As quickly as things got started for the Minot State University (MSU) track and field teams they suddenly paused for the holidays.

But now the race to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Indoor Track and Field Championships begins in earnest for the Beavers, who after more than a month off are ready to resume competition at the Marauder Indoor Open hosted by the University of Mary at the University of Mary Fieldhouse and Wellness Center this Saturday.

Field events begin at 11 a.m. and the guns goes off for running action at noon.

“We’re very excited to get into the full swing of our season,” Minot State’s first-year head coach Jordan Aus said. “Our athletes had a great chance to reset over the break and now we’re looking forward to being full steam ahead and hit the track running for the rest of our season.”

That season continues with the Beavers competing four consecutive weekends in February and wrapping up at the NSIC Championship meet hosted by Minnesota State, Mankato on February 28 and March 1.

In MSUs season debut back on December 7, Summer Krebsbach led the way for the women with a new NCAA Division II-era school record in the 60-meter dash of 7.78 seconds, while Devontae Daley led the Minot State men as he won the 600 meters in 1 minute, 23.33 seconds.

Krebsbach’s time currently ranks 7th in the NSIC while Daley’s time ranks him 5th in the NSIC.

Also in the Top 10 in the NSIC early in the season are Nasir Dilworth, who ranks 5th in the men’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.34 seconds, and Dallas Reese, who ranks 10th in the men’s shot put with a throw of 48 feet, 11 inches, along with the Beaver men’s 4×400 relay team of Nathan Trujillo-Aragon, Daley, Lucas Siebuhr, and Micah Earnest who are 5th in the NSIC with a time of 3:28.25.

Missing from that opening meet were the Beaver distance runners who, less than a month earlier, wrapped up the 2024 cross-country season, so this weekend will be the first track and field action for many of Minot State’s student-athletes.

“We’re looking forward to having our distance athletes fully begin their track season, we’re going to be loading up the mile and look forward to seeing the results in that event,” said Aus.

“In the distance events, two key competitors are senior Paulette Dominguez, who earned All-NSIC honors in women’s cross country, and sophomore Bailey Wride, the 2024 NSIC women’s indoor champion in the 600 meters.”

“We also have a newcomer on the women’s side, Erica Nelson, who we’re really excited about and she’ll be opening up her season in the shot put this weekend,” added Aus of the freshman thrower from Devils Lake. “On the track, we’re excited to see our sprint group continue to progress with athletes like Summer Krebsbach, Camryn Adams, Ramon Duran, and Devan Daniels beginning to focus on their individual events in the 60, 200, and 400 meters. We’ve also got a strong group of throwers on the men’s side, led by Dallas Reese, along with freshmen Evan Hartt and Ethan Graham that should be positioning themselves to have a strong indoor season.”

Just the second meet of the indoor season, and the first for the full MSU team, the weekend will be a chance to “evaluate the status of all of our event groups, and their performances, and to begin narrowing our focus following this weekend’s meet to prepare our athletes to qualify for the NSIC conference indoor track meet,” said coach Aus.