September 4, 2026
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Dakota State (S.D.) opened its 2026 men's cross country season Friday evening at the annual Augustana Twilight, competing in a deep field at Yankton Trail Park. The college 5K men's race was pushed later twice due to heat.
The Trojans placed 18th in the 30-plus team field, finishing with 580 points. Dakota State's five scoring runners combined for a time of 1 hour, 23 minutes, 45.5 seconds and averaged 16 minutes, 45.1 seconds.
NCAA Division I South Dakota State captured the team title with 30 points, edging South Dakota's 36 points. Augustana (S.D.) was third with 99 points, followed by Minnesota State with 121 and Doane (Neb.) with 216.
Dakota State finished just behind NCAA Division II Sioux Falls, which totaled 563 points for 17th place. The Trojans finished ahead of Allen County (Kan.) Community College, Augustana Alumni, fellow Frontier Conference member Dickinson State (N.D.) and Southwest Minnesota State, among others.
The race featured 478 finishers, with South Dakota junior Isaac Ochoa winning the individual title in 14:14.1.
Inside the meet results
TayShaun Cudmore paced Dakota State in his first collegiate cross-country race. He clocked a time of 16:29.1, placing 132nd overall.
Holden Jelen followed DSU's second runner, crossing the finish line in 16:36.4 for 143rd place overall and 103 team points.
Baylor Burns was the Trojans' third finisher. Burns posted a time of 16:50.8, finishing 179th overall in his collegiate debut.
Benjamin Strunk was right behind Burns, finishing in 16:52.0. Strunk placed 183rd overall.
Ben Gerlach completed Dakota State's five-man team scoring. He registered a time of 16:57.4 in his first collegiate cross-country meet. The Trojans' next two finishers were
Brendan Gillaspie and
Joshua Tucker. Gillaspie recorded a time of 17:11.4, while Tucker crossed the finish line two-tenths of a second later in 17:11.6.
Dakota State individual results – 5K
TayShaun Cudmore (Fr.) – 16:29.1
Holden Jelen (Jr.) – 16:36.4
Baylor Burns (Fr.) – 16:50.8
Benjamin Strunk (Jr.) – 16:52.0
Ben Gerlach (Fr.) – 16:57.4
Brendan Gillaspie (Fr.) – 17:11.4
Joshua Tucker (Sr.) – 17:11.6
Spencer Olsen (Fr.) – 17:19.4
Finley McConniel (So.) – 17:23.1
Jonah Thiele (Sr.) – 17:28.4
Reese Henrie (Sr.) – 18:19.7
Jeremy Feistner (Fr.) – 18:35.9
Kaiden Akey (Jr.) – 21:18.4
Up next
Dakota State heads to Sioux Center, Iowa, next Saturday (Sept. 12) for the Dordt (Iowa) Sunflower Open. The men's race is set for 10:40 a.m.
