COLLEGE STATION, Texas – North Dakota State's Sam Roller advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the javelin on Wednesday afternoon, headlining the action for the Bison men's track & field team at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds.
 
Roller (Thompson, N.D.) threw 231-1 (70.43m) on his final attempt, setting a career-best by three feet. He ultimately finished eighth in the meet, with the top 12 finishers earning qualifying spots to the NCAA Championships in Eugene on June 11.
 
Roller became the fifth Bison ever to surpass 70 meters in the javelin.
 
Senior Zack Ramos finished 19th in the shot put with a throw of 60-00.50 (18.30m) – an improvement of 16 places over his seed entering the meet.
 
Bison sophomore Jayden Williams placed 27th in the long jump for his NCAA Prelims debut, posting a mark of 23-11 (7.29m).
 
In the 110m hurdles, Blake Nyenati (13.92) finished 28th, Brooks Turner (13.96) took 32nd, and Brock Johnsen (14.20) was 40th. The trio concludes the season ranked first, second and fourth, respectively, in NDSU history.
 
 
Javelin-to-NCAAs Pipeline
Roller's NCAA Championships appearance will be the 10th for the North Dakota State men in the javelin over the past 10 seasons.