May 19, 2008

KANSAS CITY, Mo.  - The 57th Annual Men's and 28th Annual Women's National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Outdoor Track and Field Championships are set to begin this later this week. The event is being held at the Ralph Korte Stadium in Edwardsville, Ill. from May 22-24. It will be the first year that the St. Louis Sports Commission, Lindenwood University, McKendree University and Missouri Baptist University have been hosts to the championships.

"The success of NAIA national championship events is dependent on great partnerships. We are excited to be working with the St. Louis Sports Commission and are confident that this year's Men's & Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be an excellent event," said Ruth Stein NAIA Manager of Championship Sports. "The St. Louis Sports Commission has assembled a team that truly understands the rich tradition of the NAIA and is committed to giving teams and our fans the experience of a lifetime."

Last year, Oklahoma Baptist used a strong final day of competition to win its first men's outdoor championship in 17 years. Individual honors were awarded David Cheromei of Virginia Intermont and Mike Rodgers of Oklahoma Baptist, who were named the men's co-outstanding performers.

On the women's side, Azusa Pacific (Calif.) will be looking to defend last year's title and claim its fourth women's crown in the past six years. Ruky Abdulai of Simon Fraser University (B.C.) was named the women's outstanding performer after tallying 30 of Simon Fraser's 47 points for the event.

Action begins on Thursday, May 22 with the men's decathlon and women's hammer at 10 a.m. The running events kick off with the women's 4 x 100 trials at 1:00 p.m. Opening ceremonies are scheduled at 4:45 p.m. Friday covers both running and field events with the senior recognition ceremony taking place at 5:45. The 2008 awards ceremony will occur at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Fans can follow the Outdoor Track and Field Championships online at www.naia.org.