March 8, 2007

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - The 42nd Annual Men's and 27th Annual Women's NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships began this afternoon at the Memorial Center with the women's pentathlon competition, the first four events of the men's heptathlon, and the preliminary and semi-final rounds of several relay events.

In the women's pentathlon, senior Katie Kosmos of Doane College (Neb.) won three of the five events to claim her first national title with 3849 points. A pair of Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) athletes followed as junior Zora Golcevska finished second with 3550 points and senior Morgan Altizer took third with 3388 points.

After four of seven events in the men's heptathlon, Forrest Gregory, a junior from Doane has accumulated 2835 points to claim the first day lead. Junior David Pichler from Azusa Pacific is currently in second place with 2741 points and senior Gentell Sykes from Missouri Baptist University is in third place with 2647 points. 2007 marks the first year that the NAIA has hosted a men's heptathlon at its Indoor National Championship Meet (a five-event men's pentathlon had been held the previous 13 years). The men's heptathlon competition will conclude on Friday with the 60 meter hurdles, pole vault and 1000 meter run.

On Wednesday and Thursday, prior to the start of the championships, athletes and coaches from 10 different NAIA colleges and universities took some time out of their meet preparations to visit with over 1,500 elementary and junior 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, please visit the NAIA website at www.naia.org.