BETHLEHEM, Pa. – North Dakota ran against some of the top teams in the nation at the Paul Short Run on Saturday morning. The women's team took 18th in the gold 6K race and beat 26 other Division I institutions. In the men's gold 8K competition, UND was 21st and beat out 22 other Division I schools.

Yonca Kutluk, running in her first meet as a Fighting Hawk, was the story of the meet for UND, placing fifth with a 6K time of 20:28.6. Kutluk previously ran unattached at the Ron Pynn Classic earlier this season and claimed the individual 5K crown with a time of 17:34.0.

Eliana Malnourie was the next Hawk to finish in the 6K and was 126th with a time of 21:57.6. Less than five seconds later, Conny Wohlfahrt crossed the finish line and was 136th in 22:02.0. Jadyn Keeler took 144th with a time of 22:07.0. Frida Giersdorff, running in her first collegiate 6K, clocked a time of 22:11.5 and finished 159th.

For the third meet this season, Luke Labatte paced the men's team in the 8K with a time of 24:37.3. Justin Jelaca, the No. 2 runner for the men's team this year, was 46th with a time of 24:42.2. Jamie Burns and Aleksa Milanovic were the next Hawks to cross the finish line, coming in 131st (25:14.6) and 173rd (25:32.5), respectively. Alec Nelson rounded out the top five finishers for UND, taking 199th with a time of 25:40.7.

How It Happened
UND Point Scorers (6K)
5. Yonca Kutluk – 20:28.6
126. Eliana Malnourie – 21:57.6
136. Conny Wohlfahrt – 22:02.0
144. Jadyn Keeler – 22:07.0
159. Frida Giersdorff – 22:11.5
332. Elle Sondag – 23:37.9
335. Brenna Barnick – 23:40.6

UND Point Scorers (8K)
37. Luke Labatte – 24:37.3
46. Justin Jelaca – 24:42.2
131. Jamie Burns – 25:14.6
173. Aleksa Milanovic – 25:32.5
199. Alec Nelson – 25:40.7
271. Ethan Kimmel – 26:09.0
295. Eric Weiss – 26:19.6

Post-Meet Notes
* Yonca Kutluk, competing in her first meet for UND, took fifth in the women's 6K. There were 393 runners in that race.
* Luke Labatte and Justin Jelaca, named Athletes to Watch in the Summit League, continued being the top two runners for the men's squad. They have led the Hawks in three meets so far this year.
* Ethan Kimmel posted a PR of over 15 seconds in the 8K and had the biggest improvement of the day for the Fighting Hawks.
* Both teams ran in the gold races at the Paul Short Run. The women's 6K had 44 teams and the men's 8K had 47.

Up Next
North Dakota will now turn its attention to the Summit League Championships in Brookings on Saturday, Oct. 28.