SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – North Dakota’s Jadyn Keeler and South Dakota State’s Cody Larson garnered the 2025 Summit League Cross Country Athletes of the Year awards, League officials unveiled Tuesday. The award recipients were selected by a vote from the League’s head coaches based on the student-athletes' respective performances throughout the 2025 cross country season.
 
Keeler becomes the second Fighting Hawk in three season to claim the women’s honor, joining Yonca Kutluk, who took home the award in 2023, with that distinction, while Larson is the 10th Jackrabbit to claim the honor on the men’s side, the last coming when Carson Noecker garnered the award in 2023.
 
Jadyn Keeler, North Dakota 
Gr | Barrie, Ontario, Canada

• Captured a league-leading four peak performer weekly honors during the season.
• Recorded five of the top 10 6k times in League history including a record-breaking time of 19:08.2 (Arturo Barrios Invitational).
• Finished first in five of the eight meets she competed in this season.
• Won the Summit League women’s cross country individual title and Championship MVP honor with a 6k time of 19:21.08, helping the Fighting Hawks earn the first Summit League team title in any sport.
• Her winning Summit League Championship time ranks first all-time in Summit League Cross Country Championship history by more than a minute.
• Posted the best finish ever by a Fighting Hawk woman at the NCAA Midwest Regional, finishing fourth overall with a 6k time of 19:53.7.
• Earned USTFCCCA All-American honors after finishing 26^th at the NCAA Division I Championships with a time of 19:13.5.

Cody Larson, South Dakota State
R-Sr | Warner, S.D.

• Posted the league's top 8K (23:15.6) and 10K (29:34.2) times this season.
• Earned three peak performer honors for his performances during the regular season.
• Broke the 24-minute barrier in the 8k event two times during the season, making him one of five men in the League to accomplish the feat.
• Clocked a Summit League Cross Country Championship meet record 8k time of 23:15.59 to earn the individual crown and Championship MVP honors.
• His winning Summit League Championship time ranks second all-time in League history, trailing only Southern Utah’s Cameron Levins’ time of 22:58.7 he posted in 2011.
• At the Midwest Regional, finished 13th overall in the 10k race with a time of 30:37.1 to earn an at-large spot at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship.
• Ran the 10k at the NCAA Championships in a career-best time of 29:34.2 to finish 98^th out of 259 runners.
• His 10k time at the NCAA Championships was the fourth fastest in League history.

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