COLLEGIATE PERSONAL BESTS: 400m – 46.71, 600m – 1:15.53, 800m – 1:45.36, 1K – 2:24.08, 1500m – 3:50.94
CAREER RECORDS, AWARDS, AND NOTES
RECORDS:
4x St. Vincent & the Grenadines national record holder
- U20 800m (1:48.37)
- Senior 800m (1:45.36)
- Senior indoor 800m (1:46.81)
- Senior indoor 1K (2:24.08)
No. 2 in school history in the indoor 800m (1:46.81)
No. 3 in school history in the outdoor 800m (1:45.36)
No. 3 in school history in the indoor 600m (1:15.53)
No. 3 in school history in the outdoor 4x800m relay (7:12.96)
No. 9 in school history in the outdoor 400m (46.71)
AWARDS:
2024 Paris Olympian (St. Vincent & the Grenadines, 800m)
2x NCAA Bronze Medalist (’23 outdoor 800, ’23 indoor 800)
3x First Team All-American (’23 outdoor 800, ’23, ‘24 indoor 800)
1x Second Team All-American (’24 outdoor 800)
1x Big Ten Champion (’24 indoor 600)
1x Second Team All-Big Ten (’23 indoor 800)
3x Big Ten Bronze Medalist (’23, ‘24 outdoor 800, ’24 indoor 800)
2x USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year (’23 outdoor, ’23 indoor)
2x Big Ten Freshman of the Year (’23 outdoor, ’23 indoor)
1x Big Ten Athlete of the Week (’23)
1x Academic All-Big Ten (’24)
2x USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (’23, ‘24)
NOTES: Qualified to the 2024 Paris Olympics via universality place and competed in the 800m for St. Vincent & the Grenadines…Became the first Penn State athlete, man or woman, to compete in the 800m at the Olympics…2023 World Athletics Championships qualifier in the 800 following a summer in which he was the Central American and Caribbean Games 800-meter champion with a then-lifetime-best 1:45.93 time…Went on to win the NACAC Championship in the 800 later in the summer with a 1:47.43...In 2023, became the first Penn State athlete to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year awards after both the indoor and outdoor seasons in the same year…Along with teammate Hayley Kitching, who swept the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award on the women’s side, made Penn State the only school in Big Ten history to sweep all four track & field Freshman of the Year honors in the same season.
2024 Outdoor
Season: Ran the 800m in the 2024 Paris Olympics following his Second Team All-America effort during his collegiate outdoor campaign…Won a bronze medal in the 800m at the Big Ten Championships…Set the No. 3 800m and the No. 9 400m marks in school history.
Pepsi Florida Relays (3/29-30): Picked up right where he left off, running an outstanding 1:46.26 in the 800m in his outdoor season debut, finishing third overall. Hurricane Alumni Invitational (4/5-6): Finished second in the 400m with a PR and the ninth-fastest time in school history, a 46.71 effort…Added a 3:50.94 time in the 1500m, a personal-best mark. Penn Relays (4/25-27): Placed second in the Sprint Medley Relay Championship of America with a 3:19.38…Ran in the 4x400 Championship of America prelims, finishing with a 3:07.57. Big Ten Outdoor Championships (5/10-12): Finished with a bronze medal in the 800m, running a 1:48.22 in the event finals. NCAA East Region Prelims (5/22-25): Advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 800m for the second consecutive year, cruising through the line in 1:46.07…Split a 46.41 on the opening leg of Penn State’s magical 4x400 relay team that clocked the second-fastest mark in school history to advance to the NCAA Championships for the third season in a row…The group’s 3:03.15 is one of just three in school history under 3:04.00 and one of four under 3:05.00. NCAA Outdoor Championships (6/5-8): Finished 16th in the nation in the 800m with a 1:48.67 in the national semifinal…Earned Second Team All-America honors for his efforts, his fourth 800m All-America nod in four attempts. Penn Relays Summer Showcase (6/29): Dropped a 1:45.36 PR in the 800m, setting the third-fastest time in school history. 2024 Paris Olympics: In his first Olympic berth, Roban clocked a 1:46.00 in the 800m heats, finishing just outside an auto-qualifying mark to the semifinals…In the 800m repechage round, he stopped the clock in 1:45.80…He concluded his trip to Paris becoming the only Nittany Lion ever to compete in the 800m at the Olympics.
2024 Indoor
Season: Earned his third consecutive First Team All-America honor in the 800m with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships…Won his first career Big Ten title, taking the crown in the 600m…Added a Big Ten bronze medal in the 800m…Set the No. 2 indoor 800m time and No. 3 indoor 600m times in school history.
