Michael Trofimchik
Doug Pfeiler
Corban is sending six men to the NAIA Track & Field National Championships, and Michael Trofimchik is the anchor leg for both of the Warrior relays. (Photo Credit: Doug Pfeiler)

Men's Track and Field Danny Day, Sports Information Director

NAIA Men’s T&F Championships Preview: Corban Ready for Historic Finish

GULF SHORES, Ala. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) recently announced the complete entry list for the 64th annual Men's Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, naming six Corban University male athletes that would be heading to the 2015 NAIA Championships. This year's event is set to take place May 21-23 in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Following a record-setting Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Championships, the Warrior men are ready to shine at this year's edition of the NAIA Championships, closing out the historic 2015 campaign. The 4x100 Relay quartet, which earned the NAIA 'A' standard mark with the CCC meet and school-record time of 41.43 seconds, enters the NAIA Championships as the 15th-fastest foursome out of 24 total teams in the event. The quartet of senior Brett Johnson (Bellingham, Wash.), senior Jacob Ybarra (Boise, Idaho), freshman Nathan Martin (Turner, Ore.), and sophomore Michael Trofimchik (Salem, Ore.) combined for that CCC Championship-winning time, and the quartet will look to better that mark and hope to qualify for the finals later this week. Event prelims are set for 3 p.m. EDT on Thursday, while finals are at 2:50 p.m. EDT on Saturday.

While the short relay for Corban is quick, the Warrior 4x400 Relay is primed for a big performance as well, entering the competition seeded 10th overall. The foursome of sophomore Amadi Amaitsa (Keizer, Ore.), senior Nathan Swanson (Newberg, Ore.), Johnson, and Trofimchik registered the NAIA 'A' standard time of 3:15.59 in the CCC Championship race, blowing away the field at the most important race of the season. Corban is one of 17 teams competing in the long-relay event. Prelims are set for 8:15 p.m. EDT on Friday, while finals are on Saturday at 6:25 p.m. EDT.

Watch the VIDEO interview with the two Warrior CCC Championship relays, recapping the championship races and previewing the NAIA Championships:

Two Warriors will compete as individuals in the 400 Meters, as both Swanson and Trofimchik are set to make a splash in this year's NAIA Championships. Swanson enters ranked 13th overall with a seed time of 48.34 seconds, while Trofimchik is ranked 14th going into the race with a time of 48.35 seconds. Both clocked those times at the CCC Championships two weekends ago in first and second-place times. The two Warriors are two of the 22 total competitors in the event. Prelims are set for 3:50 p.m. EDT on Friday, while event finals are at 4:40 p.m. EDT on Saturday.

Also competing in an individual event, Ybarra looks to better his school-record mark in the Long Jump and become an All-American in the event. He set the new school record in the Long Jump at the CCC Championships with a distance of 23' 10 ¼", and he is seeded seventh headed into the NAIA Championships. Ybarra is one of 22 competitors in the event. Event finals are set for 1 p.m. on Friday.

Watch the VIDEO interviews with Swanson, Trofimchik, and Ybarra, recapping the CCC Championships and previewing their individual events at the NAIA Championships:

In addition to those competing at the NAIA Championships, Johnson, Trofimchik, and Martin all sat down to talk about the historic CCC Championship race in the 200 Meters, in which the Warriors finished 1-2-3, marking the first time in program history that Corban had ever swept an event.

Watch the video interview with the three Warriors here:

Stretch Internet, the NAIA's official video streaming company of 17 select NAIA National Championship events, will be broadcasting the championships on www.NAIANetwork.com. A subscription package to the entire three-day event is $10. For more information, including how to register and sign-up for an account, click here.

The Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Sports Commission, in partnership with the city of Gulf shores, are the hosts of the national championships for the second-consecutive year.

For a complete SCHEDULE of the NAIA men's championships, click here.

For a complete list of the 2015 NAIA Men's Outdoor Track & Field National Championships qualifiers, click here

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Players Mentioned

Brett Johnson

Brett Johnson

5' 11"
Senior
Sprints/Relays
Nathan Swanson

Nathan Swanson

6' 1"
Senior
Sprints/Relays
Michael Trofimchik

Michael Trofimchik

5' 11"
Sophomore
Sprints/Relays
Jacob Ybarra

Jacob Ybarra

6' 2"
Senior
Sprints/Jumps/Relays
Amadi Amaitsa

Amadi Amaitsa

5' 7"
Sophomore
Sprints/Relays
Nathan Martin

Nathan Martin

6' 0"
Freshman
Sprints/Hurdles

Players Mentioned

Brett Johnson

Brett Johnson

5' 11"
Senior
Sprints/Relays
Nathan Swanson

Nathan Swanson

6' 1"
Senior
Sprints/Relays
Michael Trofimchik

Michael Trofimchik

5' 11"
Sophomore
Sprints/Relays
Jacob Ybarra

Jacob Ybarra

6' 2"
Senior
Sprints/Jumps/Relays
Amadi Amaitsa

Amadi Amaitsa

5' 7"
Sophomore
Sprints/Relays
Nathan Martin

Nathan Martin

6' 0"
Freshman
Sprints/Hurdles