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.
Stretch Internet, the NAIA’s official video-streaming company of NAIA national championship events, will be broadcasting the events on NAIANetwork.com.
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.
The NAIA has sponsored the sport of men’s outdoor track and field since 1952, and the women’s program since 1981. Currently, 170 NAIA institutions sponsor the sport of men’s outdoor track and field and there are 174 women’s outdoor track and field programs.
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.