Button Classic – April 8
Zachary Haugen Hammer Throw B Provisional
(No. 10 seed)
58.45 meters (191 feet, 9 inches)
Frontier Conference Championships – May 2-3
Oliviyah Thornton Hammer Throw A Automatic
(No. 4 seed)
56.04 meters (183 feet, 10 inches)
Steinborn/Beacom Twilight Meet – March 30
Daynica Witzel Javelin Throw B Provisional
(No. 20 seed)
42.23 meters (138 feet, 6 inches)
Mount Marty (S.D.) Twilight – April 22
Bella Maxwell Shot Put B Provisional
(No. 10 seed)
13.88 meters (45 feet, 6.5 inches)
Sioux City Relays – April 10
Bella Maxwell Hammer Throw B Provisional
(No. 14 seed)
54.17 meters (177 feet, 9 inches)
USD Twilight – May 8
Oliviyah Thornton Discus B Provisional
(No. 17 seed)
45.22 meters (148 feet, 4 inches)
Red Raider Open – April 16-17
Tysen Grinde Decathlon A Automatic
(No. 7 seed)
6,667 points
Frontier Conference Multi-Events Championships – April 19-20
Amelie Steins Heptathlon A Automatic
(No. 6 seed)
4,796 points
Frontier Conference Multi-Events Championships – April 19-20
Casey Olson Heptathlon A Automatic
(No. 13 seed)
4,505 points
Frontier Conference Multi-Events Championships – April 19-20
Amelie Steins,
Molli Thornton,
Caitlin Dyer,
RayLee Wallis
4 x 400-meter relay B Provisional
(No. 19 seed)
3 minutes, 51.75 seconds
Drake Relays—April 23-25
Amelie Steins 100-meter hurdles B Provisional
(No. 22 seed)
14.08 seconds
Frontier Conference Championships – May 2-3
Casey Olson Javelin B Provisional
(No. 22 seed)
42.10 meters (138 feet, 1 inch)
USD Twilight – May 8
Anna Schneider,
Valerija Curikova, Lindsey Roth,
Caitlin Dyer
4 x 800-meter relay A Automatic
(No. 6 seed)
9 minutes, 11.29 seconds
Concordia (Neb.) Twilight
Franklin Johns,
Nolan Slominski,
Cody Farland,
Tyler Nicke
4 x 800-meter relay A Automatic
(No. 10 seed)
7 minutes, 35.88 seconds
Concordia (Neb.) Twilight
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Players Mentioned

Lukas Bennett

Lukas Bennett

Junior
Sprints
Cody Farland

Cody Farland

Graduate Student
Mid-Distance
Tysen Grinde

Tysen Grinde

Junior
Jumps/Multis
Zachary Haugen

Zachary Haugen

Graduate Student
Throws
Trevor Heinz

Trevor Heinz

Freshman
Sprints/Jumps
Dylan Johansen

Dylan Johansen

Junior
Throws
Franklin Johns

Franklin Johns

Junior
Mid-Distance
Brock Krueger

Brock Krueger

Sophomore
Jumps
Mohamed Muse

Mohamed Muse

Sophomore
Mid-Distance
Tyler Nicke

Tyler Nicke

Junior
Mid-Distance

Players Mentioned

Lukas Bennett

Lukas Bennett

Junior
Sprints
Cody Farland

Cody Farland

Graduate Student
Mid-Distance
Tysen Grinde

Tysen Grinde

Junior
Jumps/Multis
Zachary Haugen

Zachary Haugen

Graduate Student
Throws
Trevor Heinz

Trevor Heinz

Freshman
Sprints/Jumps
Dylan Johansen

Dylan Johansen

Junior
Throws
Franklin Johns

Franklin Johns

Junior
Mid-Distance
Brock Krueger

Brock Krueger

Sophomore
Jumps
Mohamed Muse

Mohamed Muse

Sophomore
Mid-Distance
Tyler Nicke

Tyler Nicke

Junior
Mid-Distance