Minot State cross country began in the 1960s with the men's team established in 1964 with a short hiatus in 1966-68 and the women's team was established in 1983. Both programs flourished under long-time head coach and MSU Hall of Famer Wiley Wilson. Wilson began women's cross country team and coached both programs from 1983 to 1997. Minot State University's only national championship during the school's NAIA affiliation came in men's cross-country. The men's team captured back-to-back titles winning in 2002 and 2003 under Simmons. The 2002 team was ranked No. 1 in the country for nine weeks and powered to the title. The 2003 team was a little more of a surprise, finishing runner-up to Black Hills State in the conference championships, before topping their rivals at the national meet.Â
The Beavers also have an individual NAIA National Cross Country champion on the individual side as Genevieve (Binsfeld) Hanson earned the title at the 2006 National Championships. She also was the 2005 runner up. Hanson is one of nine All-Americans for the Beavers and is one of two individuals to be named All-American four straight years. She was named All-American from 2003 to 2006 - her national championship season. Brad Tighe joins Hanson on the men's side, earning All-American honors in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2002. He was MSU's first All-American in 1998.Â
Moving to NCAA Division II competition and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) in 2012-13, the Beavers have enjoyed continued success in track and field led by Kirk Capdeville who earned All-American honors at the 2013-14 indoor championships, finishing 5th in the pole vault. Joining Capdeville in being named an All-American are Cody Schmidt, who finished 11th in the men's javelin at the 2015 NCAA outdoor championships, earning 2nd Team All-American honors, and Leif Nelson who finished 12th in the men's javelin at the 2022 NCAA outdoor championships, also earning 2nd Team All-American honors. Nelson, who claimed the 2023 NSIC Championship in the javelin, repeated as an NCAA All-American in 2023 finishing as a 1st Team All-American and matching the program's best-ever individual finish as he was 5th at nationals. And most recently, Jasiah Hambira won the NSIC Championship in the outdoor high jump, earning a trip to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships where he finished 14th, earning 2nd Team All-American honors. Hambira also hit an NCAA qualifying standard in the indoor high jump, but did not compete at nationals.
Capdeville also competed in the pole vault at the 2013 indoor NCAA championships, and he, Schmit and Nelson are three of eight Minot State student-athletes to compete at an NCAA indoor or outdoor track and field championships. Also having competed at nationals are Abbey Aide in the women's pole vault at the 2013 outdoor meet, Sienna Dailey in the women's 400 meters at the 2015 indoor NCAA meet, Amber Hunsaker at the 2016 outdoor meet in the women's javelin, and Kori Nagel in the women's discus at the 2022 outdoor championships, along with All-American Jasiah Hambira.
16 other individual Minot State student-athletes, and one Beaver relay team, have also hit NCAA qualifying times or marks: Tyler Flatland in the men’s 400 hurdles (2013 outdoor) and 400 meters (2014 indoor); Adedamola Sobande in the men’s weight throw (2014 indoor); Tanner Gust in the men’s hammer throw (2017 outdoor); Jacob Hatfield in the men’s weight throw (2018 indoor); Logan Krueger in the men’s weight throw (2021 indoor); Leif Nelson in the men’s javelin (2021 outdoor); Jacob Jensen in the men’s mile (2022 indoor); Jacob Braunstein in the men's javelin (2023 outdoor); Taylor Laumeyer in the women’s discus and javelin (2019 outdoor); Whitney Hanson in the women’s 800 meters (2021 indoor); Jenna Hardy in the women’s shot put (2022 indoor); the women’s distance medley relay team of Abigail McGee, Ashley Miller, Whitney Hanson, and Linda Perez (2021 indoor); Sidra Sadowsky 800 meters (2024 indoor); De'Andre Cornwall 100 hurdles (2024 outdoor); Ramon Duran in the men's 400 hurdles (2024 outdoor); Nasir Dilworth in the men's 60-meter hurdles (2025 indoor); and Evan Harrt in the men's discus (2025 outdoor).
Along with hitting NCAA marks, the Beavers have claimed 11 NSIC individual championships: Bailey Wride 1,000 meters (2025 indoor); Jasiah Hambira high jump (2024 outdoor); Bailey Wride 600 meters (2024 indoor); Leif Nelson men's javelin (2023 outdoor); Nathan Trujillo-Aragon men's 400-meter hurdles (2023 outdoor); Chase Snyder men's shot put (2023 indoor); Taylor Laumeyer women’s javelin (2019 outdoor); Cody Schmidt men’s javelin (2015 outdoor); Sienna Dailey women's 400 meters (2014 indoor);Tyler Flatland men’s 400-meter hurdles (2014 outdoor); and Tyler Bates men’s 400 meters (2014 outdoor).
