LOCKER ROOM
ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Before their season was cut short due to COVID-19, track & field and cross-country squads were trending upward under new head coach Christine Engel.
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rom the San Joaquin Valley to the Red River Valley, the last year has been a year of change for Christine Engel. Hired away from Fresno State a year ago to lead the University of North Dakota track & field and cross county programs, Engel has seen a lot of change over the last 12 months. Engel, who has previous coaching experience in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Mountain West Conference and The Ivy League to name a few, oversaw several changes to the record book in her first year at the helm with a total of 51 new entries on the program’s all-time top-10 chart. School records were set in the women’s distance medley relay, women’s 60-meter hurdles, women’s 100-meter hurdles, women’s pentathlon, men’s heptathlon and the men’s weight throw.
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UND Alumni Magazine | Summer 2020
In the fall, to go along with the changes in the track and field school record book, there were four all-conference cross-country performances at The Summit League championships. Junior Madison Overby along with seniors Hannah Oscarson and Erica Eades were recognized on the women’s side as well as freshman Luke Labatte earning the honor for the men. At the NCAA cross country regional, the women’s squad enjoyed its best finish in Division I history during Engel’s first year in charge. Oscarson continued to make her presence felt at The Summit League Indoor Championship, scoring 21 points by finishing second in the 5,000-meters and 3,000-meters while coming in fourth in the mile.
ROOKIE SEASONS
UND's new track & field and cross country coach Christine Engel led the Fighting Hawks, including freshman Luke Labatte, to a multiple-record-setting season. Photo by Dave Wallis
A native of New Jersey, Engel wasted no time on the recruiting trail, working to rebuild the men’s distance program in an effort to reach levels of success unseen in this millennium. Junior College All-American Sylvester Kibarar highlights the class with proven success at the collegiate level. The transfer from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College placed seventh overall, and fourth among sophomores at the NJCAA Cross Country Championship, finishing behind signees of distance powers Arkansas and Iowa State.
New assistant makes immediate impact Before Engel got too far down the recruiting trail, she had an open assistant coaching position to fill. She chose former Arkansas All-American
