Austin senior Amber Hansen made some big gains last spring in the shot put and discus and now she’s going to be competing at the Division I level.

Hansen signed her national letter-of-intent to compete with the University of North Dakota track and field team with a partial athletic scholarship at Austin High School Monday.

Hansen had been looking into Division II schools when UND contacted her and presented her with an offer.

“I wasn’t really thinking about it as a school until they messaged me,” Hansen said. “That kind of caught my attention.”

Hansen excelled last year as she broke a 25-year old AHS record in the shot put with a distance of 40 feet, 11.25 inches and she has also had some big discus throws as well. Hansen is now looking to finish her high school throwing career on a high note in the spring before she heads to UND, which is located in Grand Forks, next year.

“I did gain a lot of confidence last year and I’m looking forward to breaking my record in the shot put and breaking the discus record this year,” Hansen said. “[Signing with UND] means that I’m going to push myself even harder than I have before.”

While she’s been a force for the Packer track and field team over the past few years, Hansen has also been a big hitter for the Packer volleyball team and a key cog for the Packer basketball team. She said it has been helpful for her to compete in multiple sports.

“A lot of people think throwing is not very athletic, but it is,” Hansen said. “A lot of things that I do with basketball and volleyball help me with throwing. I also do some weight lifting on the side and that helps a lot.”

When she goes to UND, Hansen will once again be teammates with Austin grad Madison Overby, who runs cross country and track and field for the Fighting Hawks. Overby is a biology major and Hansen is considering being a biology major as well.

It just so happened that Hansen ran into Overby on her visit to UND and she was able to speak with her about the track and field team.

“I’m excited to be a teammate with her again,” Hansen said. “She told me that their team is one big family and I’m excited to be part of that.”

Hansen also made sure to give thanks to those who helped her out along the way.

“I want to thank my parents, my coaches and everyone who has supported me over the years,” she said.