GRAND FORKS — After an abrupt end to its 2021 outdoor track and field season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of North Dakota will begin its indoor season Friday in a duel meet at North Dakota State in the Dakota Duel.

Though fans will not be allowed inside the event at the Shelly Ellig Indoor Track and Field Facility, the meet will be streamed on GoBison.com, while live stats will also be offered for fans to follow along with from home.

The season will be the second under head track and field coach Christine Engel, who guided the Fighting Hawks women to a fourth-place finish at the 2020 Summit League Indoor Championship. North Dakota placed four individuals on the All-Summit League team, including 400-meter champion Lucy Steinmeyer, as well as the women’s distance medley relay team.

Steinmeyer, a senior from Lübeck, Germany, returns for her senior season in 2020-21 after moving up to fourth all-time with her 56.15 in the Summit League final. Steinmeyer will have her sites set on eclipsing the school record set by former Fighting Hawk Stephanie Clark at the 2014 Big Sky Championship (54.03).

Individual Summit League placers Ben Hidani (8th, heptathlon), Luke Labatte (6th, mile; 7th, 3,000-meters), and Austin Wolf (8th, high jump) will compete for the Fighting Hawks as well. The duel meet will be the first for North Dakota since 2019 when UND took on South Dakota State in Brookings.