SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The North Dakota State men and women were picked to take home the 2025 Summit League Indoor Track and Field trophies in the preseason coaches' poll announced Thursday by League officials.
North Dakota State, who received five first-place votes, received 35 total points. South Dakota received one first-place vote and was projected to finish second. South Dakota State also received one first-place vote and was picked to finish third. St. Thomas (20), North Dakota (17), Kansas City (11) and Oral Roberts (6) completed the men's rankings.
The Bison, who are the reigning indoor champions, were picked to finish atop the League over South Dakota. NDSU picked up a total of 49 points and seven of the eight possible first-place votes while the Coyotes tallied 39 total points and the remaining first-place vote.
South Dakota State came in third with 37 total points while North Dakota was selected fourth with 34 total points. St. Thomas (24), Kansas City (18), Omaha (12) and Oral Roberts (11) rounded out the women's poll.
2025 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD PRESEASON POLL
|
Team |
Score (1st place votes) |
| 1. |
North Dakota State |
35 (5) |
| 2. |
South Dakota |
30 (1) |
| 3. |
South Dakota State |
28 (1) |
| 4. |
St. Thomas |
20 |
| 5. |
North Dakota |
17 |
| 6. |
Kansas City |
11 |
| 7. |
Oral Roberts |
6 |
2025 SUMMIT LEAGUE WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD PRESEASON POLL
|
Team |
Score (1st place votes) |
| 1. |
North Dakota State |
49 (7) |
| 2. |
South Dakota |
39 (1) |
| 3. |
South Dakota State |
37 |
| 4. |
North Dakota |
34 |
| 5. |
St. Thomas |
24 |
| 6. |
Kansas City |
18 |
| 7. |
Omaha |
12 |
| 8. |
Oral Roberts |
11 |
MEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD PRESEASON ATHLETES TO WATCH LIST
All notes/bullet points reflect indoor track & field accomplishments unless otherwise denoted
Blake Nyenati, North Dakota State
So | Hurdles | Andover, Minn.
- Placed first in the 60m hurdles at the 2024 League Indoor Championship with a school record time of 7.75.
- Recorded a season best 6.94 60-meter dash at the Dakota Alumni Classic
- Won the 60-meter hurdles in five of six meets a season ago
Zach McGlynn, North Dakota State
Sr | Multi-Events | Stephen, Minn.
- Won the Summit League Men’s Field MVP at the 2024 Indoor Championship after placing first in high jump, second in long jump, and sixth in the pole vault.
- Cleared a personal-best 16-07.5 (5.07m) in the pole vault, 7-00.25 (2.14) in the high jump, and 24-02.25 (7.38m) in the long jump at the Summit League Indoor Championship.
- Placed 2nd in the heptathlon at the Dakota Alumni Classic, scoring 4,574 points
Jaden Damiano, South Dakota
Fr | Hurdles| Iowa Falls, Iowa
- Is the Iowa high school all-time 110-meter hurdle record holder as well as the Drake relays record holder with a personal best time of 13.63.
- Captured Iowa Class 2A state track title in the shuttle hurdles
- Won a state championship in the 100-meter, 400-meter hurdles, and shuttle hurdles during his senior season.
Cody Larson, South Dakota State
Jr | Distance | Warner, S.D.
- Finished second in the 3,000 meters and fourth in the 5,000-meter race at the Summit League Indoor Championship a season ago.
- Produced a lifetime PR in the mile (4:11.19) at the SDSU Indoor Classic
- Garnered a personal best in the 3,000 meters at the Iowa State Classic running a time of 8:18.51 to take seventh place.
Hunter Wallster, South Dakota State
Gr| Throws | Estevan, Sk., Can.
- Recorded a weight throw mark of 18.71m/61'4.75" to take second in the event at the Summit League Indoor Championships
- Tossed a season best mark of 19.12m/62'8.75" to win the SDSU indoor classic in the weight throw.
- Placed in the top four in the weight throw in all six appearances
Jack Rosner, St. Thomas
Sr | Multis | De Pere, Wis.
