FOREST GROVE, Ore. – After a number of strong performances on the track at this past weekend's Willamette Invite, it was the Corban University field athletes' turn to impress at Monday and Tuesday's Boxer Multi-Event Invitational. They didn't disappoint, as Michael and Valerie Schmidt both set new school records, and Reagan Shira produced a career-best performance at the meet.  

DECATHLON RESULTS

HEPTATHLON RESULTS

"Today was a great day for our decathletes and our heptathlete," said head coach Norm Berney. "It was one of the greatest efforts I have witnessed by Corban athletes in my 16 years of coaching."

Michael Schmidt tallied a Corban-record 6666 points in the decathlon to claim first place, besting a field of 18 athletes from the NAIA, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and junior college ranks. It's the first time Corban has ever won a major decathlon.

Schmidt's mark stands as a new high point in the already-illustrious career of the junior from Battle Ground, Wash., surpassing even his NAIA All-American performance (6612 points) at last year's NAIA Track & Field National Championships.

Not only does Schmidt's tally serve as a new program-best, but it also ranks second among all NAIA competitors so far this season, with the top-16 marks—prior to the NAIA National Championships—earning automatic bids to this year's national meet. 

Not to be outdone, Schmidt's sister Valerie also set a new school record in just the first heptathlon of her collegiate career, totaling 4383 points. She placed second among a field of multiple conference champions and All-Americans, finishing runner-up only to Eastern Oregon's Paige Dodd (4503). The rookie's opening act puts her at No. 4 on the NAIA performance list, as she also vies for a berth to the national championships. Dodd's 4503-point effort becomes the new NAIA-best performance of the 2019 campaign.

Reagan Shira rounded out the trio of competitors with a career-best performance of his own, placing fourth in the decathlon with 6197 points. The third-year standout continues to improve on the heels of his 12^th-place performance at last year's national championships, putting himself in a solid position to book a return trip to Gulf Shores, Ala. with the year's fourth-best point total in the NAIA up to this point.

Together, Shira and Michael Schmidt form one of the country's most formidable duos in the decathlon, with 2019 newcomer Valerie Schmidt already making waves on the national scale with just one heptathlon under her belt.

"Michael and Valerie have just about locked up a trip to nationals in Alabama," Berney mentioned, "And Reagan should also make it with his personal-record score."

As excitement continues to build around the spring campaign, Corban will now look ahead to a pair of meets in the first week of April, beginning with the John Knight Invitational (hosted by Western Oregon University) on April 5, followed by the Jenn Boyman Invitational (hosted by Linfield College) on the next day.