GRAND FORKS, N.D. – North Dakota cross country/track and field added further success to its shimmering collective 2025-26 season as seven Fighting Hawks were honored on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District teams, officials announced on Tuesday.
 
Frida Giersdorff, Matej Hrebacka, Jadyn Keeler, Julia Matthews, Cailey Moton, Anya Williams and Shane Zierden all represented North Dakota on the academic awards list for their respective outstanding performances both on and off the course, track and field.
 
Keeler was also announced as a finalist for the CSC Academic All-America honoree list, set to be announced on July 15.
 
The 2025-26 Academic All-District® Men's Track & Field/Cross Country teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes men's track & field/cross country honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
 
Giersdorff saw a strong junior season in both cross country and track competition this year, which began back in August. She tallied new personal bests in the 5k (17:40.6) and 6k (21:11.9) during the XC season while tallying a 16^th place-finish at the conference meet and appearing at the NCAA Midwest Regional Meet. During indoor competition, Giersdorff collected three new personal bests in the 800-meter, mile and 3000-meter runs during the year that culminated in scoring performances in a pair of events at the conference championship meet. The outdoor season then saw a new school record for the junior who also earned a bid to the NCAA West Prelims in the 3000-meter steeplechase after she rewrote three personal-best times and grabbed a silver medal at the conference meet. Giersdorff holds grade point average of 3.94 while pursuing a degree in Kinesiology.
 
The 2025 cross country season proved to be a successful one for Hrebacka as it culminated in a regional appearance in November. He claimed a trio of top-three finishes during the fall slate, including with a PR time of 16:52.4 in the 6k at the Dragon Twilight Invitational where he claimed third place. Hrebacka also PR'd in the 8k alongside a time of 23:54.6 before claiming all-conference honors at the league championships with his seventh-place finish. Following a 41^st place finish in the 10k at the regional meet, the junior appeared in three distance events for UND during the indoor season. Hrebacka is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance while maintaining a GPA of 3.58.
 
One of the most storied athletes in UND history, Jadyn Keeler saw her career come to a close in dominating fashion across cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field competition. The senior placed in the top-five of each of her seven appearances leading into the national championships, highlighted by new personal bests in the 5k and 6k, five meet victories, a league crown at the XC championships and a fourth-place finish at the regional meet to earn her the national bid. Keeler went on to finish 26^th overall alongside a time of 19:13.5, claiming All-American honors.
 
That historic domination continued throughout the track and field season for the Barrie, Ontario-native. Keeler broke three school records during indoor action, collected a triple crown of gold medals at the conference meet and earned a bid to the indoor national championship meet. There, she finished 12^th overall to secure Second Team All-America honors for the second time in her indoor career that also saw a total of six Summit League championships, six Summit League weekly honors, two Summit League Women's Track MVP recognitions and two Summit League Women's Track Athlete of the Year awards.
 
And yet, the outdoor season was still yet to come. Keeler broke another four school records in outdoor action, grabbed another triple crown of first-place finishes at the conference meet while earning silver for four total All-Summit performances and earned two bids to the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds that resulted in two tickets punched to the outdoor national championship meet. There, Keeler finished sixth-overall in the 10,000-meter run to claim First Team All-America honors before taking 12^th in the 5000-meter run for Second Team All-America honors. Keeler closed her outdoor career as a three-time All-American, six-time Summit League champion, four-time Summit League weekly award winner, two-time Summit League Track MVP, the 2022 Summit League Newcomer of the Championship and a two-time Summit League Women's Track Athlete of the Year. She graduated from North Dakota with a 3.97 grade point average and a degree in Molecular and Integrative Biology.
 
Matthews served as an anchor for the Fighting Hawks throwing squad throughout the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons this year. She dominated in the weight throw during the indoor season while tallying eight top-three finishes, six event wins, a pair of PRs in the shot put and weight throw before scoring in both events at the conference championships, including a silver medal in the weight throw. Her strong showing continued throughout the outdoor season as Matthews took home 13 top-five event finishes while tallying a new PR and UND Top-10 mark in the hammer throw. The junior's year culminated in a third-place showing in the hammer throw and fourth-place finish in the shot put before ending in an NCAA West Preliminary Round bid in the hammer. She currently holds a GPA of 3.58 while pursuing Forensic Science.  
 
Moton was another prolific member of the throwing squad for UND during her sophomore campaign, tallying two total scoring finishes between the indoor and outdoor conference championships. She consistently appeared for the Fighting Hawks in the women's weight throw and even finished fourth-overall in the event at the league championships after placing first at the UND Tune-Up with her new PR of 61-9 3/4 (18.84m). That momentum easily carried into the outdoor season where Moton took home six top-five finishes and three individual event crowns. She registered a new PR in the hammer throw to win the event at the Cobb Open that directly helped her secure a bid to the NCAA West Preliminary Round. The sophomore is studying for a degree in Accountancy and sits with a GPA of 3.79.
 
Another all-around successful season came in the form of Williams' sophomore showing. High jump proved to be her specialty as she placed in the top-three in each of her appearances leading into the indoor conference championships where she finished sixth-overall. And yet, the outdoor season is where the breakout performances truly began. Williams rewrote UND history three total times during the year across two different events while accumulating three new personal bests. She never finished below fifth-place before the conference championships and ended up collecting a silver medal in the high jump at the league meet before earning a bid to the NCAA West Prelims in that same event. Williams is majoring in Commercial Aviation while holding a grade point average of 3.6.
 
Rounding out the UND honorees is Zierden, a sophomore jumper who consistently improved throughout the year. He tallied four top-five finishes during the indoor season, including an event win in the long jump at the UND Tune-Up. After scoring for the Fighting Hawks in that same event at the conference championships, all focused to the outdoor season. The sophomore tallied nine top-five finishes during the season while collecting three new personal bests in the 100-meter dash, long jump and javelin throw. The conference championships ended in him taking home a bronze medal in the triple jump before collecting the gold in the long jump off a new PR and school-record mark of 25-2 (7.67m) that secured his bid to the NCAA West Regional meet. He maintains a grade point average of 3.92 while majoring in Mechanical Engineering.
 
For updates and information on North Dakota track and field, follow on social media @UNDtrackfieldXC or visit FightingHawks.com.