May 2, 2026

MADISON, S.D. – The Dakota State University outdoor track & field teams get ready for the two-day 2026 Frontier Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships.  The conference meet return to Biesiot Activities Center (398 State Ave. N) in Dickinson, N.D., hosted by Dickinson State (N.D.). 

The conference outdoor multi-events were held at Biesiot Activities Center on April 19-20.

The two-day meet starts Saturday morning with the 10,000-meter run and returns to action Saturday afternoon with the women's javelin at 12:30 p.m.  More events will continue at 2:30 p.m., with long-distance events slated for later Saturday afternoon.

The meet continues Sunday at 10 a.m. (Mountain Time).  The Frontier Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships are the last conference event of the 2025-26 academic year.

Frontier Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship Preview

• Dakota State takes an early lead in the 2026 Frontier Conference Women's Outdoor Track & Field team standings with 15 points, thanks to Amelie Steins' heptathlon conference champion with a school record of 4,796 points.
• Casey Olson added fourth place in the heptathlon for the Trojans, produced a personal record of 4,505 points.
• Tysen Grinde was third in the men's decathlon after scoring a career best 6,667 points.  The Trojans collected six points in the men's team standings. 
• Carroll (Mont.) holds the early lead in the men's standings with 18 points, followed by Montana Tech second with 10 points, and DSU third with six points.
• After the 10,000-meter runs in the morning at 9 a.m. (Mountain Time) and 10 a.m. (MT) Saturday morning, the action continues Saturday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. (MT) with the women's javelin.
• Field events continue at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and 4:30 p.m. (MT).  The first afternoon running events are set at 3 p.m. (MT) with the hurdles and 100-meter dash prelims. 
• Sunday starts at 10 a.m. (MT) with the field events and wrap up with four more field events starting at 12 p.m.
• The running events start at 12 p.m. (MT) and are scheduled to conclude after 5 p.m. (MT) with the men's 4 x 400-meter relay.

Trojans earn another NAIA National Outdoor Field Athlete-of-the-Week award; excel academically

• Dakota State produced their third NAIA National Outdoor Field Athlete-of-the-Week earlier this week.It is the first time in program history that the Trojans had multiple national athletes of the week in a single season.
• Amelie Steins was named to the national weekly honor for her accomplishment at the Frontier Conference Multi-Events Championships on April 19-20 in Dickinson.
• During the conference heptathlon, she was the top long jumper in the field after leaping 5.74 meters (18 feet, 10 inches).She also threw 28.96 meters (95 feet) in the javelin, cleared the height of 1.55 meters (5 feet, 1 inch) in the high jump, and tossed 9.36 meters (30 feet, 8.5 inches) in the shot put.
• Steins was the top 100-meter hurdler in 14.59 seconds and posted a personal record 25 seconds in the 200-meter dash (2^nd fastest in DSU school history).She also hit a personal record 800-meter run time of 2 minutes, 36.10 seconds.
• The Frontier Conference announced their Academic All-Conference recipients.Dakota State landed the most men's recipient in the league with 29 scholar-athletes.
• A total of 21 DSU women's student-athletes were named to Frontier Women's Outdoor Track & Field Academic All-Conference.

Remaining DSU outdoor track & field meets

• Dakota State has three meets remaining on their 2026 outdoor track & field schedule after this weekend's conference meet.
• The Trojans scheduled to have two meets next week for the last opportunity to produce national qualifying marks for the NAIA national meet
• DSU hosts the Buzz Stevenson Last Chance meet at Dan Beacom Track & Field on Wednesday. The Trojans also head to Vermillion, S.D. next Friday for the University of South Dakota Twilight meet.
• The NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships are set for May 20-22 in Asheville, N.C.

2026 Dakota State University Trojan Outdoor Track & Field Top Marks
 

Women's	Events	Men's
Averie Marshall – 12.50 seconds	100-meter dash	Jagger Lombard – 10.65 seconds
Amelie Steins – 25.00 seconds	200-meter dash	Lukas Bennett – 21.60 seconds
Amelie Stiens – 57.92 seconds	400-meter dash	Franklin Johns – 49.67 seconds
Caitlin Dyer – 2:15.47	800-meter run	Cody Farland – 1:54.31
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	N/A
Amelie Steins - 14.46 seconds	100-/110-meter hurdles	Tysen Grinde – 16.07 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 – 42.43 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
Lindsey Roth, Valerija Curikova, Caitlin Dyer, Anna Schneider – 9:29.76	4 x 800-meter relay	Franklin Johns, Cody Farland, Logan Recoy, Tyler Nicke – 7:45.95
N/A	Sprint Medley Relay	N/A
N/A	Distance Medley Relay	N/A
Adow Thyab – 1.60 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 – 10.92 meters	Triple Jump	Brock Krueger – 13.78 meters
Oliviyah Thornton – 14.68 meters	Shot Put	Oliver Tordsen – 15.80 meters
Oliviyah Thornton – 45.22 meters	Discus	Oliver Tordsen – 55.33 meters
Oliviyah Thornton – 56.04 meters	Hammer Throw	Zachary Haugen – 57.78 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 Indoor Track & Field National Qualifiers list
 

Athlete	Event	NAIA Standard	Where/When Qualifying Mark Set
Amelie Steins	Long Jump	B Provisional	5.78 meters (18 feet, 11.75 inches) Central Methodist (Mo.) Open – March 21
Oliviyah Thornton	Shot Put	A Automatic	14.68 meters (48 feet, 2 inches) Red Raider Open – April 16-17
Oliver Tordsen	Discus	A Automatic	55.33 meters (181 feet, 6 inches) USD Snooze Button Classic – April 8
Zachary Haugen	Hammer Throw	B Provisional	57.78 meters (189 feet, 7 inches) Wayne State (Neb.) Wildcat Classic – March 27
Oliviyah Thornton	Hammer Throw	A Automatic	56.04 meters (183 feet, 10 inches) Steinborn/Beacom Twilight Meet – March 30
Daynica Witzel	Javelin Throw	B Provisional	42.20 meters (138 feet, 5 inches) Steinborn/Beacom Twilight Meet – March 30
Bella Maxwell	Shot Put	B Provisional	13.88 meters (45 feet, 6.5 inches) Sioux City Relays – April 10
Bella Maxwell	Hammer Throw	B Provisional	52.93 meters (173 feet, 8 inches) Sioux City Relays – April 10
Tysen Grinde	Decathlon	A Automatic	6,667 points Frontier Conference Multi-Events Championships – April 19-20
Amelie Steins	Heptathlon	A Automatic	4,796 points Frontier Conference Multi-Events Championships – April 19-20
Casey Olson	Heptathlon	A Automatic	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	3 minutes, 51.75 seconds Drake Relays—April 23-25