By: Riley Driscoll, Athletic Media Associate

GORHAM, Maine – Freshman Ryker Paradis (Lewiston, Maine) of the University of Southern Maine Huskies' men's track & field team earned All-American honors for the first time in his career by placing 14th in the shot put at the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Track & Field National Championships on Friday with a throw of 16.61m. The event was held at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Paradis' best throw of the day came on his attempt. He then had a throw of 15.85m on his second attempt before fouling on his final throw. He ended the first flight in fourth place and entered the event seeded 17th.

Today's event concludes a strong rookie season for Paradis that saw him break the program record in the event with a throw of 16.75m in his first outdoor meet as a Husky. He then broke his own record with a throw of 17.25m at the Southern New Hampshire University Ed Daniels Classic. His accolades this season also include the Division III New England title in the shot put, and LEC Field Rookie of the Year award. Including today's marks, Paradis now holds the top 33 marks in program history.

First-Team All-America status is awarded to finishers 1-8 (individual events and relays) in each event at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships. All finalists in an eight-person final automatically earn First-Team All-America status, regardless of place and participation in the final round of the event in question. Second-Team All-America status is awarded to finishers 9-16 (individual events) and 9-12 (relays) in each event at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Preliminary round placings are used for classification for events in which fewer than 12 participate in the final round. Athletes and relays must have a valid mark in at least one round to earn All-American status. E.g., those who do not finish, no height, foul three attempts, or are disqualified are not eligible for All-America status if no other valid mark from a previous round exists.