Holland Reporter

Six athletes with ties to Grand Valley State University will compete at the 2025 Toyota USA Track & Field Outdoor & Para National Championships in Eugene, Oregon. The event will take place at Hayward Field from July 31 through August 3.

Jessica Gockley-Day, Kristen Hixson-Leland, Erika Beistle, Eli Kosiba, Jaivon Harrison, and Myles Kerner are scheduled to participate in six different events during the championships.

Gockley-Day is set to race in the women's 10,000-meter event on Thursday evening. She brings a personal best of 32:16.98 and has run a season-best of 32:46.05 as of June 14. During her time at Grand Valley State, she was recognized as an All-American by the US Track & Field and Cross Country Association eleven times—ten times for track and field and once for cross country.

On Sunday afternoon, Hixson-Leland will compete in pole vault while Beistle takes part in discus. Hixson-Leland enters with a personal best of 4.65 meters achieved in 2022 and a season-best mark of 4.60 meters this year. She has won eight meets this season and still holds three school records in pole vault for Grand Valley State. "Hixson-Leland is a three-time NCAA Division II individual national champion, seven-time USTFCCCA All-American and still holds three school records in the event," according to the university.

Beistle is currently ranked twenty-third globally in discus and is the only current Laker competing at these championships. Her personal best throw stands at 66.63 meters. This past season she broke both the NCAA Division II discus record from 2019 and the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships record with a throw of 65.05 meters in Pueblo, Colorado—also setting a new state record distance.

Kosiba and Harrison will represent Grand Valley State University in men's high jump on Sunday afternoon as well. Kosiba is ranked twenty-second worldwide with a season-best jump of 2.28 meters and a personal best clearance of 2.30 meters; he tied the NCAA DII men's indoor high jump record earlier this year before winning his first individual title at the NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships with a mark of 2.23 meters.

Harrison concluded his collegiate career by being named NCAA DII Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year after claiming his third individual national title for Grand Valley State with a clearance of 2.26 meters at this year's outdoor championships; he later cleared his personal best (2.27m) to qualify for nationals.

Kerner rounds out participation for GVSU athletes by competing in men's shot put on Sunday afternoon; he enters competition after breaking his own GVSU Outdoor Stadium record earlier this year with a throw measuring 20.23 meters during an unattached performance at the GVSU Extra Weekend Meet.

"During his time at Grand Valley State, Kerner won four individual national championships, collected eight USTFCCCA All-America honors and attached his name to four program, meet or facility records," according to information provided by Grand Valley State University.