After a long rain delay that postponed the beginning of the preliminary to almost 10:00 p.m. Central time, each thrower got three throws to qualify for Friday's final.
Lam's best throw was 199'1", well short of the 220'1" he threw May 29 at the regional meet.
USC's Corey White had the longest throw in the prelims with a toss of 254'10". The cutoff distance to qulaify for the finals was 218'8".