GULF SHORES, Ala.— For the third-consecutive year, the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships will be held at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores May 26 – 28. The men’s and women’s championships are hosted by the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Sports Commission in partnership with the city of Gulf Shores.

The men’s decathlon will start at 10 a.m. CDT on Thursday, followed by the women’s decathlon at 10:30 a.m. CDT. Opening Ceremonies are set for 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 per day.

There are 175 women’s varsity programs and 172 men’s varsity programs that are sponsored by NAIA institutions.

For schedules and more, visit: National Championships at The Mick.

The events will also be streamed live on the NAIA Network, with four cameras covering the action. Visit NAIANetwork.com for details.

For travel information: Visit: Visit Gulf Shores.

Last year, Concordia (Neb.) claimed its first-ever men’s national title in 2015. The Bulldogs scored 59 points, edging out co-runners-up, Wayland Baptist (Texas) and Indiana Tech by four points. Head Coach Kregg Einspahr took home Coach of the Year honors. In 2016, Concordia looks to become the 19th men’s program to repeat as champions. Indiana Tech was the last men’s team to accomplish this feat as the Warriors repeated as champions in 2013 and 2014. In the 63 previous years of the men’s event, 26 teams have been crowned national champions. Former member Azusa Pacific (Calif.) holds the most titles with 15. Among active NAIA members, Life boasts the most rings with four.

On the women’s side, Walyand Baptist head coach, Rohan Thompson was named Coach of the Year, as the Pioneers tallied 91 points to best runner-up Oklahoma Baptist by 25 points en route to their third national title. The Wayland Baptist women will try to take home back-to-back red banners for the second time in school history as the Pioneers repeated in 2008 and 2009. 

• Abilene, Texas, was the first city to host the men’s event in 1952. Host institution Abilene Christian posted 74 points to take the team title over runner-up San Diego State (Calif.). The women’s national championships first started in 1981 in Houston, Texas. Texas Southern won the team banner with 115.5 points over second-place Prairie View A&M (Texas).