EUGENE, Ore. — South Dakota will be well represented in the women’s shot put at the NCAA Division I outdoor track and field championships on June 11-14.

Of the 24 competitors in the women’s shot put, two graduated from South Dakota high schools and one has ties to the state. 

Hamlin High School’s Gracelyn Leiseth (Florida) and Custer High School’s Kellyn Kortemeyer (Nebraska) are among the competitors in the field, 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. 

The women’s shot put competition is Thursday, June 12. 

Rapid City Stevens graduate and University of Oregon runner Simeon Birnbaum will compete in the men’s 1,500-meter run prelims on Wednesday, June 11. Birnbaum will run in the Heat 2, with 12 runners advancing to the finals on Friday. The top five in each heat, plus the next two best times will qualify for the final. 

Birnbaum’s seed time is 3:37.02, the 19th best time in NCAA Division I. 

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. 

Warner's Cody Larson will compete in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase prelims on Wednesday. The junior at South Dakota State has the 13th best time (8:30.96) entering the event. Larson will compete in the second heat, and the top-five in each heat plus the next two best times qualify for finals.