By Jake Knabel, Assistant NAIA Media Coordinator

GULF SHORES, Ala. – (Complete Results) The Concordia (Neb.) women and Indiana Tech men celebrated national titles as the three-day 2016 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships culminated in Gulf Shores, Ala., on Saturday. The title was the third all-time outdoor team championship for the Indiana Tech men, who also claimed titles in 2013 and 2014. Meanwhile, the Concordia women earned their first-ever team title a year after the school’s men won the outdoor championship for the first time.

The Warriors, whose women placed second, swept the national championship most valuable performer of the meet awards with John Broaden and Brianna Woods garnering those prestigious individual honors. The women’s most outstanding performance trophy went to Hannah Segrave of Milligan (Tenn.) while Kale Wolken of Doane (Neb.) reeled in the same accolade on the men’s side. National coach of the year honors went to national championship winning coaches in Indiana Tech’s Doug Edgar and Concordia’s Kregg Einspahr.

Woods won national titles in the 100 and 200 meter dashes and ran a leg for the first-place Warrior 4x100 meter relay. Known for its prowess on the track, Indiana Tech swept 4x100 relay championships and also took first in the 4x400 relay. The Warriors claimed a combined seven event national titles.

In a race that began at the crack of dawn on Saturday, Arya Bahreini of Oklahoma City topped the field in the men’s marathon for the third-straight year. Bahreini paced the 26.2-mile trek in a time of 2:33.39.50. He’s the only three-time marathon champion in the history of the NAIA.

One of many top-notch throwers for Concordia, junior Zach Lurz seized his third career shot put national title. Named the 2015 outdoor national championships performer of the meet, Lurz broke his own school record while coming up with his first national championship in the outdoor shot put with his mark of 59’ 5.” On the women’s side, Bulldog throwers accounted for 66 of the team’s 71 points.

Junior Marissa DeWispelare gave Doane (Neb.) its third individual national champion of the weekend when she won the 3,000 meter steeplechase in a school record time of 10:26.61. A third-place steeplechase finisher at this year’s Drake Relays, DeWispelare joined Tameca Wallace (triple jump) and Kale Wolken (decathlon) as Tiger national champions.

A number of firsts occurred on Saturday. Taylor Wells won the women’s discus and was the first throws champion in Grand View (Iowa) history. Hannah Hermansson became Marymount’s (Calif.) first-ever individual titlist by claiming the 1,500 meter race. For Siena Heights (Mich.), Stephanie Marquart earned the institution’s first female hurdles title.

In other notable efforts, John Gay of British Columbia took the steeplechase title, giving his school two in the past three years. Ryan Rosenau broke the Eastern Oregon school record in the 400 hurdles by clocking in at 51.71.

The top-eight finishers in each event receive All-America honors. The NAIA will release a complete list of outdoor track and field All-Americans on Tuesday (May 31).

Top-five team finishes

MEN
2. Indiana Tech – 86
1. Concordia (Neb.) – 52
3. Wiley (Texas) – 51
3. Wayland Baptist (Texas) – 41
5. Eastern Oregon – 39

WOMEN
1. Concordia (Neb.) – 71
2. Indiana Tech – 66
3. Siena Heights (Mich.) – 53
4. Southern-New Orleans (La.) – 43
5. Doane (Neb.) – 39

2016 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Champions

(*Broke meet record)

Biola (Calif.) women’s 4x800 meter relay (Hunsaker, Dawson, Hunt, Gasner)

Friends (Kan.) men’s 4x800 meter relay (Lyle, Mathur, Clark, Clark)

Indiana Tech, men’s 4x100 meter relay (Stanley, Edwards III, Sharbahn, Broaden)

Indiana Tech, women’s 4x100 meter relay (Holmes, Dunmore, Thompson, Woods)

Indiana Tech, men’s 4x400 meter relay

Southern-New Orleans (La.), women’s 4x400 meter relay

Jacob Armbrust, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), discus

Sam Atkin, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), men’s 5,000 meters

Arya Bahreini, Oklahoma City, men’s marathon

David Barnett, Carroll (Mont.), men’s javelin

Orenthia Bennett, Southern-New Orleans (La.), women’s 400 meters

Amy Blucker, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), women’s shot put

Jonina Brinson, Mobile (Ala.), women’s long jump

John Broaden, Indiana Tech, men’s 200 meters

Becky Collier, Westmont (Calif.), women’s heptathlon

Marissa DeWispelare, Doane (Neb.), women’s steeplechase

Marbeq Edgar, Wiley (Texas), men’s 800 meters

Eric England, Eastern Oregon, men’s triple jump

Talitha Fagen, Eastern Oregon, women’s pole vault

Karis Frankian, The Masters (Calif.), women’s 5,000 meters

Destiny Garza, SW Assemblies of God (Texas), women’s marathon

John Gay, British Columbia, men’s steeplechase

Seri Geisler, Valley City State (N.D.), women’s javelin

Hanna Hermansson, Marymount (Calif.), women’s 1,500 meters

Gary Herb, Indiana Tech, men’s high jump

Jared Hixon, Southern Oregon, men’s 1,500 meters

Zebuliah Hoffman, Evergreen State (Wash.), men’s hammer throw

Stephanie Marquart, Siena Heights (Mich.), women’s 100 hurdles

Art Hop, McPherson (Kan.), men’s pole vault

Moriba Morain, Wiley (Texas), men’s 100 meters

Marissa Johnson, Siena Heights (Mich.), women’s high jump

Taylor Killings, Marian (Ind.), men’s 110 meter hurdles

Zach Lurz, Concordia (Neb.), men’s shot put

Molly Josephs, Missouri Baptist, women’s 5,000 meter race walk

Geoff Kipchumba, William Carey (Miss.), men’s 10,000 meters

Liz King, Concordia (Neb.), women’s hammer throw

Corion Knight, Florida Memorial, men’s long jump

Jessa Perkinson, Southern Oregon, women’s 10,000 meters

Anthony Peters, St. Ambrose (Iowa), men’s 5,000 meter race walk

Ryan Rosenau, Eastern Oregon, men’s 400 hurdles

Hannah Segrave, Milligan (Tenn.), women’s 800 meters

Gairy Springer, Indiana Tech, men’s 400 meters

Tiana Thomas, College of Idaho, women’s 400 hurdles

Temeca Wallace, Doane (Neb.), triple jump

Taylor Wells, Grand View (Iowa), women’s discus

*Kale Wolken, Doane (Neb.), men’s decathlon

Brianna Woods, Indiana Tech, women’s 100 meters; women’s 200 meters