Student-athletes, alumni travel to Oregon USATF Championships – Grand Valley Lanthorn

Six Lakers, both current and recently graduated Grand Valley State University students, competed at the 2025 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, with two athletes finishing in the top 10 for their respective events.

The championship took place July 31-Aug. 3, and featured GVSU athletes Jessica Gockley-Day in the 10,000m race, Kristen Hixson Leland in pole vault, Erika Beistle in discus, Myles Kerner in shot put, and both Eli Kosiba and Jaivon Harrison in high jump.

Former 11-time All-American athlete Gockley-Day kickstarted Laker performances on the track. Despite a strong start to the race, Gockley-Day pulled out of the competition at the 6,000m mark, ending with a time of 20:51.53.

Another former Laker legend was Hixson Leland, a three-time Division II individual national champion. She managed to clear a height of 4.38m in women’s pole vault, placing her in ninth for the event.

Beistle, competing in women’s discus, is one of the most decorated collegiate throwers of all time. Ranked 23rd in the world for discus, she is a four-time individual national champion thrower and currently holds the Division II women’s discus record. This past season, her efforts helped the 2024 women’s outdoor track and field team become national champions. In her event, Beistle took seventh-place with a 59.87m throw.

“Seventh in the U.S. is incredible,” said head track and field coach Jerry Baltes. “Think about the seventh-best NFL quarterback or the seventh-best MLB pitcher. That is the level she is competing at in the discus.”

On the men’s side, Kerner is a similarly decorated Division II thrower, winning four individual national championships and ranking 24th in the world in men’s shot put. During his throws, Kerner scratched on all three of his attempts and did not place on the leaderboard.

“Overall, it was a great experience,” said Kerner, “I didn’t capitalize on the opportunity like I wanted to, but all of the work it took to get here isn’t lost because of a poor result. I am excited personally by the growth I’ve had this year, and to build on it next year as I start my first season as a post collegiate.”

Finally, Kosiba and Harrison participated in the high jump event. Both athletes had strong careers as Lakers, with Kosiba winning his first individual championship in 2024 and Harrison being named NCAA Division II Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year that same season. On the field, Kosiba cleared a height of 2.12m, placing 13th overall. Harrison failed to clear the bar during his attempts and did not place on the leaderboard, but remained positive about the skills of GVSU athletes and their coaches. 

“It’s a point of pride to have a large showing of GVSU athletes,” said Kerner. “We all work to get here, and the fact that we consistently make national-level meets is a testament to how well we are developed by the coaching at GVSU. The amount of GVSU and DII athletes at the (USATF) Championship just reaffirms that.” 

The GVSU men and women’s track and field team begins their indoor season Dec. 6.