GRAND FORKS, N.D. – With North Dakota kicking off the 2025 season on Saturday, the Fighting Hawks announced the team captains at the weekly sports press conference on Monday. As selected by the coaches, Malachi McNeal, Lance Rucker, Sam Strandell and Caleb Olson were all selected as captains.

Already earning the trust of the coaching staff this fall, McNeal, Rucker and Strandell make up the "701", with jersey numbers "7", "0" and "1" playing a special significance, honoring the North Dakota area code. Olson anchored an offensive line which ranked No. 13 in the FCS in red-zone scoring last season, helping the offense score 89.6 percent of the time when reaching the red-zone.

McNeal has appeared in 35 games for the Fighting Hawks in his career with 23 starts coming at linebacker. Last season, he started 11 games and appeared in every contest. McNeal finished the season second on the team in both total tackles (68) and quarterback hurries (8). He also tied for second on the team in tackles-for-loss (6.0) and tied for third in both sacks (2.0) and pass breakups (3). He posted a season-high three pass breakups in the 41-24 win against San Diego and put down a career-best 13 tackles (eight solo) at Youngstown State. McNeal served as a team captain in 2024 and ended the year with honorable mention MVFC All-Academic accolades.

Coming into the 2025 season, McNeal was named to the MVFC Preseason Watchlist and received a second team nod on the Phil Steele Preseason All-MVFC Team. The impressive linebacker from Waukegan, Ill., earned prestigious jersey No. 7 this fall.

After appearing at linebacker the past two seasons, Rucker will be an edge in 2025 and will don jersey No. 0. Coming into the season, he has appeared in 23 games and started 11 of them at linebacker. In the 2024 season, Rucker tied for third on the team in both sacks (2.0) and pass breakups (3). He also tied for fourth on the team in quarterback hurries (4) and compiled 37 total tackles, with 19 of them being solo stops. Rucker recorded a sack, forced a fumble and picked up a fumble recovery in the 52-28 win over Idaho State. He also put down a sack and a pair of QB hurries in the 31-7 victory over Northern Iowa and tallied a season-high six tackles at Indiana State.

The impressive edge rusher from Omaha, Neb., was named to the 2025 MVFC Preseason Watchlist and earned third team honors on the Phil Steele Preseason All-MVFC Team.

Strandell completes the "701" and will be in jersey No. 1 this fall. The Grand Forks native has seen action in 17 games at UND at wide receiver while also appearing as a special teams contributor. Last season, he saw action in every game and received his first collegiate start at wide receiver against No. 2 North Dakota State. He finished the year with five grabs for 25 yards and averaged 5.0 yards per catch. Strandell recorded a season-best 13 yards receiving in the 72-35 win over Murray State. On special teams, Strandell also forced a fumble against the Racers.

Olson, an offensive lineman from Fort Ransom, N.D., started all 12 games at right guard in 2024. He has appeared in 20 contests on the offensive line and special teams throughout his career. Last season, his blocking helped UND rank No. 13 in the FCS in red-zone scoring (89.6 percent), No. 20 in third down conversion percentage (45.6), No. 20 in time of possession (31:32) and No. 25 in rushing offense per game (186.9 yards). Olson helped North Dakota rack up over 400 yards of offense three times in 2024, highlighted by 601 yards in the 72-35 win over Murray State. At the end of the season, Olson earned Second Team MVFC All-Academic honors.

North Dakota will kick off the 2025 season on Saturday, visiting Kansas State at 6 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+ and will be carried on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.