ST. PAUL, Minn. – Justice Dick won the gold medal in the 800 meters at the Summit League Outdoor Championships on Saturday and North Dakota finished the final day of the meet with five medals and six improvements to the UND top-10 list.

The Fighting Hawks ended the three-day meet with 16 medals (three gold, five silver and eight bronze), two new school records and 15 upgrades on the UND top-10 list.

UND finished fourth on the women's side with 109.5 points, while the North Dakota men took sixth with 60 points.

In the closest race of the day for UND, Dick was victorious and won the gold medal in the 800 meters with a time of 1:50.69. His time moved him up to No. 5 in the event in school history.

Teammate Jesse Middendorf gained the bronze in the 800 meters and came less than 0.50 seconds from winning the title, finishing with a time of 1:51.01. Alec Nelson was also in the 800 meters and set the pace but finished fifth with a time of 1:51.63.

Yonca Kutluk became a three-time All-Summit League performer at the outdoor conference championships, finishing as the runner-up and earning the silver medal in the 5,000 meters (17:28.37) and getting the bronze medal in the 1,500 meters (4:29.87) on Saturday. Thursday evening, she was also the runner-up in the 10,000 meters (35:25.78).

Justina Esangbedo earned her first All-Summit League accolade of her career and placed third in the triple jump with a personal-best leap of 39-9 1/4 (12.12m). Her jump not only earned her the bronze medal but also broke the school record of Jennifer Parent, who set the record at 39-7 3/4 (12.08m) at the 2022 Summit League Outdoor Championships.

Luke Labatte became a two-time All-Summit League performer at the meet, getting the bronze medal in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:29.10. On Friday night, he won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:50.89.

The 4x400-meter relay team of Jory Vasek, P.K. Moore, Middendorf and Dick finished fourth with a time of 3:16.44. That time was good for the No. 4 time in UND history.

Kenna Curry placed fifth in the discus with a throw of 146-4 (44.26m).

Jadyn Keeler added three points for the UND women in the 5,000 meters, placing sixth in a time of 17;40.02.

UND's 4x100-meter relay squad of Michael Mallory, Caleb Severson, Vasek and Maxwell Roller ran the third-fastest time in school history and finished sixth in a personal-best time of 41.58.

Towards the end of the meet, UND's 4x400-meter relay of Nadia Evans, Kimberly Hitchen, Jerzie Finstad and Courtney Werner posted the ninth-fastest time in program history and finished sixth in 3:51.96.

The 4x100-meter relay team of Alimath Salou, Elle Thorson, Evans and Marta Marksa finished seventh with a time of 47.90, which was good for the No. 5 time on the UND top-10 list.

Qualifiers for the NCAA West Preliminary Round will be determined early next week, with athletes sitting in the top-48 of the West Region earning bids to the competition. The NCAA West Preliminary Round is scheduled for May 22-25 in Fayetteville, Ark.

North Dakota's 2024 Summit League Outdoor Champions
Justice Dick, 800m, 1:50.69
Luke Labatte, 3,000m Steeplechase, 8:50.89
Jadyn Keeler, 3,000m Steeplechase, 10:28.86

Post-Meet Notes
* North Dakota finished the outdoor conference meet with three Summit League champions. Jadyn Keeler and Luke Labatte were both victorious in their respective 3,000-meter steeplechase races, while Justice Dick claimed gold in the 800 meters.
* The Fighting Hawks piled up 16 medals (three gold, five silver and eight bronze).
* UND also had 16 All-Summit League performances at the meet, led by Yonca Kutluk finishing with all-conference honors in the 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters.
* NoDak posted 15 improvements to the UND top-10 list at the meet, including new school records in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase and women's triple jump.
* Keeler was victorious in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday and won the gold medal in a time of 10:28.86. With the win, she not only earned All-Summit League honors but also broke her own school record in the process, shattering her record of 10:35.60, which she set at Stanford earlier this season.
* On Saturday, Justina Esangbedo earned the bronze in the triple jump with a PR leap of 39-9 1/4 (12.12m). Her jump not only earned her the bronze, but also broke the school record of Jennifer Parent, who set the record at 39-7 3/4 (12.08m) at the 2022 Summit League Outdoor Championships.
* Labatte won the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday night, winning the title in 8:50.89. With the win, he successfully defended his steeplechase titles from the 2022 and 2023 Summit League Outdoor Championships and became the first steeplechase runner to become a three-time champion at the meet since Jeff Mettler of South Dakota did it from 2012-14.