DES MOINES, Iowa/INDIANOLA, Iowa – The North Dakota track and field teams kicked off both the Drake Relays and Kip Janvrin Open on Thursday night, posting two improvements to the UND top-10 list in Des Moines.

Luke Labatte was the first Hawk to compete at the Drake Relays and broke his own school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase for the third time this season. Labatte posted a PR of over six seconds to finish third in a time of 8:48.05. If the regular season ended today, that time would rank No. 24 regionally and qualify Labatte for the NCAA West Preliminary Round. His time currently leads the Summit League in the event and sits No. 38 nationally.

Jadyn Keeler also took the blue oval in the 5,000 meters and placed sixth with a PR time of 16:59.68, moving Keeler up to No. 3 all-time at UND. If the regular season ended today, Keeler's time would sit No. 4 in the Summit League.

A handful of UND athletes also competed in the early sections of the 5,000 meters at the Kip Janvrin Open but results were not made official on Thursday, as there will be additional sections of the event ran on Friday before the results are compiled.

The Fighting Hawks will continue competition at both the Drake Relays and Kip Janvrin Open on Friday. Live results will also be available at PrimeTimeTiming (Drake Relays) and Black Squirrel Timing (Kip Janvrin Open).