AUSTIN, Texas - North Dakota State senior Travis Fitzke finished 27th in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA West Preliminary Round Thursday, May 24, missing out on a quarterfinal berth by only three spots.

Fitzke clocked in with a time of 3 minutes 53.14 seconds to take seventh in his heat of 12 and 27th overall.  The top 24 athletes advanced to Saturday's quarterfinals.

In the first round of the 800 meters, Moses Heppner placed 42nd in a time of 1:52.64.  He was seventh out of eight runners in his heat, which included first round leader Elijah Greer of Oregon, who clocked in at 1:48.05.

The Bison continue competition at the NCAA West Preliminary Round Friday, May 25.  Summit League champion and school record holder Casey Orgon will throw the hammer at 2 p.m., while fellow league champ and NDSU record holder Matt Tetzlaff will run the first round of the 110 meter hurdles at 5 p.m.