2024 Track & Field Roster
Roster
Tupu-South, Kaia

Kaia Tupu-South
- Position:
- Throws
- Class:
- Sophomore
- Hometown:
- Auckland, New Zealand
- High School:
- Westlake
Bio
2023 Pac-12 Shot Put Bronze Medalist
2024: Bettered her School Record in the shot put once again, scored at the Pac-12 Championships and finished top-25 in the discus and the shot put at NCAA Prelims โฆ finished 15th in the shot put at NCAA West Prelims with a mark of 55-5 ยฝ and was 21st in the discus with a season-best 178-10 โฆ at the final Pac-12s, was fourth in the shot put going 54-10 ยผ, and 10th in the discus at 171-6 โฆ was just two centimeters away from qualifying for NCAA Indoors, finishing 17th nationally with a PR of 56-4 at the Husky Classic, breaking her own School Record โฆ threw a then-Record of 56-2 at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invite โฆ took second at the Ken Shannon Last Chance meet with a put of 55-3 ยพ โฆ earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors and a spot on the Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll.
2023: Tremendous redshirt freshman season setting the School Records in the shot put both indoors and outdoors โฆ at NCAA West Prelims, set a new PR with a School Record of 56-2 ยฝ which finished 13th overall, one spot out of advancing to the NCAA Championships, and the best mark ever to not qualify for the meet โฆ made the podium at first Pac-12 Championships, placing third in the shot put at 55-7 ยพ and also finished ninth in the discus at 172-3 โฆ eighth in the shot put invite at the Mt. SAC Relays, going 54-5 ยฝ โฆ season-best discus of 172-11 at the Aztec Invitational, going to No. 7 in school history โฆ indoors, upped her PR by a stunning three feet to break the School Record at the Ken Shannon Last Chance meet, going 56-1 ยผ โฆ previous best before breaking the record was 53-0 ยผ at the UW Indoor Preview โฆ record toss ranked 23rd in the final indoor national rankings, and third among freshmen โฆ named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team and the Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll.
2022: Redshirted the season, competing just once unattached โฆ at the Husky Classic, threw 51-0 ยพ in the shot put for second, which would have been the No. 5 mark in school history if done in uniform.
High School and Personal: Born in Auckland, New Zealand โฆ parents are Ben Tupu and Julie Tupu-South โฆ has one older brother, Trey, who has won two age group national boxing titles in New Zealand โฆ grandfather played college basketball at San Jose State โฆ the senior national champion for New Zealand in the discus in 2021 with a throw of 173-5 โฆ qualified for the U20 World Championships in 2020 before the meet was canceled due to Covid โฆ has won four U20 New Zealand national titles in shot put and discus โฆ threw a discus PR of 176-1 that ranked sixth in the world among all U20 athletes in 2020 โฆ also played one year of netball โฆ was the Head Girl of her high school, equivalent to class president in the U.S.
Major Meets
2023 Pac-12 - 3rd, Shot Put | 9th, Discus
2023 NCAA Prelims - 13th, Shot Put | 29th, Discus
2024 Pac-12 - 4th, Shot Put | 10th, Discus
2024 NCAA Prelims - 15th, Shot Put | 21st, Discus
ย
Outdoor Bests
Shot Put.......56-2 1/2 - School Record
Discusโฆโฆ.178-10
Indoor Bests
Shot Put.......56-4 - School Record
Academic Honors
2024 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team
2024 Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll
2023 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team
2023 Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll
2024: Bettered her School Record in the shot put once again, scored at the Pac-12 Championships and finished top-25 in the discus and the shot put at NCAA Prelims โฆ finished 15th in the shot put at NCAA West Prelims with a mark of 55-5 ยฝ and was 21st in the discus with a season-best 178-10 โฆ at the final Pac-12s, was fourth in the shot put going 54-10 ยผ, and 10th in the discus at 171-6 โฆ was just two centimeters away from qualifying for NCAA Indoors, finishing 17th nationally with a PR of 56-4 at the Husky Classic, breaking her own School Record โฆ threw a then-Record of 56-2 at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invite โฆ took second at the Ken Shannon Last Chance meet with a put of 55-3 ยพ โฆ earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors and a spot on the Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll.
2023: Tremendous redshirt freshman season setting the School Records in the shot put both indoors and outdoors โฆ at NCAA West Prelims, set a new PR with a School Record of 56-2 ยฝ which finished 13th overall, one spot out of advancing to the NCAA Championships, and the best mark ever to not qualify for the meet โฆ made the podium at first Pac-12 Championships, placing third in the shot put at 55-7 ยพ and also finished ninth in the discus at 172-3 โฆ eighth in the shot put invite at the Mt. SAC Relays, going 54-5 ยฝ โฆ season-best discus of 172-11 at the Aztec Invitational, going to No. 7 in school history โฆ indoors, upped her PR by a stunning three feet to break the School Record at the Ken Shannon Last Chance meet, going 56-1 ยผ โฆ previous best before breaking the record was 53-0 ยผ at the UW Indoor Preview โฆ record toss ranked 23rd in the final indoor national rankings, and third among freshmen โฆ named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team and the Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll.
2022: Redshirted the season, competing just once unattached โฆ at the Husky Classic, threw 51-0 ยพ in the shot put for second, which would have been the No. 5 mark in school history if done in uniform.
High School and Personal: Born in Auckland, New Zealand โฆ parents are Ben Tupu and Julie Tupu-South โฆ has one older brother, Trey, who has won two age group national boxing titles in New Zealand โฆ grandfather played college basketball at San Jose State โฆ the senior national champion for New Zealand in the discus in 2021 with a throw of 173-5 โฆ qualified for the U20 World Championships in 2020 before the meet was canceled due to Covid โฆ has won four U20 New Zealand national titles in shot put and discus โฆ threw a discus PR of 176-1 that ranked sixth in the world among all U20 athletes in 2020 โฆ also played one year of netball โฆ was the Head Girl of her high school, equivalent to class president in the U.S.
Major Meets
2023 Pac-12 - 3rd, Shot Put | 9th, Discus
2023 NCAA Prelims - 13th, Shot Put | 29th, Discus
2024 Pac-12 - 4th, Shot Put | 10th, Discus
2024 NCAA Prelims - 15th, Shot Put | 21st, Discus
ย
Outdoor Bests
Shot Put.......56-2 1/2 - School Record
Discusโฆโฆ.178-10
Indoor Bests
Shot Put.......56-4 - School Record
Academic Honors
2024 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team
2024 Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll
2023 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team
2023 Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll
Raising the Bar | Hana & Amanda Moll
Monday, August 04
Women's 1500m final - 2025 NCAA outdoor track and field championship
Sunday, June 15
Nathan Green | 2025 NCAA 1500m Champion
Saturday, June 14
Track & Field NCAA Championships | Huskies Highlights
Friday, June 13