College Track and Field: Lesnar puts herself in NCAA record book; Balcome wins another WIAC men’s title – Alexandria Echo Press

Alexandria High School graduate Mya Lesnar made the most of her last home meet of her college career at Colorado State.

Lesnar set the Colorado State women’s track and field program’s outdoor shot put record with a mark of 19.60 meters at the Doug Max Invitational on Saturday in Fort Collins, Colorado. This mark set the CSU facility record, is the fifth-best in NCAA DI women’s history, and puts her at No. 1 in this season’s women’s outdoor rankings.

“I got very emotional,” Lesnar said in a Colorado State Athletics

press release

. “Not because of my mark, but because all my family got to be here, even my dog. I have a couple more months to focus on track, and I’ve sacrificed a lot to do this. The support from my teammates and boyfriend – it’s been great.”

Jaida Ross, who won the 2024 NCAA Division I women’s outdoor shot put title and placed fourth at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, occupies the top three spots in the NCAA women’s outdoor shot put record book with a mark of 20.01m, leading the way. Ohio State graduate Adelaide Aquilla is fourth all-time on the NCAA women’s outdoor shot put list with a mark of 19.64m.

Lesnar surpassed Ole Miss’ Akaoma Odeluga on the NCAA DI 2025 season best list on Saturday. Odeluga’s season best is 18.93m.

Lesnar finished in first on Saturday and has won four out of five events this season, competing in the shot put and hammer throw.

Lesnar also hold the Colorado State indoor women’s shot put program record (19.10m).

In the last calendar year, Lesnar won the 2024 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship shot put title, placed fifth at the 2024 NCAA Division Outdoor Track and Field Championships, placed 12th at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, then won the 2024 MWC Indoor shot put title and placed fourth in the shot put at the 2024 NCAA Division I Indoor National Championships.

Lesnar and the Colorado State Rams are ramping up for the championship portion of the outdoor season.

The 2025 MWC Outdoor Championships are set for May 15-17 in Fresno, California.

The NCAA DI West Preliminary Round takes place on May 28-31 in College Station, Texas. The 2025 NCAA Division I Track and Field Outdoor Championships are set for June 12-14, 2025, in Eugene, Oregon.

Contributed photo

Alexandria graduate Jacob Balcome is having quite the sophomore season at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He won the 2025 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Indoor heptathlon title and the 2025 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field heptathlon title.

On May 2-3, Balcome added to his resume by winning the decathlon title at the 2025 WIAC Outdoor Championships in Oskosh, Wisconsin, with a score of 6,802. This score is 113 points off he program record (6,915) he set on March 20-21 at the Klein / Nwaba Combined Events in Santa Barbara, California.

A first place finish in the pole vault (4.15m) led the way for Balcome in his WIAC Outdoor decathlon title win on Saturday. Balcome earned six second place finishes – 1500-meter run (4:40.87), discus (36.24), 110m hurdles (15.64), high jump (1.91m), shot put (11.91m), and the long jump (6.89m). He also placed fifth in the 100-meter dash (11.40), ninth in the javelin throw (43.10m), and ninth in the 400-meter dash (51.84).

Balcome is set to compete in the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 23-25 in Geneva, Ohio.

Balcome placed 16th in the decathlon at the 2024 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Sam Stuve covers a variety of sports in the Douglas County area. He also is assigned to do some news stories as well.