GRAND FORKS, N.D. – One final weekend of indoor track and field competition remains on deck for North Dakota down in Arkansas while the outdoor slate kicks off out west in California.
 
The NCAA announced that Jadyn Keeler is set to represent the Fighting Hawks at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships after earning a bid to compete in the women's 5000-meter run. Hosted at the Randal Tyson Center in Fayetteville, the senior's event is estimated to begin at 7:05 p.m. CT
 
Her qualification marks the fifth-ever time a Fighting Hawk has earned a bid for the NCAA Championships in UND Division I history after becoming the first track-qualifying athlete for UND last season. She earned Second-Team All-America status in 2025 for her 10th-place finish in 15:31.63 in the same event. This year, Keeler holds the 15-seed in the event out of 16 qualifying marks with her time of 15:14.76 that was clocked at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener on Dec. 6, 2025. She shattered her own previous school record by nearly 14 seconds en route to her eighth-place finish at the meet.
 
While Keeler continues her sparkling senior season for North Dakota down in Arkansas, the outdoor season begins for the Fighting Hawks out in California. The PLNU Sea Lion Invite begins at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, March 13 with the hammer throw before resuming on Saturday at 9 a.m. for field events and 11:30 a.m. for running events.
 
Last Time Out
The Summit League Indoor Track and Field Championships ended in high fashion for the Fighting Hawks as UND collected seven medals and four individual honors to round out competition inside the Fritz D. Pollard Jr. Athletic Center on Saturday.
 
North Dakota earned three gold, two silver and two bronze medals on the weekend before the conclusion of the meet presented three Fighting Hawks with individual honors. Katherine Rogers was named the Women's Newcomer of the Year, Jadyn Keeler was tabbed the Women's Track MVP and Louis-Lys Fanucchi earned Men's Track MVP honors at the end of the meet, with awards given based on athlete performances/scoring. The final recognition was given to Lucas Schweigert, who was named the men's Scholar of the Championship for his academic achievement.
 
When it came to medaling for the Hawks, Keeler led another UND event sweep, this time in the women's mile run. She clocked a 4:39.69 for the top spot on the podium as Olivia Correale took second in 4:44.22 for a new personal best and the second-best time in school history. Rounding out the all-Nouth Dakota podium was Rogers, who took bronze in a time of 4:46/29, which now marks a new PR and sits third all-time.
 
Keeler completed her triple crown—added in with Friday's 3000-meter win—with a gold finish in the women's 5000-meter run. UND placed four in the top five of the event, but Keeler led it all. She dominated the race from start to finish and shattered her own meet record with a time of 15:56.90, finishing more than 40 seconds ahead of the next finisher.
 
Shewaye Johnson took silver for the Fighting Hawks in 16:37.19 while Frida Giersdorff (16:45.36, PR, fifth all-time) was fourth and Rogers (16:45.88, PR, sixth all-time) came fifth.
 
Fanucchi earned his first Summit League Championship title in the men's mile, clocking a 4:05.51 to cross the finish line first and claim the top spot on the podium.
 
Kajsa Cabanas Andersson added a bronze medal to her weekend after tallying a throw of 46-6 3/4 (14.19m) for a new PR, the ninth-best mark in school history and a third-place finish. Julia Matthews and Haidyn Skeen also joined her in the finals, taking fifth (45-11 1/4, 14.00m) and eighth (42-11 3/4, 13.10m), respectively.
 
Additional finishes included Anya Williams, who booked a ticket to the women's triple jump finals and finished seventh overall with her mark of 37-11 1/2 (11.57m). Two Fighting Hawks also finished in scoring position of the women's high jump as Elliotte Becker took fifth (5-5 3/4, 1.67m) and Williams tied for sixth (5-3 3/4, 1.62m).
 
