EUGENE, Ore. – Kenna Curry and Jadyn Keeler from the North Dakota track and field team made history and both earned All-America status at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Thursday. Curry was seventh and broke her own school record in the hammer throw with a personal-best toss of 223-7 (68.16m), while Keeler finished 16th in the 10,000 meters in 32:59.12.

With both Curry and Keeler competing at the outdoor national meet, it marked the first time in UND's Division I history that a pair of Fighting Hawks took part in the meet. The last time North Dakota had two student-athletes participate at an outdoor national championship was the 2008 NCAA Division II Championships, where Heidi Evans ran in the 1,500 meters and Jessica Clausnitzer took part in the pole vault.

Friday afternoon, Curry earned First Team All-America status in the hammer throw and became just the second Fighting Hawk in UND's Division I history to gain first-team accolades. The only Hawk previously to earn the honor was Molli Detloff, who finished sixth in the hammer throw with a mark of 222-11 (67.94m) at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Curry bettered her own school record on her first throw at nationals with a PR toss of 223-7 (68.16m). That throw held up for the seventh-place finish and bettered her previous record mark of 223-1 (68.01m), which she set at the Summit League Outdoor Championships in May. Coming into Friday, Curry ranked No. 11 in the NCAA in the event.

The thrower from Elk Point, S.D., qualified for the national championship meet with a hammer throw toss of 208-2 (63.44m) at the NCAA West Preliminary Round and had the 10th-best throw in the event. She also finished 24th in the shot put (51-3, 15.62m) and 29th in the discus (170-9, 52.05m) at the NCAA West Regional. By throwing the hammer, shot put and discus at the regional, Curry became the first student-athlete in program history to compete in all three events at the regional in the same year.

At the Summit League Outdoor Championships, Curry led the UND field athletes with three All-Summit League performances. She was the gold medalist in both the hammer throw (223-1, 68.01m) and shot put (51-6 1/4, 15.70m) and was the silver medalist in the discus (163-7, 49.86m). Her mark in the hammer throw broke the school record at the time and shattered the conference meet record. The previous hammer throw program record was owned by Detloff, who set it at 222-1 (67.94m) at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Curry's hammer throw mark also bettered the conference meet record of 217-6 (66.29m), which was set by Maddy Niles of North Dakota State in 2022. At the conclusion of the conference meet, Curry was named the Field Championship M.V.P.

During the regular season, Curry set a shot put school record with a throw of 53-8 1/4 (16.36m) and recorded the No. 5 mark in the discus in program history with a toss of 172-2 (52.48m). She also captured eight throwing titles during the season.

Friday evening, Keeler earned Second Team All-America honors and became just the second Fighting Hawk to compete in a track event at the national meet in UND's Division I history, joining Luke Labatte, who took 16th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase last season. Keeler is also the first NoDak runner to participate in the 10,000 meters at a national meet since Kim Olund placed fifth at the 1996 NCAA Division II Championships.

Keeler qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 10,000-meters and clocked the fifth-fastest time (34:07.67) at the NCAA West Preliminary Round. She entered the meet ranked No. 6 in the country.

In the 10,000 meters this season, Keeler made headlines nationally and ran a time of 32:06.70 at the Stanford Invitational to finish fourth. Her time at that meet currently ranks No. 17 in the NCAA all-time in the event and set a Canadian U23 record. The previous U23 record by a Canadian in the 10,000 meters was 32:32.61, set by Gracelyn Larkin of Ontario at the 2023 Stanford Invitational. Keeler's time also completely obliterated the 10,000-meter school record, which was held by Yonca Kutluk with a time of 32:57.85 at Stanford last season. Following the NCAA Championships, Keeler will run for Canada in the 10,000 meters at the Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay this August.

At the NCAA West Preliminary Round, Keeler also came less than three seconds shy of qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the 5,000 meters and took 14th in 16:04.12. By running in the 5,000 meters, she became the first Hawk in program history to run in both the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters at the regional in the same season.

The Ontario distance runner paced the North Dakota track athletes at the Summit League Outdoor Championships and piled up three all-conference accolades. She won the gold medal in the 5,000 meters (16:09.70) and 10,000 meters (35:32.01) and was the silver medalist in the 1,500 meters (4:24.35). Her time in the 5,000 meters broke the conference meet record time of 16:16.48, set by Amber Eichkorn of South Dakota in 2015. At the end of the Summit League Outdoor Championships, Keeler was named the Track Championship M.V.P.

Keeler posted program records in the 1,500 meters (4:20.03), 5,000 meters (15:33.59) and 10,000 meters (32:06.70) during the regular season.

Post-Meet Notes
* Kenna Curry earned First Team All-America status by placing seventh in the hammer throw (223-7, 68.16m) at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, while Jadyn Keeler became a Second Team All-American and finished 16th in the 10,000 meters (32:59.12) at the meet.
* With both Curry and Keeler competing at outdoor nationals, it marked the first time in UND's Division I history that a pair of Fighting Hawks competed at the meet.
* It also marked the first time since 2008 that UND had a pair of student-athletes compete in an outdoor national championship meet. At the 2008 NCAA Division II Championships, Heidi Evans ran in the 1,500 meters and Jessica Clausnitzer took part in the pole vault.
* Curry and Keeler are just the fourth and fifth Fighting Hawks to ever compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, joining Molli Detloff (2017, 2019), Elise Ulseth (2022, 2023) and Luke Labatte (2024) with that distinction.
* Curry's PR toss bettered her own school record in the hammer throw and beat her previous best of 223-1 (68.01m).
* Curry is just the second Fighting Hawk in UND's Division I history to gain First-Team All-America honors, joining Detloff who finished sixth in the hammer throw at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
* Keeler is the first Fighting Hawk on the women's side to compete in a track event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in UND's Division I history.
* Keeler was also the first NoDak distance runner to compete in the 10,000 meters at an outdoor national meet since Kim Olund took fifth at the 1996 NCAA Division II Championships.
* Keeler will run for Canada in the 10,000 meters at the Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay this August.