St. Paul, MN -- Wednesday, the North Central University (NCU) Track and Field teams competed at the Joe Sweeney Invite hosted by the University of St.Thomas. Competing at the O'Shaughnessy Stadium, the Rams were highlighted by a strong showing in the men's field events, led by junior Zak Ruhland's third-place finish in the javelin and a pair of additional top-10 finishes across jumps and relays.

Sprints:

Freshman Owen Ellefson led North Central in the 100 meters, placing 27th overall with a time of 12.65 seconds, while sophomore Greg Salinas followed in 28th with a 13.67-second finish.

Throws:

Senior Andre Muteba competed in the hammer throw, finishing 20th with a mark of 38.13 meters. In the javelin, junior Zak Ruhland delivered a standout performance with a third-place finish, reaching 48.76 meters. Sophomore Colton Hagen added a sixth-place finish (31.83m), while junior Connor Yslas placed seventh (29.82m). Freshman Austin Douglass rounded out the group with an eighth-place finish at 18.77 meters, giving the Rams four top-eight placements in the event.

Jumps:

Junior Deshawna Hodges earned a top-10 finish in the triple jump, placing ninth with a mark of 9.35 meters.

Zak Ruhland added to his strong meet with a fourth-place finish in the high jump, clearing 1.86 meters. Senior Jaquan Adams secured a top-10 finish in the long jump, placing ninth with a personal-best mark of 6.10 meters. Freshman Jalen Dourisseau followed in 12th (5.86m, PB), while freshman Tony Abourjeily placed 14th (5.15m, PB).

Relays:

North Central's 4x400 relay team of sophomore Leighton Helander, junior David Bjorge, sophomore Josh Hinson, and junior Connor Yslas placed fourth overall with a time of 4:08.96.

Looking Ahead:

Up next, the Rams look to take on the UMAC Championships at the University of Wisconsin-Superior at Superior Choice Credit Union Stadium. The two-day meet will start on Friday, May 1, at 2:00 PM.

All fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X) pages for updates on track and field and all things NCU Athletics.