MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minot State men's and women's cross-country teams opened their 2026 seasons Friday, turning in solid performances at the Dragon Twilight hosted by Minnesota State University Moorhead.

On the women's side, Julie Folk led the Beavers with a 24th-place finish in 20:42.4, while Addyson Wendt placed 40th in 21:26.2.

"Both Julie and Addyson ran very well for an opener," Stevens said. "They put themselves in the mix early and then were able to fight through things midway through the race to close in a spot a little ahead of where I thought they would be."

Stevens also praised the competitive effort from both runners, noting they "fought through the entirety of the 5000 meters."

Senior Holter Bridwell led the Beavers in the first race of the season, finishing 37th overall in 19:01.9. Freshman Carter Heggem followed in 45th in 19:17.8, giving Minot State a solid start from its two newcomers.

"I think Holter performing the way he did early along with our freshman, Carter Heggem, was a very solid performance and gives me great feedback as to where we are at right now in the training block," Minot State head coach Erik Stevens said.

Jake Jenkins finished 53rd in 19:30.6 to round out the Beavers' top three, while Minot State finished sixth out of 11 teams with a score of 182. The University of North Dakota took first in the team standings.

"On the men's side, we were pretty solid upfront with our top three," Stevens said. "A few more gaps than I would've liked to see in that group ... but something that can be corrected as we work through the remainder of the season."

Nolan Berglof finished 89th in 21:03.8, followed by Caden Peterson in 97th at 21:38.2. Auston Lemer placed 105th in 21:53.9, Cameron Hummel was 107th in 22:04.3, and Aijay Gourneau finished 118th in 23:57.1.

With the season opener in the books, the Beavers will look to build on Friday's performances as they continue through the 2026 cross-country season.