March 9, 2006

The 41st Annual Men's and 26th Annual Women's NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships began this afternoon at the Memorial Center with the men's and women's pentathlon competitions and the preliminary and semi-final rounds of several relay events.

 

Freshman Nadina Marsh of Missouri Baptist University won the women's pentathlon, setting a new meet record by accumulating 3893 overall points.  Marsh won or tied for first place in three of the five events, setting a new pentathlon meet record in the long jump at 5.96 meters (19' 6.75'').  Katie Kosmos, a junior from Doane College (Neb.), finished second in the pentathlon with 3799 points and Cathi Powell, a freshman from Cornerstone University (Mich.), took third with 3394 points.

 

In the men's pentathlon, Brian Bernard, a senior from Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) won the event by accumulating 3774 overall points.  Bernard won two of the five events, taking first in the long jump at 6.98 meters (22' 11'') and first in the high jump at 2.08 meters (6' 9.75'').  Sophomore Sergiy Oliynyk from Wayland Baptist University (Texas) took second in the event with 3658 points and Franz Smith, a senior from MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), finished third with 3618 points.

 

On Wednesday and Thursday, prior to the start of the championships, several athletes and coaches from  12 different NAIA colleges and universities took some time out of their meet preparations to visit with almost 1,000 elementary and high school students throughout the Johnson City Area.  The coaches and teams spoke with the students about teamwork, building trust, and good sportsmanship as part of the NAIA's Champions of Character program.  Champions of Character is an educational outreach initiative which emphasizes integrity and character development, not only for NAIA college students, but for younger students, coaches and parents.

 

The Championship Meet continues Friday, with a full slate of events and will then conclude on Saturday, with the Opening Ceremonies set for Saturday at noon and the Awards Ceremony set for Saturday at 4:30 p.m.  For more information and complete results, visit the NAIA website at www.naia.org.

National Championships Results & Schedule