UND kicker Kenten Laughman blocks out criticism as confidence builds
Megan Tran is a passionate sports journalist and former college athlete who graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead. With five years of experience, she has covered everything from high school athletics to NCAA events for local radio stations and online outlets.
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GRAND FORKS — If you're at a UND football game early enough to view warm-ups, you might see one item stick out from an otherwise routine setting. In warm-ups this season, Fighting Hawks kicker Kenten Laughman often kicks a soccer ball around the field, listening to music as the rest of the team prepares in other pockets on half of the field. No one will argue with the unique routine coming off of last weekend, where Laughman had the best game of his career and UND's best single-game kicking performance in years. Laughman, a junior from Kansas, drilled field goals of 46 yards, 45 yards and 38 yards. His 46-yard make in the first quarter was a career-best and his 45-yard connection came in the closing minute, helping the Hawks erase a 20-3 halftime deficit and force overtime. He converted his third kick of the game and sixth straight overall in overtime, connecting from 38 to give UND its first lead of the game. "I haven't always been at a point in my career where I c