NAIA Track and Field Championships Preview
Website Link |
http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=210099816
Story by Chad Waller, Director of Communications & Sports Information
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (
Live Video Streaming) (
Live Scoring) (
Schedule) The 64th annual Men’s and 35th annual Women’s National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Outdoor Track and Field National Championships will take place in Gulf Shores, Ala., and run from May 21-23. The Gulf Shores (Ala.) and Orange Beach Sports Commission, in partnership with the city in Gulf Shores, will serve as hosts for the second-straight year. Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium will welcome over 150 men’s and women’s programs.
Stretch Internet, the NAIA’s official video-streaming company of 17 select NAIA national championship events, will be broadcasting all events on the NAIA Network. The subscription package can be purchased for $10 to watch the entire three-day event. For more information, including how to register for an account, click
here.
Seventy-one events will take place over the three-day span. The national championships begin at
10 a.m. CDT Thursday with the men’s decathlon and women’s hammer throw. The women’s heptathlon will begin at 10:30 a.m.
The field events will continue
Thursday with the men’s hammer throw starting at
1 p.m. On Friday, the men’s decathlon will continue and begin at
9:30 a.m., while the women’s heptathlon will start at
10:30 a.m., respectively. Field events will begin at
1 p.m. with the women’s shot put and men’s long jump.
The national champions and award winners will be recognized at approximately
6:50 p.m. on Saturday. The top eight athletes in each event and top eight relay teams will earn team points and achieve NAIA All-America status.
Indiana Tech swept the 2014 outdoor national championship team titles for the second-straight year. Warriors head coach Doug Edgar was honored as the Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year. Last year, the Indiana Tech women became the first program to repeat as national champions since Wayland Baptist (Texas) did it in 2008-09. The Warriors are trying to become the third team in history (in 35 years) to three-peat and the first since former member Central State (Ohio) from 1991-94. The Indiana Tech men are trying to become the sixth different NAIA program in history (in 64 years) to rattle off three-straight championships and first since Dickinson State (N.D.) in 2004-06. Last year, they were the first to repeat back-to-back since former member Azusa Pacific (Calif.) from 2008-09.
The Warrior men will have 22 individuals and two relay teams competing, led by John Broaden in the 100 and 200-meters and the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays. Broaden is seeded No. 1 in the 200-meters and the 4x400 relays. Five other individuals boast a No. 1 ranking in their respective events for Indiana Tech.
Wayland Baptist, which is the last active NAIA program to win a men’s team title other than Indiana Tech (2010), was the national runner-up last year with 93 points. That total was 12 points behind Indiana Tech. The Pioneers send 11 individuals and three relay teams to Gulf Shores. The 4x400-meter relay team is searching for its third-straight title in that event.
The Indiana Tech women needed a win in the 4x400 meter relay to defeat Oklahoma Baptist, 102-101, for the 2014 team championship. This year, 23 individuals and two relay teams highlight the Warrior women in Gulf Shores. Shayla France (100-meter hurdles) and Carly Schmidt (pole vault) are the other Warriors ranked No. 1 in their respective events.
Defending national runner up Oklahoma Baptist is currently riding an impressive streak since 2009. In that span, the Bison women have either won the title (2012) or finished second (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014). There are 28 individuals and three relay teams scheduled to perform.
Mereth Zalba of Missouri Baptist is the only returning individual (male or female) in this year’s championships looking for a three-peat. The junior is the two-time defending national champion in the 5,000-meter race walk.
Gulf Shores, Ala., is the 22nd different city to host the championship event, which began in 1952 with men’s competition. Twenty-five different men’s teams have won at least one team national championship. Four teams have claimed at least four titles, led by former member Azusa Pacific with 15 total championships. On the women’s side, 14 different programs have won a national championship. Two schools have at least five championships, with former member Prairie View A&M (Texas) leading the way with nine titles.
For complete information on the national championships, click
here for the men and
here for the women.