TERRE Haute, Ind. – The North Dakota cross country teams travel east to Cross Country Town for the regular season finale, competing in the Under Armour Pre National Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind., on Friday.

One of the most competitive collegiate matches in the country, Indiana State will host a slew of top Division I programs at this season's event. The women's 6K will feature the top two ranked teams in the country in No. 1 NC State and No. 2 BYU. The teams have a collective 647 points between them. There are eight total ranked teams competing in the 6K, with another two receiving votes.

It's less stacked on the men's side as No. 8 Syracuse checks in as the highest ranked team on the course for Friday. There are seven ranked teams in the field with one receiving votes.

North Dakota has never competed in this meet, as it stands as a precursor for a potential bid at the NCAA Tournament, which will once again be hosted in Terre Haute. The Fighting Hawk women will kick things off at 9 a.m. CT, competing in the Blue Race with most of the field, followed by the men in the 8K at 10:40 a.m CT. Live results of the meet will be provided by PrimeTime Timing and will be streamed on Runnerspace+.

IN THE RANKINGS
Despite this race serving as North Dakota's first official race of October, both teams remained ranked in the USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Rankings, which were announced on Monday. The Fighting Hawk women are ranked sixth, which is the top spot in the Summit League and one spot higher than last time they raced, while the UND men at No. 14. 

For the first time in their history, the Fighting Hawk women earned some votes in the week two of the USTFCCCA National Poll. UND was coming off an impressive performance at the Gans Creek Classic on Sept. 25, when the Fighting Hawks finished fourth in the 6K Gold Race, placing ahead of then-No. 22 Arkansas.

LAST TIME OUT
North Dakota made waves in the world of collegiate cross country at the Gans Creek Classic, as the women finished fourth overall with personal best times throughout the lineup for the Fighting Hawks. UND fell behind Power Four schools Missouri, Kentucky and Florida State, but bested then-No. 22 Arkansas, who finished fifth.

Junior Olivia Correale paced the Fighting Hawks with a 15th-place finish, crossing the line in 19:55.3. For her efforts, she earned Summit League Women's Cross Country Peak Performer of the Week for the first time in her career. Shewaye Johnson finished just behind Correale, placing 22nd with a 20:11.8 finish. Marie-Louise Jorgensen (34th, 20:25.0), Naja Weiler (36th, 20:28.0) and Frida Giersdorff (62nd, 20:49.7) rounded out the women's scoring five. As a team, the Fighting Hawks finished with 169 points, beating Arkansas in the tiebreaker for fourth.

On the men's side, the Hawks fended off three Power Four teams (Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa) en route to a 16th place team finish. The men had and average time of 24:06 over the 8K course, with Louis-Lys Fanucchi leading the Hawks with a personal best 23:26.4 to finish 28th overall. Matej Hrebacka also established a new personal record by crossing the line in 23:42.1 to finish 43rd. Ian Busche (98th, 24:15.4), Henrik Lindstrot (122nd, 24:33.7) and Aleksa Milanovic (128th, 24:36.1) rounded out the men's scoring.

PRESEASON PREVIEW
The Summit League released its 2026 Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll on Wednesday, September 2, placing North Dakota in the top two positions of each the men's and women's rankings.
 
UND finished atop the standings of the women's preseason poll with 47 total points and five first-place votes. South Dakota State followed in second place with 42 points and two first-place votes as North Dakota State took third with 39 points and the final first-place vote. Rounding out the remaining five spots, in order, were South Dakota, St. Thomas, Oral Roberts, Omaha and Kansas City.
 
The men's preseason poll featured North Dakota in second place with 32 points and two first-place votes. South Dakota State was first in the release with 35 points and five first-place votes as North Dakota State took third with 26 points. Rounding out the final four positions in the poll were Oral Roberts, South Dakota and St. Thomas all tied for fourth with 16 points as Kansas City was seventh with six points.

HAWKS TO WATCH
In the September 2 preseason conference release, North Dakota had four cross country runners honored as Preseason Athletes to Watch. Louis-Lys Fanucchi and Matej Hrebacka earned the distinction for the men as Marie-Louise Jorgensen and Shewaye Johnson were recognized for the women.

Through the first two meets of the season, the North Dakota women have blossomed into a highly talented unit, led by Jorgensen and Johnson, but also backed up by the breakout star in Olivia Correale. The trio then added Naja Weiler to serve as a capable fourth scorer, each finishing in the top 40 at Gans Creek.

Correale finished 15th last time out to lead the women to a fourth-place team finish at the Gans Creek Classic.

The freshman season for Jorgensen saw her earn two total new personal bests in the 5k and 6k races before she secured a strong fifth-place showing at the conference meet after crossing the finish line in 20:45.4. Her finish gave her First Team All-Summit and Newcomer of the Championship honors before she took 79th at the regional in 22:05.1.
 
Johnson's debut season at North Dakota last year saw a highlight performance at the conference championships when she finished fourth overall in a time of 20:25.5, earning First Team All-Summit distinction. She went on to be the second-highest UND finisher at the Midwest Regional after taking 27th in 21:07.8.

Fanucchi tallied three new personal bests during the cross country season in the 6k, 8k and 10k races. He also made waves during the conference championship meet as he finished third alongside a time of 23:58.8 for First Team All-Summit honors before taking 62nd at the NCAA Midwest Regional in 32:23.5, both marking new PRs. He has since reset his personal 8K best at the Gans Creek Classic, finishing 23:26.4.
 
Hrebacka placed seventh at the Summit League Cross Country Championships last season in 24:01.2 to claim First Team All-Summit honors after clocking two new personal bests in the 6k and 8k during regular season competition. He then went on to lead UND in the NCAA Midwest Regional as he claimed 41st place in 31:46.9. He's broken the 25-minute mark already this season and looks to build on that effort in Terre Haute.
 
UP NEXT
UND will look to boost its odds at a national tournament bid when it heads to St. Paul, Minn., for the Summit League Championships on Oct. 31.

For more information on North Dakota track and field/cross country, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @undtrackfieldxc.