GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Another chapter of success has been added to the outstanding history of community service and economic impact from University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks as a pair of top-five finishes in national engagement challenges have put UND back in the spotlight.
 
A mammoth 7,465 community service hours were accrued by North Dakota student-athletes this academic year which has in turn helped create $269,786 in economic impact with over 4,000 service commitments attended. These statistics led to North Dakota finishing in fifth place of the Helper Helper Rankings, marking an eighth consecutive year ranked in the top 10 of Division I schools.
 
Nine UND teams finished in the top ten rankings of their respective sports, led by Women's Golf and Women's Tennis, who each finished No. 1 out of all participating Division I programs. These two squads were also Top-10 overall female programs for all participating Division I schools and reached the Elite 8 of the Helper Helper Team Challenge in March.
 
Additional ranked teams in their respective sports include Men's Tennis (No. 2), Men's Golf (No. 3), Hockey (No. 3), Women's Track and Field/Cross Country (No. 4), Football (No. 4), Men's Track and Field/Cross Country (No. 5) and Women's Basketball (No. 10).
 
North Dakota athletics also finished fourth place overall in the NCAA Community Engagement Impact Challenge, which marks the fifth consecutive year the Fighting Hawks have been ranked in the top five of that initiative.
 
"We are tremendously proud of the advocacy and support that our student-athletes continue to provide the Greater Grand Forks community," said Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development Tyler Burmeister. "To again be recognized as a top community service school in Division I athletics is a testament to the leadership of our student-athletes and the wonderful community partners we get to serve." 
 
Helper Helper is a community service app that connects volunteers to meaningful experiences in the community and formulates each team or department's participation percentage, hours per student-athlete and total hours by its top student-athletes. Helper Helper simplifies the organizational efforts for volunteer coordinators, helps volunteers easily find and schedule events and annually hosts the NCAA Team Works Challenge.
 
UND TOP-10 RANKED PROGRAMS
1. Women's Golf – fifth overall among all female sports
1. Women's Tennis – ninth overall among all female sports
2. Men's Tennis
3. Men's Golf
3. Hockey
4. Women's Track and Field/Cross Country
4. Football
5. Men's Track and Field/Cross Country
10. Women's Basketball
 
HELPER HELPER'S TOP-10 DIVISION I SCHOOLS
1.Coastal Carolina University
2. Utah State University
3. Belmont University
4. Old Dominion University
5. University of North Dakota
6. Western Michigan University
7. Tulane University
8. James Madison University
9. University of Miami (Florida)
10. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
 
For news and updates on UND Athletics, visit FightingHawks.com and follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @UNDsports.