Haytham Ramadan missed qualifying for last year’s NCAA Division III outdoor track and field championships by three-tenths of a second. That disappointment has fueled him this indoor season.

The St. Joseph’s College junior and Deering High graduate has earned a spot in the men’s 800-meter run at this weekend’s NCAA indoor championships in Birmingham, Alabama.

He is the first Monks athlete to qualify for the indoor track and field championships, and only the second from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.

“My mindset really changed this year,” Ramadan said. “I wanted to do more, more than conference, more than New Englands. I reached out for higher goals.”

Ramadan enters nationals with a seeded time — converted for a banked track — of 1 minute, 50.41 seconds, which is tied for fifth best. He set the Monks’ program record of 1:51.99 while placing second at the Tufts Final Qualifier on March 7. He won the 800 at the BU John Thomas Terrier Classic (1:56.95), the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Indoor Championship (1:59.70) and the Mule Tune-Up (1:55.05).

“Haytham has a natural, given talent for the 800,” said Monks coach Mike Burleson. “… He has natural speed, and he has natural developable endurance. He’s very clean as far as running goes. His form is very good, and he’s very smooth.”

Ramadan, originally from Khartoum, Sudan, is one of several athletes with Maine ties competing in the indoor championships.

“It feels amazing,” Ramadan said. “I’m really privileged to be in this state and be in this position right now to represent St. Joe’s.”

Shot putting Huskies

Ryker Paradis and Zoe Barnes of the University of Southern Maine will compete in the shot put on Saturday.

Barnes’ winning throw of 46 feet, 11 3/4 inches at the Little East Conference championships ranks her as fourth-best in Division III. The New Gloucester native, a fifth-year student, also won the Division III New England title and was named the LEC Field Athlete of the Year, as well as the Lynn Ruddy Women’s Field MVP at the Maine State Meet.

Barnes is a two-time national discus qualifier for the NCAA outdoor championships.

“She always thought of herself as a discus thrower — she made NCAAs twice in that event,” USM coach Rob Whitten said. “Ranked fourth this meet is her best chance to become a first-team All-American, something she’s narrowly missed in recent years.”

Paradis, a freshman, joined USM late in the fall semester after transferring from the University of Maine. The Lewiston native has set the Huskies’ program record multiple times this winter. His personal-best throw of 57 feet, 1 1/2 inches earned him the NCAA Division III New England title. He was also the Little East champion.

Paradis, last year’s Maine Gatorade and Varsity Maine track and field athlete of the year, has received the LEC Field Rookie of the Year award, to go along with the Walter Slovenski Award for his performance at the New England championships.

“He should make the final and be an All-American as well,” Whitten said. “This definitely sets up the future for him. He should be at multiple NCAA championships from here on out, hopefully, and going down to being an All-American, and potentially win down the road.”

Colby is sending multiple athletes

Colby will have Maine’s largest representation at nationals, with three athletes competing in individual events and the women’s and men’s 1,600 relay teams.

Simone Waheed, a junior, is ranked 17th in the 60-yard dash with a seed time of 7.63 seconds.

Jackson Coelho (48.05) is racing in the men’s 400. Pole vaulter Logan Lehnert qualified with a season-high clearance of 16-2. Both are ranked 20th.

The women’s 1,600 relay team of Tally Zeller, Olivia Doherty, Kaitlyn Ewald and Charlotte Brake-Hoffman enters the meet ranked fifth (3:46.40). Mark Graubart, Samuel Graubart, Levi Biery and Coelho make up the men’s 1,600 relay team (3:13.65) that is the 11th seed.

Other notables

Thomas College’s Emma Burr enters the long jump seeded 17th (18 feet, 10 inches), while Bowdoin’s Kennedy Kirkland is seeded 18th (18-9).

Kittery’s Makayla Mariarty of Tufts is the 17th-ranked runner (56.12) in the 400.

Bates will field a men’s distance medley relay team, seeded 11th (9:45.48), that consists of Nate Roberts, Evan Migdole, Callahan Porter and Ross Tejeda.