ASHLAND, Ore. – As seems to be the case every year for the Corban University men's and women's track & field teams, the Warriors pulled off a performance for the ages during Saturday afternoon's portion of the 2019 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Track & Field Championships, presented by U.S. Bank.

RESULTS

Among a number of impressive feats throughout the day, the spotlight shined brightest on the men's 4x400-meter relay team, which turned in one of the most thrilling victories in program history in the final event of the meet. 

"The highlight of the day was the 4x400 championship run," said Berney. "Overall, our team competed well in spite of several injuries and illnesses that sidelined some key athletes."

Click the 'Play Button' above to watch video highlights from throughout the weekend.

Reagan Shira ran the first leg for the quartet, doing well to keep the pace with his rival openers, Southern Oregon's Will Gross and Northwest Christian's Oren Johnson. Seth Tripp turned in a blazing second leg (50.25 seconds) to help the Warriors gain some ground, and Stephen Anderson delivered a career-best 51.58-second split to keep the Navy and Gold within striking distance.

By the time the baton was passed to Michael Schmidt, however, he trailed the Beacon leader by a seemingly-insurmountable 35 meters. Unfazed, he proceeded to run a blistering 46.38-second anchor leg, capping off the Warrior comeback with a furious kick at the final turn, and eventually resulting in a neck-and-neck win in front of a stunned crowd at Raider Stadium.

Corban (3:19.35) finished just .15 seconds ahead of runner-up Northwest Christian (3:19.50), claiming the school's second ever championship in the men's 4x400-meter relay.

Schmidt's legendary performance came at the end of an already-eventful day, during which he won the individual title in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 54.73 seconds.

The junior from Battle Ground, Wash. was named the conference Men's Field Athlete of the Meet for his stellar effort, accounting for both this weekend's championship meet and the CCC Multi-Event Championships a couple weeks ago.

"It's the best performance by a Corban field athlete that I have ever seen," said Berney on the star decathlete.

MacKenzie Wilson was the Warriors' other All-Conference honoree on day two, clocking in at 12.23 seconds in the 100 meters to claim third place among the highly-competitive field. With the mark, Wilson eclipsed her own school record in the event.

The strong day-two showing, capped off by the heart-pounding triumph at the meet's conclusion, seemed a fitting finale to another strong season for Corban men's and women's track & field programs.

"God blessed us with a great year," Berney added.  

A number of Warriors—including Schmidt, his sister Valerie Schmidt, Shira, Hannah Clarizio, Wilson, and the rest of the women's 4x100-meter relay team (Selina Newingham, Leah McClain, and Kristi Childers)—will now look ahead the NAIA Track & Field National Championships, which are slated for May 23-25 in Gulf Shores, Ala. Stay tuned to CorbanWarriors.com for an in-depth preview of the event.