Lesnar Announces Presence With Championship Throw
Senior becomes first Ram thrower to win an indoor and outdoor national title
Mike Brohard
EUGENE, Ore. – Introductions weren’t necessary. But just in case anybody needed a reminder who was in the field, Mya Lesnar provided one immediately.
The 2024 NCAA indoor national champion in the shot put and the national leader heading into Thursday’s outdoor shot put field used a bullhorn out of the gates with a throw of 62-4.5 feet at Hayward Field. She nestled the ball into her neck, sat down in her squat and pushed her left arm out straight, a little finger waggle right before launching into her place in history.
It was the best mark at the time, a standing which would never change as she was never threatened in adding the 2025 outdoor national championship to her resume. She becomes the first Ram thrower to win an indoor and an outdoor national championship in program history and joins Mostafa Hassan and Bryan Berryhill as the program’s only two-time national champions.
Dream scenario. Dream result.
“Heck yeah it was. It was pretty awesome,” Lesnar said. “Obviously throws like that don’t happen often, and to do it on my first one was pretty cool. I just went calm, hit my cues. Bedard and I have tons of trust, and that’s exactly what we did.
“I think it had more of an effect for me. It meant more for me to do it on the first one, to start off the competition strong. A lot of the other ladies responded. It was awesome.”
By the end of the competition, Lesnar would record the two best throws on the day, her second-best effort a 61-11 which came at the end of the preliminary flight, with both flights running concurrently. Only runner-up Abria Smith of Illinois would come close to that mark, hitting 61-10.25.
There was a delay as Michigan’s Elizabeth Tapper protested the measurement of her final throw in the flights, and she was allowed to throw in the finals just in case. It was stoppage which Bedard felt flattened out the competition heading into the final three throws.
Even better that she started as the front runner.
“I still think she missed the big one today because in training we’ve been seeing throws in the 19.30-meter range, so she didn’t quite put it together,” Bedard said. “She probably had a B-plus day for her, but when a training is going so well to have a big margin that she can maybe not hit her best and win it is awesome.
“It was a great start for her. We’ve been working on the mental game and trying to have some joy when she competes and really simplify some technical cues and managing excitement levels and all that, and I thought she did that today. When she came up and talked to me between throws, she had a really good awareness of what she was doing in the throw and what she was feeling. I just loved her mindset today. It was mature.”
She felt the same as her coach, as she kept waiting for something bigger and better. Down the road, it will be something she considers when she goes back to work, but it was a fact which was rather easy to accept as she stood with the national championship trophy.
There was a ton of emotions. I’ve won before indoor. It’s taken awhile to get back to No. 1 again.Mya Lesnar
She becomes the second woman at Colorado State to win an outdoor national championship, joining Loree Smith who won the hammer throw in 2005. Lesnar now has four first-team All-American honors to her credit after placing fifth in the shot outdoors a year ago and placing fifth indoor this season.
Lesnar is the fourth Ram to win a national championship in the throws under Bedard --six titles in total -- the final five in his tenure as the program’s head coach. The first was Casey Malone in 1998 when he was an assistant as the head throws coach.
Every path has been different, making each unique.
“The journey is different. The athlete and circumstances are different,” Bedard said. “I got a little more nervous on this one head into finals. I felt a challenge was going to come, but it never happened.
“You’d hope all the athletes would have some sort of experience like that where they kind of learn from some failures and grow from it and improve. It doesn’t always happen that way. She’s really had to dig into some areas to work on to get better, whether it is technical stuff or maintaining the mental side of things, really learn to enjoy the sport. Just to see her personal growth is amazing. That’s just her maturing and really taking a hard look at what she’s doing. If she wants to continue in this sport, we’re trying to teach her to have joy in what she’s doing. It can be fun, and you can still be very competitive and intense in what you’re doing.”
After she finished her warmup tosses, she came over to the edge of the track and talked to her coach. They discussed technique and cues, but the last thing he said to her was to have fun.
That hasn’t always been easy for her, carrying a reputation as an ultra-intense competitor. Not on this day. She felt good entering the day, and when Bedard suggested she interact with her personal fanbase, she obliged.
Which felt great, and a bit of a breakthrough. She said the “old Mya, the less mature Mya” would have felt completely out of whack showing such emotion. Nor did the pressure of knowing this would be her final collegiate performance.
Instead of being overwhelmed by emotions, she fed into them and thrived.
“It was awesome. Sometimes I get a little too serious,” she said. “There’s a time and place for that. I think I decided today my last collegiate meet I was going to have fun, trust the process and get it done.”
Trusting the advice came easy considering the source from which the idea came. It took no time at all for her to build that feeling with Bedard after transferring to CSU three years ago, and she will trust him forever more.
She held the trophy firmly but considered it to be shared ownership. Not just this title, or even the first. But the journey they took together which put her in the spotlight.
“I don’t think it’s set in yet. I am very, very happy with the progress I’ve made at CSU,” she said. “Honestly, I would not be where I am without Brian Bedard. Obviously, family and teammates, but 100 percent this goes to my coach and a lot of ups and downs we’ve had together and worked through together. We have the best relationship.”
She has consistently thrust herself into the spotlight while at Colorado State, claiming multiple conference championships to go with the national ones. Being in the spotlight comes with taking the top step on the podium, but the bright lights are not her favorite part.
She prefers the work and the competition. It wouldn’t matter if no one were there to record the history, she would gladly do it in anonymity. She was thankful she got a chance to do it again the last chance she had.
“There was a ton of emotions. I’ve won before indoor. It’s taken awhile to get back to No. 1 again,” Lesnar said. “A lot of emotions; very happy, a lot of hard wor, a lot of dedication. A lot of trust with my coach, and then just executing. and not thinking; not overthinking and doing too much.”
Allowing her to make her intentions clear and concise from the start in a sonic boom of a final statement as a Ram.
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