BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced its Outdoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches' Poll on Thursday and 13-time defending champion Minnesota State (11 first place votes) was selected to finish first with 121 points. UMary (102), MSU Moorhead (100), Augustana (93) and Northern State (81) rounded out the top five.
 
For the Mavericks, sophomore Hayden Bills (Rosemount, Minnesota) was chosen as men's outdoor field preseason athlete of the year. Bills assembled an excellent indoor campaign and finished sixth in shot put at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships, after winning the event at the NSIC Indoor Championship at Myers Field House in February. Bills came to Minnesota State after competing at Arizona State in 2024-25.
 
In addition to Bills, senior Rinaldo Moore (Port Au Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) was named MSU's outdoor track player to watch. Moore placed fourth in the 60 meter hurdles final at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships with a personal best time of 7.82. He won the event at the NSIC Indoor Championships for the Mavericks. Moore came to MSU after stints at McPherson College and Hinds Community College.
 
Minnesota State men's outdoor track and field begins with competition at the WashU Distance Carnival in St. Louis, Missouri March 26-27. The NSIC Outdoor Championships take place May 7-9 at James S. Malosky Stadium on the campus of University of Minnesota Duluth.

NSIC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches' Poll

Rank	Team (First Place Votes)	Points
1	Minnesota State (11)	121
2.	UMary	102
3.	MSU Moorhead (1)	100
4.	Augustana	93
5.	Northern State	81
6.	Sioux Falls	71
7.	Wayne State	61
8.	Minnesota Duluth	58
9	Concordia-St. Paul	42
10.	Southwest Minnesota State	27
11.	Jamestown	18
11.	Minot State	18