From Small-Town Roots to the National Stage, Erika Beistle’s Continues To Rise In The Discus

By Mary Albl of DyeStat 

John Nepolitan photo

By her own admission, discus thrower Erika Beistle is a bit shy.

When she steps into the discus ring, she’s often wearing a pair of sunglasses — more than just a fashion statement, they give her something to hide behind.

“I don’t like a lot of attention on myself,” she said. “So I wear my sunglasses when I compete. It’s a little shield, so that nobody can kind of see what’s going on in my head.”

Those shades have become a signature look — so much so that she landed a deal with Blenders Eyewear — but they haven’t hidden her remarkable talent. A recent graduate of Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, Beistle is a four-time NCAA Division 2 national champion and the D2 record holder in the discus.

Beistle enters the USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon this week with the seventh-best mark in the country of 66.63 meters (218-7) and a real shot at making her first World Championship team.

“It’s been a very long year — going on 12 months straight of training and competing — but I’m really trying to stay mentally positive and get excited for Championships this week,” Beistle said.

The opportunity is especially meaningful this year. With reigning world champion Laulauga Tausaga-Collins giving the U.S. an extra entry in the women’s discus, Beistle will line up alongside top contenders like World No. 1 Valarie Allman, Jayden Ulrich of Louisville, and Cierra Jackson of Fresno State.

At 22, Beistle is the youngest in the field — and she’s ready.

“It’s a dream come true,” she said. “I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be in the position I’m in now. It’s an amazing and very surreal feeling.”

Humble Beginnings

Hailing from Rodney, Mich., a town of fewer than 2,000 residents, Beistle didn’t pick up a discus until high school. She and her sister joined the track team at Big Rapids High, and while Erika was drawn to throwing, she initially considered quitting. But her coaches saw potential, pushed her to train year-round, and encouraged her to stick with it.

“My coaches were really great in high school,” she said. “They got me into the weight room and had me go to meets outside of the season. That made all the difference.”

By her senior year, she was a state champion in both the shot put and discus and placed in the top 25 at Nike Outdoor Nationals.

Beistle had considered going into the military out of high school but ultimately chose to stay close to home and attend Grand Valley State, a Division 2 track and field powerhouse, thanks to encouragement from her coaches and GVSU throws coach Matt Conly.

“I came in freshman year, and my coach put some faith in me,” she said. “I ended up as the D2 outdoor national runner-up that first year. That’s when I thought, ‘Huh, maybe I can be a national champion one day.’ That goal came true in my junior year, and it just soared from there.”

Beistle’s breakthrough came in the summer of 2024, when she finished fourth at the U.S. Olympic Trials. That experience ignited a new sense of belief.

“It flipped a switch,” she said. “I realized I could really do this.”

She carried that momentum into her final collegiate season at Grand Valley State, where she delivered one of the most dominant campaigns in Division 2 history. At her first outdoor home meet in April, she shattered the D2 record with a throw of 66.63m (218-7). At the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Colorado, her throw of 65.05m (213-5) broke the meet record and recorded the longest mark ever on Colorado soil as as she helped Grand Valley to a team title, the program’s first since 2012.

“Coming into this year it was a big goal for me and my coach of hitting that Olympic Standard and going to meets that would give me points and ability to boost my ranking,” she said. “And by the end of this year I wanted to throw 65 meters and I (got) 66.63 early in the season, another big confidence booster.”

Beistle still has a season of indoor remaining before she closes her collegiate eligibility.

Athlete-Coach Bond

Beistle credits much of her success to the unique relationship she has built with Conly.

“He’s very much a relationship guy,” she said. “He puts in a lot of hours outside of practice — calls, conversations, really getting to know you as a person, not just an athlete. That’s made our dynamic so strong. There are ups and downs, like with any relationship, but we’ve built something great. He knows exactly what I need in the weight room, in training, and mentally.”

That trust and tailored coaching have allowed Beistle to tap into what she calls her biggest weapon: power.

“I am very much a power thrower. I rely on my strength,” she said. “It’s been a tough month of training, but we’ve been focused on using that strength and dialing in my technique. At the end of the day, I know I can rely on my speed and power to get the job done.”

Staying Grounded

Despite her rapid rise, Beistle remains deeply committed to her roots — and representing Division 2 on a national stage.

“I have immense pride in being a D2 athlete and being from the Midwest,” she said. “It’s not something you always see at this level, but I truly believe you can succeed anywhere if you’re in the right place with the right people and the right attitude. Grand Valley put me in a position to compete across the country against D1 athletes, and they cared about me as a person. That means the world.”

As for the bright lights and national attention? She still wears her shades.

“I’m starting to feel like I belong,” she said. “I’m still pretty new to this sport and new to this level. But the more meets I go to, the more amazing women I get to compete alongside, the more I feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”

Off the track, she keeps herself grounded by spending time in nature — especially fishing, which helps her reset.

“I love being outside,” she said. “I go fishing whenever I can. It’s peaceful. It resets my mind.”

Heading into the USATF Championships, Beistle isn’t placing any pressure on herself.

Her mindset is to remain present — and take it one throw at a time.

“Just make the final,” she said. “Last year (at the Olympics Trials), I went in with no expectations, and that mindset helped me enjoy the experience. I’m doing the same this year — live in the moment, get one good throw, make finals, and compete for one of the top spots.”