Heyison Places Third in Women’s Mixed Shot Put Final During Opening Day of USATF Para Nationals

Thursday, July 31

Eugene, Ore.

Wake Forest University

USATF Track and Field Championships

Heyison Places Third in Women’s Mixed Shot Put Final During Opening Day of USATF Para Nationals

7/31/2025 7:41:00 PM | Track and Field

Rising junior Samantha Heyison recorded a distance of 11.57 meters to finish in third place.

By: KJ Smith

EUGENE, Ore. – Following her sophomore season as a member of the Wake Forest Track and Field program, rising junior Samantha Heyison continued her impressive career by placing third in the Women's Mixed Shot Put final during the first day of competition at the USATF Paralympic Nationals on Thursday afternoon.

Heyison, who represented Team USA during the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris last summer, finished with a distance of 11.57 meters to help her finish on the podium.

The Adamstown, Md., native added another solid season for the Demon Deacons this past spring, having recorded a personal-best shot put toss of 11.93 meters during the Duke Invitational.

During the indoor season, Heyison finished inside the top-10 in the shot put three separate times, including a seventh-place finish at the Mondo College Invitational with a season-best distance of 11.49 meters.

Heyison will continue her competition at the Para Nationals on Saturday, as she is set to compete in the women's discus throw at 12:30 p.m. ET in hopes to qualify for the Para World Championships, which will be held in New Delhi, India from Sept. 27 to Oct. 5 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

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