ALLENDALE, MICH. – The NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee announced the final participants for the 2024 NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Tuesday, May 14^th. The year's championships will be held on Thursday, May 23^rd through the 25^th in Emporia, Kansas at the Welch Stadium. 

A total of 377 athletes per gender are set to compete at the NCAA Division II Championships. Final heat sheets will be available on Tuesday, May 21^st.

The Grand Valley State track and field program will have a total of 37 individual entries, 19 on the women's side and 18 on the men's. Additionally, the Laker men will have two relay teams competing. 

Women's Selection Entries (GVSU)
Men's Selection Entries (GVSU)

For the Laker men, four athletes will be competing in more than one event at the NCAA Division II Championships. In addition to, eight Grand Valley State school record holders making their way to Kansas. 

Myles Rhodes will lead Grand Valley State as he will be taking on three events this year. Rhodes will be competing in the 400m, as well as apart of both relay teams. Currently, Rhodes holds the Grand Valley State school record in all three events, set within the last two weeks. 

The remaining members of the school record holding 4x100m relay consist of Antonio Passarelli, Nicholas Walper and Andrew Pizzico. While the school record holding 4x400m relay is made up of Zach Pray, Steven Harris and Fallou Gaye. 

Additionally, Harris and Gaye will take on the men's 400m hurdles.

Caleb Futter will be competing in two events this year, the 3000m steeplechase and the 1500m. Futter currently holds the Grand Valley State school record in the steeplechase and was the previous record holder in the 1500m, until Patrick Lyell set a new record of 3:42.88 last weekend. Lyell will be competing alongside Futter in the 1500m at the NCAA National Championships. 

The men's high jump trio will take on the NCAA National Championships in full force, with all three athletes ranking 1-3 in Division II and in the Top 10 in All-Collegiate. Eli Kosiba will lead the trio as the newest Grand Valley State school record holder (2.28m), additionally Kosiba ranks second in All-Collegiate and 13^th in the world. 

Jaivon Harrison, the 2024 Indoor National Champion currently ranks fourth in All-Collegiate (2.26m) and 21^st in the world. Jonathan Rankins-James, the 2024 Indoor Runner-Up, ranks ninth in All-Collegiate (2.22m)

The throws team will have six athletes total competing within a span of four events, the hammer, shot put, discus and javelin. Myles Kerner and Matt Thomas will take on the shot put for Grand Valley State, as they both rank in the Top 5 in Division II. Kerner in first (19.67m) and Thomas in fourth (18.69m). 

In the discus, James MacKey JR. and Nathan Spitzley will represent the Lakers. While Bobby Maxwell (javelin) and Shane Byrne (hammer) will compete solo in their respective events. 

The men's pole vault team will have three athletes competing led by Wyatt Alwine, who cleared a new personal-best height of 5.23m last weekend. Dolan Gonzales and Colton Emeott will compete alongside Alwine, Gonzales with a personal-best height of 5.18m and Emeott a height of 5.08m. 

On the women's side, the Lakers will have four athletes competing in multiple events at Nationals this year. Erika Beistle, Margaret Stevenson, and Paige Westra will lead the women's throws team as all three will take on the discus and shot put. 

Beistle will lead in both the discus and shot put, as she ranks first in Division II within both events. Additionally, Beistle set a new Grand Valley State school record in the discus with a throw of 58.89m, ranking her 14^th in All-Collegiate and 57^th in the world. 

Alongside Beistle will be Stevenson who ranks second in the discus and ninth in the shot put in Division II, as well as Westra who ranks 14^th in the discus and 24^th in the shot put. 

The women's throws crew will also have two Lakers in the hammer throw, Shelby Ulven and Alaina Omonode. Ulven currently ranks second (60.21m) and Omonode third (59.79m) in Division II. 

Klaudia O'Malley is the only track athlete from Grand Valley to be competing in more than event at Nationals this year. O'Malley will take on the 1500m and 5000m, as she ranks fourth in Division II within both events. 

In the 3000m steeplechase, the Lakers will have three athletes competing lead by Maria Mitchell. Kayce Rypma and Landyn Howell will be competing alongside Mitchell in the steeplechase. Additionally, Grand Valley will have two athletes in the 10000m, Abigail Vanderkooi and Madison Ebright.