Marta Marksa raced her way into fifth place of the women's 60-meter hurdle finals with her time of 8.72 as Ava Phrakonkham finished eighth in the 200-meter dash finals with her clocking of 25.07. Gabriella Ruggeri also competed in Saturday's event finals, taking fifth overall in the women's 800-meter run with her time of 2:10.28, which marks a new PR and the third-best time in UND history.
 
Fanucchi led UND in the men's 5000-meter run, taking fourth in 14:19.69 and was followed close behind by Jonas Weschle (14:20.19, PR, fourth all-time) and Ian Busche (14:23.93, PR, fifth all-time), who finished fifth and eighth, respectively.
 
Sawyer Nelson earned a big to the men's triple jump finals and finished in eighth place with his mark of 46-8 1/4 (14/23m) while over in the throw, Tyler Thoreson represented UND in the men's shot put finals and took ninth overall with his throw of 53-3 3/4 (16.25m).
 
The day concluded with the relays that saw the team of Marksa, Ruggeri, Gretchen Raney and Kim Hitchen clock a 3:49.16 for fifth place and the fourth-fastest time in UND history. On the men's half of the event, Cruz Megazzini, Wyatt Greuneich, Dash Ohlsen and Josh Neil teamed up to take sixth with a time of 3:17.18, the third-best time in school history.
 
Final scores saw the women's team finish third with 141.5 points behind North Dakota State (177) and South Dakota (143.5). The men took seventh with 40 points as North Dakota State (191.5) won and South Dakota (145) was runner-up.
 
Conference Medalists and Honorees
The Fighting Hawks collected its fair share of hardware during the conference championship meet across individual performances both on and off the track:
- Louis-Lys Fanucchi – men's mile run (gold medal)
- Jadyn Keeler – women's mile run (gold medal)
- Jadyn Keeler – women's 3000-meter run (gold medal)
- Jadyn Keeler – women's 5000-meter run (gold medal)
- Olivia Correale – women's mile run (silver medal)
- Olivia Correale – women's 3000-meter run (silver medal)
- Louis-Lys Fanucchi – men's 3000-meter run (silver medal)
- Marta Marksa – women's pentathlon (silver medal)
- Julia Matthews – women's weight throw (silver medal)
- Shewaye Johnson – women's 5000-meter run (silver medal)
- Kajsa Cabanas Andersson – women's shot put (bronze medal)
- Frida Giersdorff – women's 3000-meter run (bronze medal)
- Katherine Rogers – women's mile run (bronze medal)
- Louis-Lys Fanucchi – Men's Track MVP
- Jadyn Keeler – Women's Track MVP
- Katherine Rogers – Women's Newcomer of the Year
- Lucas Schweigert – Men's Scholar of the Championship
 
Summit League Accolades
Peak Performer of the Week
- Jadyn Keeler – Women's Track (Feb. 17)
- Jadyn Keeler – Women's Track (Feb. 3)
- Louis-Lys Fanucchi – Men's Track (Feb. 3)
- Louis-Lys Fanucchi – Men's Track (Jan. 27)
- Jadyn Keeler – Women's Track (Dec. 9)
 
Fight 'em Hawks!
The Fighting Hawks have already achieved a plethora of new top-10 indoor marks in program history this season, including six chart-topping school records:
- Louis-Lys Fanucchi – 5,000m (No. 1 – 13:58.81)
- Jadyn Keeler – 5,000m (No. 1 – 15:14.76)
- Louis-Lys Fanucchi – 3,000m (No. 1 – 7:58.80)
- Jadyn Keeler – 3,000m (No. 1 – 8:50.45)
- Louis-Lys Fanucchi – Mile Run (No. 1 – 3:57.90)
- Jadyn Keeler – Mile Run (No. 1 – 4:39.06)
 
On Tap
North Dakota track and field will firmly flip into outdoor competition beginning on April 3 and 4 as the Fighting Hawks take on the Stanford Invitational and Triton Invitational out in California.
 
For updates and more information on North Dakota track and field, follow on social media @UNDtrackfieldXC or visit FightingHawks.com.