NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Preview
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The 2026 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships are set to get underway on Wednesday, running through Friday in Asheville, North Carolina. Midland University will be represented by three individual athletes and a pair of relay teams competing in events on the track and in the field.
Sara Diew will compete in a pair of events, the women's hammer and discus throws. Krista Hardy returns to the championships, competing in the women's high jump after earning All-America honors last season. Koen Steenblok will run in the men's 800m race, an event he owns the school record.
Steenblok is also a member of the men's 4x800m relay team. The team, which also included Braden Taylor, Christian Olsen, and Lucas Hjortkjaer, reached a new school record in their final race as they qualified for nationals.
The women's 4x100m relay team is comprised of Caelianna Risler, Tanja Zubrod, Aurora Griffin, and Amber van Beugen. They own the program's best time in the event, breaking the record set back in 1986.
The NAIA Outdoor Championships begin Wednesday, May 20, and continue through Friday, May 22. Fans can follow along at home, watch the events live [stream link], and stay up to date with results [results link]. A complete schedule of events for Midland athletes is listed below (all times Central).
Wednesday, May 20
- Women's Hammer – Final – 11:00 a.m. (Diew)
- Women's 4x100m Semi-Final – 2:00 p.m.
- Men's 4x800m Semi-Final – 5:50 p.m.
Thursday, May 21
- Men's 800m – Semi-Final – 1:50 p.m. (Steenblok)
- Men's 4x800m – Final – 5:30 p.m.
Friday, May 22
- Women's Discus – Final – 10:45 a.m. (Diew)
- Women's High Jump – Final – 1:00 p.m. (Hardy)
- Women's 4x100m Relay – Final – 2:00 p.m.
- Men's 800m – Final – 3:10 p.m. (Steenblok)
- Awards Ceremony – 5:00 p.m.