GULF SHORES, Ala. – After lightning storms delayed most of yesterday's events, Valerie Schmidt, Gracie Long, and Robert Swoboda were able to compete throughout what turned out to be a historic day in Gulf Shores.
On the women's side, senior Long qualified for the event finals in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 10:54.17 and a fifth-place finish in her heat. Long will have to rest and train quickly prior to the event finals which are set for tomorrow. The women's 3000m steeplechase championship race is set for 12 p.m. PDT.
Head coach Todd Bos had this to say about Long's race, "Gracie ran a controlled prelim, expending the least amount of energy possible needed to qualify for the final. Coach Eagon's leadership is again paying dividends with Gracie's fast and strategic racing. Tomorrow will be a big day for Gracie as she strives to reach her goal of making the podium and being an All-American."
Also for the women, Schmidt completed the second day of the heptathlon which consisted of long jump, javelin, and the 800m dash. Not satisfied with her second-place standing after yesterday, Schmidt broke her personal record in all three of today's events propelling her to become Corban Track & Field's first-ever national champion.
Bos commented, "Valerie's path to the top of the podium was anything but easy. After performing a bit less than she was hoping for in the first two events (100m-hurdles and high jump) Valerie needed to dig deep to finish out day one close enough to the leader (Lauren Tamayo) to have a chance to win on day two. She came up clutch on her third throw in the shot put (11.83m) and ran an inspired 200m in 25.90 to finish day one strong.
Day two started off slowly, as her first two long jumps were not her best, but just like in the shot put, her third attempt was excellent and set a personal record (PR) and new school record of 5.50m. This led to three excellent javelin throws and another PR to pull within 20 points of the leader. Valerie needed to beat the leader by at least 1.5 seconds in the 800m to win the championship. With 100m to go, Valerie was neck and neck with Tamayo but pulled away in the last 50m to beat her competitor by three seconds and secure the title by a narrow 19 points.
Valerie is a special person and athlete with a healthy dose of mental toughness and competitiveness. Through it all, Valerie competes with class and integrity and with her eyes on glorifying the Lord. We are very grateful for Valerie's performance at nationals and all honor goes to God."
After the intense two-day competition, Schmidt had this to say, "I ran my heart and guts out. I didn't know that I won until I saw the board with my time. It was a bizarre experience. All my work, all the trials and strife I had gone through all added up. I do not exaggerate when I say this was the hardest heptathlon I've ever had. Every moment challenged me. I was praying constantly. I wanted desperately to win but I had to check my heart and let it be okay if I didn't."
The star also mentioned that she heard Bos yell at her to win the 800m by two seconds and that little bit of encouragement from her coach helped her use her momentum and run faster than she thought she could.
For the Warrior men, first-time competitor at the NAIA National Championships Swoboda, competed against the top distance runners in the NAIA. The race began at 10:15 p.m. local time and Swoboda showed nothing but grace and confidence as he entered in the late race that was supposed to be last night. The senior finished first overall in the 10000m, clocking a time of 30:19.80. Swoboda became the second national champion from Corban track & field and the first-ever male national champ.
After his race and historic finish Swoboda commented, "All in all it was a great smart race. My coaches help me prepare for the plan that we executed perfectly. We did exactly what we came here to do, win, but most importantly to give everything to God as we worship Him with the gift, he gave us. Not to us but to Him be the glory."
Bos added, "Rob ran a very smart race under the direction of Coach Eagon. He took the lead with four laps to go and was able to drop all competitors by the final 300m. All the miles and hard work paid off with a well-deserved national championship. Again, all glory to God for today's results."
To wrap up the biggest day of his coaching career thus far Bos said, "Today was a blessed day for the Corban track team with the first two national champions in program history and a finalist in the steeple."
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