- Placed second in the decathlon at the Summit League Outdoor Championship with a personal-best 7,249 points
- Took third in the 110-meter hurdles at the Summit League Outdoor Championship finishing .02 off a personal-best time at 14.14.
- Finished first at the UW-La Crosse Ashton May Invitational in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 52.66
- Did not compete during the 2024 indoor season.
Isaiah Hopf, St. Thomas
Sr | Jumps/Sprints | Milwaukee, Wis.
- Placed fourth at the Summit League indoor championship in the triple jump with a mark of 14.78m/48-6” last season
- Finished fifth in the 200 with a time of 21.92 at the League championships
- Set a personal record in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.01 at the Jack Johnson Classic
Jiri Ceska, North Dakota
Fr | Distance | Czech Republic
- Seven-time national champion in the Czech Republic.
- Qualified for both the 2023 and 2024 U20 World Championships and the U20 European Championships.
- Notched a personal best of 3:53.37 in the 1,500 meters, 1:48.88 in the 800 meters, and 49.42 in the 400 meters.
Ethan Thomas, North Dakota
Fr | Throws | Grand Forks, ND
- Recorded personal bests of 63-11” in the shot-put, 191-7” in the discus and 185-7” in the javelin at the NDHSAA class A state meet with victories in all three events
- Became the first athlete to capture all three titles at the state meet since 1915.
Tory Lanham, Kansas City
So | Sprints | Kansas City, Mo.
- Defending outdoor 200-meter dash champ with a time of 21.07.
- Posted a time of 10.50 at the Summit League Outdoor championship which was good enough for fifth place.
- Ran on the 4x1000-meter relay during outdoor season that finished first at the Summit League Championship.
- Did not compete during the 2024 indoor track and field season.
Kenechukwu Okpareke, Kansas City
So | Sprints | Overland Park, Kan.
- Ran a career best 6.67 in the 60-meter dash at the ISU Holiday Invitational to take first place.
- Posted a top four finish in the 60-meter dash in all four of the indoor meets he competed in.
- Only competed in one meet during outdoor season.
Abraham Chelangam, Oral Roberts
R-Fr | Distance | Kapchorwa Uganda
- Notched a mile time of 4:09.503 at the Indoor League championships last season to win the event as a freshman.
- Also posted a first-place finish in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:17.50 at the Summit League indoor championship
- Competed in the 5.000 meters for the first time at the Summit League Indoor Championship and won the event with a time of 14:07.76
WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD PRESEASON ATHLETES TO WATCH LIST
All notes/bullet points reflect indoor track & field accomplishments unless otherwise denoted
Reagan Baesler, North Dakota State
Sr | Distance | Mayville, N.D.
- Earned All-League recognition in the 3,000 meters after placing second at the Summit League Indoor Championship with a time of 9:33.41.
- Placed fourth in the mile at the Summit League Indoor Championship with a personal record of 4:50.15
- Finished in the top five for the mile in four of the five races during indoor season.
Grace Emineth, North Dakota State
Sr | Jumps/Sprints | Fargo, N.D.
- Earned All-League recognition after winning the triple jump with a personal best of 12.69m (41-7.75”) and placing 10th in the long jump at the conference meet
- Indoor long jump personal-best of 20-3.75” (6.19m) at the UND Tune-Up, which placed her second all-time in NDSU history
- Indoor triple jump personal-best of 41-7.75” (12.69m) at the Summit League Championships places her third all-time in NDSU history
Anna Willis, South Dakota
Fr | Pole Vault | Colorado Springs, Colo.
- Placed ninth in the pole vault at the U20 championships with a height of 13-7.5”
- Finished as the state runner-up three times and state champion one time in the Colorado class 3A pole vault.
- Co-Record holder for Colorado Class 3A with a personal best vault of 13-10”/4.22m
Claire Beckman, South Dakota State
Jr | Middle Distance | Andover, Minn.
- Recorded a first-place finish in the 800 meters at the Summit League Indoor Championship with a time of 2:13.89.
- Achieved a lifetime best of 1:32.32 in the 600 meters at the SDSU Last Chance meet and a personal best of 4:54.86 in the mile at the Iowa State Classic
- Finished top 10 in the mile, 600 meters and 4x400-meter relay during all races in the 2023-2024 indoor season.
