ANGOLA, IND.  --  The Trine University men's and women's outdoor track and field teams begin competition in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championship starting tomorrow (Thursday, May 6) at Alma (Mich.) College and seek its first conference outdoor championship.

The Thunder men's team enter the championship ranked as the 13th-best program among NCAA Division III teams and are coming off of winning their second straight MIAA indoor title this past winter.  Individually, the men rank in the top-20 nationally in six events, including three events in the top-three.  Sophomore Jake Gladieux (Oregon, Ohio/Whitmer) owns two of those top-three times in the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles.  Gladieux ranks third in the nation in both events with marks of 14.43 seconds in the 110m hurdles and 52.89 seconds in the 400m hurdles.  Senior Neil O'Brien (Whiteland, Ind./Roncalli) has recorded the second-best time in the nation to date in the 3000-meter steeplechase of 9:06.98 which was also a Trine outdoor record.

The men have two individuals rank in the top-20 in the 10,000-meter run in seniors Jack Beakas (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) and Derek Miller (Shipshewana, Ind./Westview).  Beakas currently ranks 12th in the nation with a time of 30:21.46 and Miller is 16th with a mark of 30:35.57.  Fellow senior Levi Neuzerling (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) ranks 18th in the 1500-meter run with a time of 3:53.28.

Additionally, the Trine men rank in the top-20 in the 4x100-meter relay.  Junior Josh Davis (Sterling Heights, Mich./Sterling Heights), sophomore William Thonn (Rochester, Ind./Rochester), senior Jacob Root (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg) and sophomore Ben Williams (Farmington Hills, Mich./Harrison) rank 17th in Div. III with a combined time of 41.81 seconds.

On the women's side, the Thunder enters the conference championship with four individuals ranked in the top-20 nationally in four events.  Senior Evie Bultemeyer (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) ranks in the top-10 in Div. III in the 1500-meter run with a season-best time of 4:34.66 which is the ninth best time recorded to date.  

Junior Valerie Obear (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) has a best throw of 171' 7.00" in the hammer to rank 10th in that event.  Seniors Elizabeth Lohman (Fort Wayne, Ind./Caroll) and Megan Theismann (Ossian, Ind./Norwell) both have top-20 times in the 3000-meter steeplechase and the 5000-meter run.  Lohman has recorded the 14th fastest time in the 3000-meter steeplechase of 11:14.65 and Theismann ranks 17th in the 5000m run with a time of 17:25.13.

The 2021 MIAA Championship begins tomorrow with the first events scheduled to start at 11 a.m. on Alma's campus in Alma, Mich.