Nittany Lion Challenge (1/13): In his return to the track following an otherworldly freshman campaign, Roban finished fourth in the 600m with a 1:17.51. Penn State National Open (1/26-27): Tallied two top-five finishes on the track…Came in second in the 600m with a 1:16.42…Added a fifth-place 800-meter finish in 1:47.74. Eagle Elite Invite (2/9-10): Won the 800m with a 1:47.10. David Hemery Valentine Invitational (2/9-10): In his second 800m of the weekend, Roban finished as the top overall collegian with the second-fastest time in Penn State history, a 1:46.81 effort. Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/23-24): Won his first Big Ten title with a 1:15.53 in the 600-meter finals…His time is the third-fastest 600m in school history…Added a bronze medal in the 800m with a 1:48.48 in the event finals. NCAA Indoor Championships (3/7-9): Posted his third straight First Team All-America finish in the 800m with a seventh-place finish at the indoor championships…Advanced to the finals with a 1:47.55 then stopped the clock in 1:48.16 the next day in seventh overall.
2023 Outdoor
Season: Finished as the NCAA Broze Medalist in the 800 once again, setting the No. 4 time in school history in the event in another All-American outing…Big Ten Bronze Medalist in the 800…Earned one event win over the course of his first outdoor campaign in the Blue & White…Won Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week after the LSU Lloyd Willis Invitational (4/8).
Hurricane Collegiate Invitational (3/25): Clocked a 47.37 in the 400 in his first outdoor meet, finishing fourth overall. Florida Relays (3/31-4/1): Finished third in the 4x400 with a 3:08.57…Placed sixth in the 800 with a 1:48.63. LSU Lloyd Willis Invitational (4/8): Won the 800 with a 1:47.29, earning Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week honors. Penn Relays (4/27-29): Set the No. 3 4x800 mark in school history along with teammates Evan Dorenkamp, Olivier Desmeules, and Darius Smallwood…The Nittany Lion group finished second in the Championship of America event. Big Ten Outdoor Championships (5/12-14): Finished with the bronze medal in the 800 with a 1:47.59 in the event finals. NCAA East Prelims (5/25-27): Cruised to an automatic NCAA Championships-qualifying position in the 800 semifinals, earning top-three in his heat with a 1:51.67. NCAA Outdoor Championships (6/7-10): Advanced to the 800 finals with a 1:47.66…In the finals, Roban exploded, racing to the tune of a 1:45.95 mark, finishing third place overall…Earned his second First Team All-America honor of 2023, repeating from indoor season as the 800-meter bronze medalist. NACAC Championships: Took the 800-meter crown with a 1:47.43 and advanced to his first World Championship. World Athletics Championships: Finished 33rd in the world in the 800m in his first World Championship appearance.
2023 Indoor
Season: NCAA Bronze Medalist in the 800-meter run…Big Ten Silver Medalist in the 800…Earned four event wins during the regular season.
Nittany Lion Challenge (1/14): Ran the 1000m in his first indoor meet for the Nittany Lions, going 2:24.08 for fourth place…Took to the track with the 4x400 group, helping the squad to a second-place finish in the event with a 3:14.09. Penn State National Open (1/27-28): Won the 600 with a 1:16.91…Finished fifth in the 800 with a 1:49.01. Sykes & Sabock Invitational (2/4): Set his season-best time in the 800 with a 1:47.01 to win the event. Music City Challenge (2/10-11): Won the 4x400 with a 3:10.85. Penn State Tune-Up (2/17): Won the 800 with a 1:47.63. Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/24-25): Finished second to teammate Olivier Desmeules in the 800 with a 1:47.88. NCAA Indoor Championships (3/10-11): Advanced to the 800-meter final as the last qualifier…Finished third in the nation with a 1:47.28, bringing home First Team All-America honors in his first collegiate indoor season.
PRIOR TO PENN STATE
HIGH SCHOOL PRs: 400m - 47.50, 800m - 1:47.03*
*Indicates then-national record
Ran for Jamaica College High School...Was middle-distance team captain 2021-22...Named 2022 Penn Relays Most Outstanding Athlete for fastest 4x800 split time ever (1:48.12) for a high school boy in event's history...Was a U20 World Athletics Championship semifinalist in the 800m...Set St. Vincent and the Grenadines national record in 800m at 1:47.03 before joining the Nittany Lions...National junior record holder for 1500m...Carifta 2018 under 17 800m gold medalist...Carifta 2019 under 20 800m bronze medalist...Nacac under 18 800m bronze medalist...Nacac under 20 800m gold medalist and 400m silver medalist....Nacac senior open championships 800m silver medalist.
PERSONAL
Mother is Vanelisa Roban...Studying psychology at Penn State...Born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.