GULF SHORES, Ala. – Day one of the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships is officially in the books, and the Corban men's and women's track & field teams competed well in the thick of Thursday's action.

RESULTS

"It was a great day for our heptathlete and decathletes," said head coach Norm Berney. "All three had personal records for the first day, and each of them is in solid contention for All-America honors tomorrow. Hannah [Clarizio] fell after the final water jump in the steeplechase, and she recovered with a great sprint to the finish where she was knocked down. Despite all of that, she still made it in for the finals on Saturday."

The day started with the multi-events, as Corban's dynamic duo of Michael Schmidt and Reagan Shira both got off to a strong start in the first half of the decathlon. In the heptathlon, Valerie Schmidt put herself in a prime position to make a run for the podium tomorrow.

Michael Schmidt (3,576 points) sits in third place after day one, aided by a runner-up finish in the 100 meters with his career-best time of 11.06 seconds. His time of 50.79 seconds in the 400 meters was good for a third-place finish, contributing 779 points to his overall score.

Just 16 points behind him is Shira (3,560), who is also vying for a medal at this year's championships. Performing his best on the biggest stage, Shira set personal records in three of today's five events. His 11.53-second performance in the 100 meters is well ahead of his previous best of 11.87 seconds, and his new career standards in the shot put (40' 7") and 400 meters (51.63 seconds) helped him create a 109-point cushion over the next-highest competitor.

Also impressive on day one was Valerie Schmidt, who ranks third (2,954 points) in the field of 17 after four events. The freshman kicked off her first-ever national meet with personal bests in the 100-meter hurdles (14.61 seconds, third place) and high jump (5' 2.25", fifth place), and she will seek to continue that trend as she looks ahead to the long jump, javelin, and 800 meters tomorrow.

The women's 4x100-meter relay team—MacKenzie Wilson, Selina Newingham, Leah McClain, and Kristi Childers—competed for the final time in 2019, clocking a time of 48.11 seconds to end in 17^th overall. The quartet finished second among the four Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) squads represented.

Hannah Clarizio was the last Warrior to compete on day one, clinching her spot for Saturday's finals in the steeplechase with a time of 11:19.58. It was a gritty performance for the senior, who stumbled on the last lap of the race, yet still managed to recover and place 12^th. The finals for the steeplechase will take place on Saturday at 2 p.m. CST.

"It was one of the great recoveries I have witnessed in my years of coaching at Corban," said Berney, when asked about Clarizio's gutsy last lap.

The multi-event athletes will take center stage for the Warriors tomorrow, with the back half of the decathlon slated to begin with the 110-meter hurdles at 10 a.m. CST, and the remainder of the heptathlon scheduled to kick off with the long jump at 10:30 a.m. CST.