Lesnar Places Fourth at Championships

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The featured field was abundantly accomplished, to the point where Brian Bedard wasn't sure it wouldn't rank among the best in the shot put at the event.

The collection of women at the NCAA National Indoor Track and Field Championships boasted a trio of 2024 Paris Olympians, with the 16 throwers bringing a hardware collection of 29 All-American honors in the shot put (indoor and outdoor combined), 18 of them first-team honors led by three national champions.

The lineup included Colorado State's Mya Lesnar defending her indoor crown. The grouping did not rest on past achievements, either. Entering last year's final competition, only Lesnar had a throw of 19 meters during the season, a distance no one matched at the championships, as Lesnar was crowned with her toss of 18.53, which came on her first attempt of the finals and held for the final two rounds.

This season, three qualifiers exceeded 19 meters in the leadup, led by Houston's KeAyla Kove at 19.46. Alexina Johansson of Nebraska reached 19.31, Lesnar checking in at 19.02.

It's an event where the athletes walk a fine line between good and great, and at times, between disappointment and pride. It was the latter where Colorado State's Lesnar and teammate Gabi Morris found themselves, placing fourth and 16^th, respectively.

"Basically, I guess how I can talk about it right now, I was rushing everything, didn't really hit all the keys we talked about in practice. I actually had a really, really good practice before we came here," Lesnar said. "Just rushed in the ring. It wasn't a mental thing; I was ready. I fought through some things, and that's really all you can do and hope for the best.

"I'm more mature than I was last year. You just hope you can grow from these things and only get better. Unfortunately, it's just by the day. Who shows up on the day. It's not about me having a good practice last week or yesterday, it matters the day we throw."

The eventual champion was 2023 outdoor shot put champion Axelina Johannson of Nebraska, who had the day every thrower wants. She was the only competitor who had throws exceeding 19 meters, and the Olympian from Denmark had three of them. Her first came in the second round (19.07), her third on the last throw of the competition, a 19.28 to put an exclamation point on her title.

Lesnar put a bit of fear into Bedard, her coach, and then she took it immediately away.

The Rams' senior scratched her first two throws – on purpose because she was upset with them and didn't want the distances on the board – meaning her final throw of the preliminaries had to be on mark.

It was, an 18.05 which vaulted her to fourth.

"She actually gave me confidence. She came up to me and said, 'I've got it,'" he said. "She gave me a look, a little smile on her face. I was a lot more reassured after that, I tell you.

"Axelina established herself as the best thrower today. She was the most consistent and had multiple throws which could have won the meet. It could have gone a lot of ways. Mya did a lot of good things cuing wise on her entry and getting in the middle, but patience in the middle and hitting a good position to actually finish with – she was leading with her head so the ball was getting away from her, so she couldn't get a clean strike on it. She knew it. Easy to think I just need to fix that, but you need to do it in a fraction of a second at the NCAA Championships. We just didn't manage the middle all that well. We'll be working on that."

Lesnar fell back a bit in the fourth round, then produced an 18.20 in the fifth to put her back to fourth, her final standing. Jaida Smith of Oregon, last year's outdoor champion was second, with Houston's KeAlya Dove, who had the nation's leading throw entering the day, was third.

She has the outdoor season to focus on, and to some degree, the plan was already in place for her final semester. She didn't compete as much during indoor this season because she was wiped out at the point of the NCAA Outdoor meet (she placed fifth) and then the Olympic Trials.

Bedard is confident there is much more in the tank for her before her CSU career concludes this spring.

Gabi Morris

But it is done for Morris, who spent a lot of time after the competition hugging people she's been competing with for years. It's a career which has seen her earn All-American recognition eight times, highlighted by being the national runner-up in the shot put at the 2024 Outdoor Championships, the final honor being her 16^th-place finish with her initial throw of 16.57.

"I'm not super upset about it. I was grateful for all the time I spent with all these cool people," Morris said. "It just sucked that sometimes when you prepare well and throwing well, your body isn't ready for it the day of. I was fighting some sickness this week, and I just didn't have it today. The smallest thing goes wrong, and it ruins it. The most miniscule factor can result in throwing a full meter or more of what you usually throw.

"I'm proud of myself that this was also the secondary sport I came here for. No matter what, I'm happy with what I've done. I met my husband here and my best friends. I'm really proud of my career in general. Even though this was my worst placement in a national meet, I had one of my better marks at a national indoor meet."

It all began seven years ago, first as a soccer player where she established program records as a goalie, earning all-conference honors in the net. She had to overcome a major knee injury, then reinvented herself as one the preeminent throwers in program history, ranking second to Lesnar in both the indoor and outdoor shot put, fifth in the discus.

A coach doesn't get those types of athletes every year, and the hard part of the job is knowing eventually there has to be an exit.

"I told her after, 'what a career you've had.' I know she was disappointed today, but she's a slam dunk to be in the CSU Hall of Fame with the career she put together," Bedard said. "I'm really proud of the work she put in. It has not been easy for her, especially the major knee injury early in her career. That stunted her growth early on, and then being a split athlete doing soccer and track.

"I think that shaped where she's at right now. Whether it was the perfect start of her career, it shaped who she is."

What they both did on the day is what they've done all along as Rams – roll with the punches and find areas of growth.

The day was over. Their climb will never cease.

"I could sit here and mope and be sad about it, or I could go home and get back to work," Lesnar said. "This is it for me. This was my last indoor; it's going to be my last outdoor. I know this isn't going to be it for me. We just go back to work.

"I talk more to people about my fifth-place finish in outdoor than me winning my national title. It takes a lot to get to the top. And then it takes a lot to say there. I'm just glad I did everything I could today in the moment, given the situation. I did what I could today. And obviously I want more."

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Mya Lesnar

Gabi Morris

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