NAIA Men’s & Women’s Track Championships in Gulf Shores May 25-27

NAIA Men’s & Women’s Track Championships in Gulf Shores May 25-27
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field National Championships will be held on May 25-27 at the Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium on County Rd. 6 in Gulf Shores. This is the fourth consecutive year the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau has hosted the event.
Seventy-one events will take place over the three-day span. The national championships begin at 10 a.m. Thursday with the men’s decathlon (100-meters, Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump, 400-meters) and women’s hammer throw. The women’s heptathlon (100-meter hurdles, High Jump, Shot Put, 200-meters) will begin at 10:30 a.m.
The championship opening ceremonies are scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday, while the awards ceremony will be Saturday at approximately 6:50 p.m. The top eight athletes in each event and top eight relay teams will earn team points and achieve NAIA ASICS All-America status.
More than 1,500 athletes representing colleges from around the country will give back to coastal Alabama students while here in Gulf Shores, as The NAIA Champion of Character program is partnering with Feeding the Gulf Coast’s Backpack Program to provide food packages to Gulf Shores Elementary School (GSES) students in need.
“NAIA represents so much more than just athletics,” said Beth Gendler, vice president of sales for the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission. “Each year during the track championships, they extend a hand to impact our coastal community in a different way. This year, teachers and counselors at the elementary school will identify students suffering from chronic hunger, and NAIA athletes will accept donations and package food items.”
Volunteer athletes will take donations at GSES on Wednesday, May 24 from 8:45-10:45 a.m., and anonymous children in need will receive the bags of food discreetly on Fridays to take home on weekends. For more information on the Feeding the Gulf Coast, visit FeedingTheGulfCoast.org. Visit NAIA.org for more on NAIA.
Since 1937, the NAIA has administered programs and championships in proper balance with the overall educational experience. In 2000, the NAIA reaffirmed its purpose to enhance the character-building aspects of sport.
Through the Champions of Character program, the NAIA seeks to create an environment in which every student-athlete, coach, official and spectator is committed to the true spirit of competition through five core values: integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and leadership.