Madison Kizer, South Dakota State
Sr | Jumps | Howard, SD
- Won two of the seven indoor meets in high jump with the last meet being the SDSU Last Chance meet where the winning jump was 5-5” (1.65m)
- Finished third in the high jump at the Summit League Championship with a jump of 5-8.5” (1.74m).
- Took silver in the high jump with a jump of 5-5” (1.65m) at the NAIA preview.
Kenna Curry, North Dakota
Gr | Throws | Elk Point, S.D.
- Achieved second team All-American status after tossing the weight 67-3.5” (20.51m) at the NCAA Indoor Championship.
- Earned All Summit League honors after finishing first in the weight throw with a toss of 69-2” (21.08m) and second in the shot put with a mark of 50-6” (15.39m) at the Summit League Indoor Championship.
- Threw a career best 71-6.25” (21.80) in the weight throw at the SDSU Indoor Classic
Jadyn Keeler, North Dakota
So | Distance | Barrie,Ontario,Canada
- Placed seventh in the 3,000 meters (9:47.26) and eighth in the 5,000 meters (17:24.72) at the Summit League Championship
- Ran the second fastest time in UND history with a 16:48.97 5,000 meters at the David Hemery Invitational.
- Recorded a personal best time of 4:59.44 in the mile at the Jim Emmerich Invitational.
Alexis Pratt, St. Thomas
Jr | Sprints | Stillwater, Minn.
- Started indoor season by placing first at the M City Indoor Classic with a time of 25.36 in the 200-meter dash
- Ran a lifetime personal record in the 60-meter dash of 7.65 at the Summit League Indoor Championship prelims
- Placed eighth and ninth at the League Championships with a time of 7.78 in the 60m and 25.09 in the 200-meter dash and split a 58.18 leg in the 4x400-meter relay.
Alicia Belany, St. Thomas
Sr | Mid-Distance | Hudson, Wis.
- Started season placing fifth at the Cyclone Open in the 800 meters with a time of 2:15.48
- Placed sixth in the 800 meters at the Summit League Indoor Championship with a time of 2:16.68
- Ran a personal best 1:35.76 in the 600 meters at the Snowshoe Open to take second place
Jaleesa McWashington, Kansas City
Gr | Hurdles/Jumps | Lenexa, Kan.
- Ran a personal record of 8.62 in the 60-meter hurdles at the Summit League Indoor Championship to finish in ninth place.
- Finished in third place in the long jump with a jump of 19-1.5” (5.83m) at the Summit League Indoor Championship
- Jumped a season best 38-5.5” (11.72m) in the triple jump at the Indoor Gorilla Classic
Jentrie Alderson, Kansas City
So | Distance | Salina, Kan.
- Did not compete during the 2024 Indoor Season
- Finished in sixth place at the Summit League Outdoor Championship in the 3000-steeple chase with a time of 11:02.58
- Ran a personal best time of 17:16.44 in the 5,000 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational
Kamryn Ensley, Omaha
Jr | Distance | Clive, Iowa
- Finished with a personal-best time in the mile of 5:01.00 at the Nebraska Tune-Up
- Contributed a sixth-place finish at the League championships in the 5000m with a time of 17:20.62
- Ran a personal best time of 9:51.02 in the 3,000 meters at the Iowa State Classic
Tania Gleason, Omaha
Jr | Sprints | Fremont, Neb.
- Ran a personal best time of 58.20 in the 400 meters at the SDSU Indoor Classic
- Finished in 10th place at the Nebraska Tune-Up in the 60 meters with a time of 7.90
- Contributed a 57.60-second split in the second leg of the Omaha’s 4x400 relay, helping secure a fifth-place finish at the league championship
Olivia Granderson, Oral Roberts
So | Sprints | Tulsa, Okla.
- Recorded an indoor-best time of 25.97 in the 200-meter dash at the Arkansas Invitational
- Finished in 12th place at the Summit League Championship in the 400 meters with a time of 58.02
- Helped the 4x400-meter relay team to a seventh-place finish at the League championships with a time of 3:59.98 and a split of 59.24.
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