Holland Reporter

The Grand Valley State track and field team achieved notable placements at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships held in Emporia, Kansas. The women's team secured fourth place with a score of 39.5 points, closely following Azusa Pacific, which took third place with 44 points. The men's team finished fifth, accumulating 41.5 points, just behind Missouri Southern's 42 points.

Erika Beistle emerged as a key performer for the Lakers by winning two National Championship titles and contributing 20 points to her team's total. She claimed her first title in the discus on May 24th and followed it up with a victory in the shot put on the final day. Her shot put throw reached a distance of 16.82 meters, setting new personal bests as well as records for Grand Valley State and Welch Stadium.

Klaudia O'Malley added six points to the women's team score by finishing third in the women's 1500m with a time of 4:21.65. Later that evening, she placed tenth in the 5,000m event with a time of 17:03.14.

In men's events, Myles Kerner captured the National title in shot put with an impressive throw of 19.94 meters, establishing new personal bests along with school and facility records for Grand Valley State and Welch Stadium respectively. Matt Thomas also competed in shot put, finishing fifth with an 18.13-meter throw.

Bobby Maxwell set a new personal best and school record for Grand Valley State in men's javelin by achieving a distance of 66.04 meters, placing ninth overall.

Wyatt Alwine tied for eighth place in men's pole vault by clearing a height of 5.10 meters.

The men's relay team composed of Steven Harris, Zach Pray, Fallou Gaye, and Myles Rhodes concluded their weekend performance by securing sixth place in the men's 4x400m relay with a time of 3:09.47.