EUGENE, Ore. — Rapid City Stevens graduate and University of Oregon runner Simeon Birnbaum qualified for the finals in the 1,500-meter run at the NCAA Division I outdoor track and field meet. 

In Wednesday’s prelims, Birnbaum clocked in with a time of 3-minutes and :41.77 seconds, the second fastest time overall. Wisconsin’s Adam Spencer (3:41.67) had the fastest time in the prelims. 

The finals are Friday and will be on ESPN2. 

In Thursday’s action, Hamlin High School’s Gracelyn Leiseth (Florida) and Custer High School’s Kellyn Kortemeyer (Nebraska) are among the competitors in the women’s shot put, along with Colorado State’s Mya Lesnar. A graduate of Alexandria, Minnesota, Lesnar is the daughter of Webster native and former professional wrestler Brock Lesnar. 

Mya Lesnar, who won the 2024 indoor shot put national championship, is seeded No. 1 in the field with a toss of 64-feet and 3 3/4 inches. Lesnar, a senior, finished fifth at last season’s outdoor nationals. 

Leiseth, a sophomore, is seeded sixth and will be in the same flight as Lesnar. Leiseth enters the competition with a toss of 60-1, which she accomplished at the NCAA East Preliminaries. 

The mark is the No. 3 performance in program history, and she became just the third woman in school history to eclipse the 60-foot mark

Kortemeyer, a sophomore, enters with a mark of 55-5. 

Elk Point's Kenna Curry will compete in the women's hammer throw on Thursday. The senior at the University of North Dakota qualified for nationals at the NCAA West Preliminary Round, where she has the 10th-best throw in the event. She enters with a toss of 223-1, the 11th best mark in Division I.