A pair of national champions have been selected as the Gatorade South Dakota Track and Field Players of the Year.

Hamlin’s Gracelyn Leiseth is the girls’ winner, while Simon Birnbaum of Rapid City Stevens is the boys’ winner. Leiseth is a three-time recipient of the award, while this is the second straight award for Birnbaum.

Both athletes are multiple state champions, multiple state record holders, and recently won national championships in the same week.

Leiseth is the overall state record holder in both the shot put and the discus. The University of Florida recruit has thrown the shot put 52-feet, 6 and ¾-inches, and owns the top discus throw at 175-feet, 3-inhes. She won the shot put at the Nike National Outdoors Meet and was runner-up in the discus.

Leiseth is the first three-time girls’ winner since former Rapid City Central standout Jasmyne King.

Birnbaum is the overall state record holder in the 800-meter run, 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter run. The Oregon University recruit clocked the best high school time in the country in the 3,200 meters earlier this season with a time of 8:34.10. He also won the mile against the nation’s elite runners this spring in a time of 3:57.53. Birnbaum won the men’s professional 1,500-meter run at the Nike National Outdoors Meet.