For Immediate Release
Saturday, May 9, 2026
NSIC Elite 18 Award

DULUTH, Minn. -  Kate Fitzgerald of the University of Minnesota Duluth earned the NSIC Elite 18 Award for women's outdoor track & field. Fitzgerald was presented the award following the NSIC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which concluded Saturday at James S. Malosky Stadium in Duluth, Minnesota. This marks Fitzgerald's second NSIC Elite 18 Award as she also earned the honor at the 2024-25 indoor championships. 

As part of the NSIC 25th Anniversary celebration during the 2016-17 academic year, the NSIC Elite 18 Award was instituted to recognize the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the NSIC Championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The NSIC Elite 18 award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NSIC’s 18 Championships.

Fitzgerald is senior majoring in human biology and holds a 4.00 grade point average. The Mosinee, Wisconsin native competed in the 200m & 400m dash at this year's championships.  At the 2025-26 NSIC Indoor Track and Field Championships, she placed fourth in both the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.06 and the 400-meter dash with a personal-best time of 57.46, while also helping the Bulldogs’ 4x400-meter relay team to a fourth-place finish.

A standout sprinter and relay competitor, Fitzgerald is part of three school-record relay teams at Minnesota Duluth, including the outdoor 4x100-meter relay and the indoor 4x200-meter and 4x400-meter relays. She earned All-NSIC honors as part of the distance medley relay during the 2024 indoor season and as a member of the 4x400-meter relay team during the 2024 outdoor campaign.

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 27 team national championships and crowned 126 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes have the opportunity to earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.