May 21, 2026

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – History was made on the second day of the three-day NAIA Women's Outdoor Track & Field National Championships at Karl Straus Track, on the campus of NCAA Division I UNC-Asheville.  Dakota State saw their first NAIA All-American heptathlon athlete in women's track & field program history and established two new school records.

Amelie Steins and Casey Olson kicked off the second day in the long jump of the heptathlon.  Steins leaped 5.29 meters (17 feet, 4.25 inches) to earn 640 points, while Olson recorded 5.20 meters leap (17 feet, .75 inches) for 614 points.

Olson shattered the DSU school record in the javelin, throwing 43.17 meters (141 feet, 7 inches) to claim 728 points, moving in the NAIA women's Top 8 heptathlon standings before the final event. She broke the previous record held by Daynica Witzel earlier this season with 42.23 meters (138 feet, 6 inches) on April 22 in the Mount Marty (S.D.) Twilight meet.

Steins added 519 points in the javelin after throwing 32.23 meters (105 feet, 9 inches) for the Trojans.

Steins posted a personal record time of 2 minutes, 31.58 seconds in the 800-meter run, the final event of the heptathlon.  She collected 673 points.  Olson also finished with a time of 2:47.58 to score 489 points.

Steins, competing in her second consecutive NAIA Outdoor Track & Field heptathlon, became the first-ever Dakota State heptathlon athlete named All-America after finishing eighth with 4,768 points.  Olson posted her career best 4,612 points to finish 10^th.  Her heptathlon total points are the second most in the DSU women's outdoor track & field school record book.

Bella Maxwell led the Trojans with 13.78 meters mark (45 feet, 2.5 inches) to place 11^th in the shot put.  Oliviyah Thornton added 13.46 meters (44 feet, 2 inches) to finish 13^th. 

Despite a pair of weather delays Thursday, the women's javelin event scheduled for the evening has been moved to Friday afternoon.

Dakota State closed the long second day with a late night 4 x 400-meter relay.  The Trojans competed in the third heat of the event.  Steins kicked off the relay with a time of 54.28 seconds and handed the baton to Molli Thornton for the second 400-meters.  She registered a time of 1:01.03 in the 400-meters.

RayLee Wallis ran the third leg of the 400-meters in 57.86 seconds and gave the baton to Caitlin Dyer for the final 400-meters.  Dyer finished with a time of 56.90 seconds, setting a new DSU women's 4 x 400-meter relay school record time.

DSU finished with a time of 3 minutes, 50.07 seconds, and placed 12^th overall.  They did not advance to the finals.  The team broke the previous school record that was set earlier this season at the 116^th annual Drake Relays last month (3:51.75).

The Trojans are in a two-way tie for 11^th with Aquinas (Mont.) after scoring nine points.  A total of nine events had been scored in the three-day NAIA national meet.

The NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships wrap up on their third and final day on Friday.  O. Thornton is scheduled to compete in the discus at 11:45 a.m. (ET)/10:45 a.m. (CT), followed by the women's javelin at 2 p.m. (ET)/1 p.m. (CT).