SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Four Fighting Hawks have been honored for their combined athletic and academic achievements by being named to the 2026 Outdoor Track and Field Academic All-Summit League team, league officials announced on Tuesday.  
 
Jadyn Keeler, Frida Giersdorff, Tiffanie Magnusson and Shane Zierden all collected the honors for North Dakota, marking the third career accolade for Keeler while Giersdorff and Magnusson collected their second-ever recognitions and Zierden became a first-time selection.
 
With two upcoming races still on deck for the senior, Keeler looks to add to her outdoor season success at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She has collected four new UND school records in the 1500-meter run, 3,000-meter steeplechase, 5000-meter run and 10,000-meter run, claimed three gold medals for a triple crown alongside a silver medal and Women's Track MVP honors at the conference meet and earned two bids to the NCAA West Regionals. At that meet, Keeler then finished third overall in the 10,000-meter run and seventh in the 5,000-meter run to punch a pair of tickets to the national meet. She carries a GPA of 3.97 and majors in Molecular and Integrative Biology.
 
Giersdorff saw a strong junior season on the track which began in strong fashion as she initially broke the school 3000-meter steeplechase record in her second meet of the season. That PR of 10:06.17 booked her a ticket to the NCAA West Regional meet for the first time in her career where she finished 31^st overall. She collected two more personal bests during the season in the 1500-meter and 5000-meter runs and added in a runner-up, silver-medal finish in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the conference championships. Giersdorff holds grade point average of 3.94 while pursuing a degree in Kinesiology.
 
The reigning Summit League Women's Scholar of the Championship, Magnusson has been a consistent field scorer for the Fighting Hawks this season. She started strong with a pair of top-five finishes at the season-opening PLNU Sea Lion Invite before leaping her way to victory in the high jump at the Cobb Open. The junior then topped her season with a trio of scoring performances at the conference meet with sixth-place finishes in the 4x100-meter relay and high jump while taking home the gold in the long jump after a personal-best leap of 20-1 (6.12m). She currently is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering while holding a GPA of 4.0.
 
Representing the men, Zierden adds an outdoor academic honor to his season after previously claiming an indoor academic nod earlier this 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 where he finished 16^th overall. He maintains a grade point average of 3.92 while majoring in Mechanical Engineering.
 
To be eligible for the Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale), completed at least one full academic year at the current institution and participated in 50 percent of their team's competitions.
 
Nominations are brought forth by sports information directors from the league's eight institutions that carry track and field, and voting is conducted by both the SIDs and facility athletic representatives (FARs). Each team is made up of the 15 student-athletes receiving the most votes with all ties standing.

North Dakota track and field will be represented at the NCAA Outdoor Championship meet this week as Keeler and Louis-Lys Fanucchi compete in a total of three different events over the course of four days.  
 
For updates and more information on North Dakota track and field, follow on social media @UNDtrackfieldXC or visit FightingHawks.com.