GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The uncertainties that surrounded the 2020-21 school year were well documented around the country, which meant changes in schedule, routine, and how to compete. However, unwavering during this time was the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks' commitment to service and its giving culture.
 
Fighting Hawk student-athletes successfully managed the ever changing landscape and committed over 1,500 hours of community service to the Grand Forks and UND communities, finishing sixth nationally in community service hours among Division I athletic programs through the Helper Helper community service program. This is the third-straight year North Dakota has ranked in the top-10. In addition, the University of North Dakota led all FCS programs in the final standings and finished ahead of 17 Power Five schools ranked in the top-50 and had six programs rank in the top-10 in their respective sports.
 
"Despite the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the student-athletes navigated their time demands and found ways to make an impact in our community," said Director of Student-Athlete Development Tyler Burmeister. "To rank in the top-10 for community service impact three years in a row emphasizes the culture of service that the student-athletes have created at UND."
 
Leading the way for the Fighting Hawks service efforts were the volleyball (fourth), women's golf (fourth), and hockey (fifth) teams, who all finished in among the top five in their respective sports. Both the men's and women's track & field teams finished in the top-10 with the women taking eighth and the men ranking 10th. UND softball rounded out North Dakota's top-10 national efforts, finishing ninth in Helper Helper's rankings.
 
Individually, 10 Fighting Hawks from five different teams reached the 100-hour threshold for community service: Katie Bierstedt (softball), Julia Fleecs (women's basketball), Jacob Henne (track & field/XC), Jocelyn Kirk (softball), Ellie Miller (track & field), Hannah Oscarson (track & field), Nikki Pica (softball), Hunter Pinke (football), Matt Russell (track & field), and Ashlynn Uvila (softball).
 
Through the University of North Dakota's 1,566 hours of service, the Fighting Hawks made an estimated economic impact of $44,712. The standings and economic impact by Helper Helper are formulated by each team or departments' participation percentage, hours per student-athlete, and the total hours by its top student-athletes.
 
One of the top-service projects UND student-athletes volunteered at during the school year was the USDA Farmers to Families Food Distribution program under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Working with the Great Plains Food Bank, 62 Fighting Hawks from nine different sports worked seven of the 10 events. All told, the program distributed over 260,000 pounds of food and 12,228 food boxes to 9,900 houses in the area.
 
For news and updates on UND Athletics, visit FightingHawks.com and follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @UNDsports.

UND TOP-10 RANKED PROGRAMS
Women's Golf: 4th
Volleyball: 4th
Hockey: 5th
Women's Track & Field/XC: 8th
Softball: 9th
Men's Track & Field/XC: 10th

HELPER HELPER'S TOP-10 DIVISION I SCHOOLS
1. Tulane
2. Louisiana Lafayette
3. Pittsburgh
4. Louisville
5. South Alabama
6. North Dakota
7. Michigan
8. Boston College
9. Miami (Fla.)
10. UAB