2011 NAIA Men's & Women's Indoor Track and Field National Championships
March 2, 2011
GENEVA, Ohio – (Schedule of events) From March 3-5, nearly 110 indoor track and field programs will converge in Geneva, Ohio, in the 46th Annual Men's and 31st Annual Women's National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Indoor Track and Field National Championships. There is a new host for the first time since 2000, as the GaREAT (Geneva Area Recreational, Educational and Athletic Trust) Sports Complex serves as the venue. The National Championships kick off on Thursday with the Women’s Pentathlon at 1 p.m. EST and the Men’s Pentathlon at 1:30 p.m.
Forty-two events are scheduled over the three-day span. Relays begin on Thursday at 4 p.m., and the running events get underway with the women’s 3,000-meter walk at Noon on Friday. The Championship award ceremonies begin at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. The top six athletes in each event will earn team points and achieve All-America status.
After winning the men’s team title last year, Azusa Pacific (Calif.) is currently on a four-peat and enters the 2011 National Championships with an NAIA-record eight overall rings. The Cougars posted 71 team points last year, defeating second-place Wayland Baptist (Texas) by 15 points. Azusa Pacific is attempting to become the second program in NAIA history to win five-consecutive championships. From 1985-89, Wayland Baptist was honored as the top team.
Returning the top two heptathletes from last year in seniors Casey Stevick and Jeff Altizer, the Cougars hold strong in the multi-events. Stevick was the No. 1 seed in last year’s Heptathlon and took home top honors. He smashed the NAIA record in the shot put in the process with a mark of 43’10”. He was followed closely in the Heptathlon by Altizer in second-place. Both athletes are ranked in the top-five on the Performance List. Senior Montrail Brooks is back to defend his 600-meter crown. He is currently ranked third heading into that event.
Doane (Neb.) senior Virgil Mitchell returns after setting a Championship record in the 60-Meter Hurdles in 2009 with a time of 7.93. Last year, he finished with a clocking of 8.03 to tie for the second spot. Two-time 600-Meter champion Mario McCottrell of Langston (Okla.) is ranked ninth heading into the event. He will attempt to become the 22nd athlete in NAIA
history to earn three-straight championships.
Defending women’s national champion Oklahoma Baptist is vying for its fourth National Championship in school history. Last year, the Bison used the final event of the day to narrowly defeat second-place Wayland Baptist, 68-67. Oklahoma Baptist won the 4x400 relay, which marked the third-straight year the team champion won by a single point. A fourth team title would put Oklahoma Baptist one shy of the all-time women’s record held by Wayland Baptist.
Bison junior Verone Chambers leads a talented group of athletes. The defending national champion in the 400-Meter dash, she earned NAIA National Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Week honors on two occasions this season. Chambers was part of the first-place 4x400-relay squad from last year. Watch out for sophomore Gayon Evans as she is ranked first this season in both the 60-Meter and 200-Meter runs.
Senior Natasha Miller of Biola (Calif.) enters the National Championship as one of the most decorated athletes. She is a four-time champion in the 60-Meter Hurdles (2010), High Jump (2010) and the Pentathlon (2009-10). Last year, she won her second-straight Most Valuable Performer award after breaking the national record with 3,992 points in the pentathlon. With her fifth individual title, she would become the 10th female in NAIA history to earn at least five championships.
Sixteen men’s programs have claimed at least one team championship, with 12 of those holding multiple crowns. Six of those schools are current NAIA institutions. On the women’s side, 13 different programs have won a national championship, with seven of those being active NAIA schools. Nine programs boast at least two titles, led by the five earned from Wayland Baptist.
Johnson City, Tenn., had served as hosts from 2001-10. There have been four different cities to host the event, which began in 1966.
For complete information on the Championships, click here.
