EUGENE, Ore. – North Dakota track and field thrower Ethan Thomas competed in the shot put at the USATF U20 Outdoor Championships on Friday night and finished as the runner-up with a toss of 68-7 3/4 (20.92m). With that throw, Thomas currently ranks No. 9 in the United States all-time with the 6kg shot put weight. His second-place finish was also the best by any individual at the meet in UND's Division I history.

In the shot put on Friday, Thomas recorded the runner-up finish with his opening throw of 68-7 3/4 (20.92m). Jackson Cantwell was the only competitor with a better mark than Thomas and won the crown with a toss of 69-8 (21.23m). Historically, both Thomas and Cantwell would have advanced and competed for the United States in the Pan American U20 Championships in July, but USA Track & Field announced 10 days ago that they would not be fielding a team for the meet due to logistical concerns. The Pan American U20 Championships will take place from July 11-13, in Villavicencio, Colombia.

Thomas also took part in the discus on Thursday evening but did not record a mark in the event. He is the first North Dakota student-athlete to compete in both the shot put and discus at the USATF U20 Championships in UND's Division I era.

At the Triton Invitational at the beginning of April, Thomas qualified for the USATF U20 Championships with a shot put throw of 63-7 3/4 (19.40m) in the elite section and captured the title. With that throw, he obliterated the previous program record of 58-10 (17.93m), which was set by Chris Evenson at the 2021 Mizzou Spring Opener.

During the final week of the regular season, Thomas also qualified for the meet in the discus with a mark of 181-3 (55.24m) at the NDSU Tune-Up and won the crown. That throw currently sits No. 2 in UND history.

Most recently, Thomas finished 35th in the shot put with a throw of 57-11 1/4 (17.66m) at the NCAA West Preliminary Round. His throw gave him the longest throw at the NCAA West Regional in program history. By throwing the shot at the regional, he became just the fourth UND student-athlete on the men's side to compete in the event at the meet in program history.

At the Summit League Outdoor Championships, Thomas was a two-time All-Summit League performer and was named the Newcomer of the Championship at the conclusion of the meet. He was the silver medalist in the javelin (201-10, 61.53m) and earned the bronze medal in the shot put (58-0 1/4, 17.68m).

During the regular season, Thomas set the school record in the shot put (63-7 3/4, 19.40m), is No. 2 in UND history in the discus (181-3, 55.24m), No. 5 in the javelin (201-10, 61.53m) and No. 10 in the hammer throw (175-8, 53.54m). He won nine event titles during the season, highlighted by four shot put crowns.

For more information on North Dakota track & field, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDtrackfieldXC.