EUGENE, Ore. – For the first time in program history, North Dakota track and field has a First Team All-American in a track event at the NCAA Championships and the milestone was achieved by none other than Jadyn Keeler.
 
The historic performance took place on Thursday evening at Hayward Field during the women's 10,000-meter run that ended in thrilling fashion.
 
Keeler still held onto the sixth-fastest time across NCAA this season upon entering the national championship meet and her performance quickly matched such a ranking. Action started with the Barrie, Ontario-native comfortably toward the front half of the pack of 24 competing athletes before she cracked the race wide open after two laps. Keeler took control and forced the field into keeping up with her quickening pace that lasted throughout the remaining laps. Her efforts helped her maintain a strong and confident position in the field and resulted in a clocking of 32:04.97 for sixth place.
 
The display gave her First Team All-American honors for the first time in her already-storied Fighting Hawk career. It also marked the first time a UND track athlete earned First Team distinction at an NCAA Track and Field Championship in program history while also tying the highest-ever finish for a UND athlete at the national meet (sixth place, also collected by Molli Detloff in 2019 in the hammer throw).
 
2025-26 was the latest shimmering chapter in the historic career of Keeler. She broke the 10,000-meter run school record in her first outdoor appearance of the season, clocking a time of 31:56.03 at the Stanford Invitational. That time ended up serving as her ticket to the NCAA West Preliminary Round at the end of May where she exploded for a third-place overall finish and a bid to the national meet. That performance followed another outstanding meet for the senior as she claimed a trio of gold medals, a silver medal, a new school record (3000-meter steeplechase) and Women's Track MVP of the Championship honors at the conference meet.
 
She has currently tallied three new personal bests and three new school records in this season alone…but the job is not yet done as her season and career will come to a conclusion on Saturday with one final race in the 5000-meter run.
 
Until that event, the NCAA Outdoor Championships will continue for North Dakota on Friday evening as Louis-Lys Fanucchi competes in the men's 3000-meter steeplechase finals at 7:24 p.m. on ESPN.  

For more information on North Dakota track and field, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDtrackfieldXC.