North Dakota Track and Field Shatters Records at California Meets

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Over the weekend, North Dakota’s track and field program delivered a stunning performance by breaking four school records at two competitive meets in California.

Mike Fanelli Track Classic: Record-Breaking Performances

The action kicked off on Saturday at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic, where the North Dakota Fighting Hawks showcased their capabilities.

Women’s 10,000-Meter Run

In her event debut, Elle Sondag recorded a time of 36:28.89, finishing eighth in section one and eighth overall. For the men’s side, Ethan Adams achieved a personal best of 31:19.28, ranking ninth in school history and finishing 23rd in his section, 26th overall.

800-Meter Run Highlights

The women’s 800-meter race saw Gabriella Ruggeri clock in at 2:10.65, a personal best and fifth-best time in UND history, earning her a fourth-place finish in section four. On the men’s side, Aleksa Milanovic took second in section six and ranked 13th overall with a time of 1:51.63.

Milestone Moments in the Mile Runs

In a climactic turn of events, Olivia Correale secured first place overall in the women’s mile run, shattering the school record with an impressive 4:47.47. In an equally remarkable showing, Katie Rogers followed closely with a time of 4:52.51, now ranked second in program history, while Marie-Louise Jorgensen made her debut with a time of 4:56.93, positioning her third all-time at UND.

The men’s mile race echoed this success, with Louis-Lys Fanucchi breaking the men’s record with a time of 4:07.75. Additionally, Henrik Lindstrot finished fifth at 4:10.97, marking a new personal best and the third-best time in school history.

Triton Invitational: Throwing Success

The next stop for the Fighting Hawks was the Triton Invitational in San Diego. Here, Julia Matthews tied her outdoor personal best of 46-4 1/4 (14.13m) in the women’s shot put, ranking eighth in UND history, finishing in 13th place.

Stanford Invitational: More Record-Breaking Achievements

At the Stanford Invitational, results reflected an outstanding range of performances from the Hawks. Frida Giersdorff set a new women’s 3000-meter steeplechase record with a PR of 10:06.17, finishing seventh overall. On the men’s side, Fanucchi again dazzled with a time of 8:42.15 in the steeplechase, marking a personal best and the second-best time in school history. Lindstrot followed suit with a 5th place finish and a new PR of 8:49.08.

The women’s 10,000-meter featured another record-breaking run as Keeler improved her own mark with a time of 31:56.03, finishing fourth and now ranked as the 20th fastest time in NCAA history. In section two, Shewaye Johnson and Naja Weiler also contributed with personal bests, recording the third and fourth best times in UND history, respectively.

Upcoming Competitions

North Dakota track and field will split between a meet in California and one at North Dakota State from Thursday, April 9, to Saturday, April 11.

Post-Meet Notes:

• Two new school records were established on Saturday.
• Both records came from the men’s and women’s mile runs.
• A total of eight new top-10 marks were achieved during the second day of competition.

For more information on North Dakota track and field, visit the official Fighting Hawks website or follow them on social media @UNDtrackfieldXC.