Live Results from NAIA Indoor Championships
Click here for live results.
Click here for an overview of CCC entrants.
Click here for Day 3 recap.
Click here for Day 2 recap.
Click here for Day 1 recap.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fans can follow live results from the 44th Annual Men's and 29th Annual Women's NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships, which will be held today through Saturday in Johnson City, Tenn. It is the ninth straight year that the Johnson City Convention and Visitor’s Bureau will host this Championship event. This Championship is action-packed with nearly 1,000 student-athletes from 105 schools across the U.S. and Canada competing in 42 different events contested in three days.
Leading the charge on the men’s side is defending national champion Azusa Pacific (Calif.) University. The 2008 national crown was APU’s second straight and sixth overall including fifth in the last seven years. In a record-setting 2008 Championship, Azusa Pacific (Calif.) narrowly defeated Oklahoma Baptist by ¾ of a point (64.75 – 64) for the closest margin of victory in the 43-year men’s history. Kenya native and senior All-American Aron Rono eyes some national records including a “four-peat” in the Mile Run. The long-distance specialist sits with five individual career titles, including the Mile Run and the 3,000 Meters won last season. With two more individual titles, he would tie the NAIA all-time record of seven overall individual championships.
Taking runners-up honors for the second straight Championship in 2008, Oklahoma Baptist University returns a few All-Americans, most notably Jonathan Hilton and Josh Wayland. The defending Heptathlon champion, Hilton is ranked first heading into this year’s event. He set an all-time NAIA record with his effort of 5,454 points last year in the Heptathlon including an NAIA-best 22’ 4 ¼” leap in the Long Jump. Wayland took second in the 1,000 Meter Run last year but sits on top of the 2009 entry list. Another program to take note of is Dickinson State (N.D.) University, a team to finish third last year. Senior Ramon Miller leads a strong list of DSU sprinters as he is ranked first in the 200 and 400 Meter events – he is the defending champion in the 400 Meters.
On the women’s side, Wayland Baptist (Texas) heads a strong pack of favorites. The Pioneers won their sixth national championship, a NAIA record, by edging out Azusa Pacific 71-70 last year. WBU sophomore Kimberly Smith returns after setting a national record with a 7.40 finish in the 60 Meters last season. Smith played a big role in the national title when she anchored the 4x400 Relay. Needing at least a second-place relay finish to secure the hardware, the relay team did just that and helped the team to its first championship since 1994. Wayland Baptist athletes are seeded No. 1 in six different events going into this weekend.
Both individual national champions for Azusa return from last year, senior Jamie Canterbury in the 3,000 Meter Run and senior Zora Golcevska in the Pentathlon. Simon Fraser, the third-place finisher, and Oklahoma Baptist, a team to finish 24 points behind in fourth place, both should be counted upon to push for the title. SFU will have to compete without Ruky Abduli, who won five individual titles combined in the High Jump and Long Jump. For the Bison of OBU, junior Marissa Moseley leads a solid core of sprinters. She is ranked No. 1 in the 400 Meters, an event she won last year, and second in the 200 Meters.
Action begins on Thursday with the men’s heptathlon beginning at 1 p.m. local time and the women’s pentathlon at 1:30 p.m. The running events kick off with the relays on Thursday at 4:45 p.m. Friday covers both running and field events while the Championship ceremonies begin at 12 p.m. on Saturday. The 2009 awards ceremony will occur at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.