The team bus left Oklahoma Baptist Monday, taking 33 athletes to the NAIA Track and Field Championships in Marion, Ind., Thursday through Friday.
The Lady Bison will be attempting to break through a three-year tour of second place at the meet. The OBU women have won four national titles indoors but have seen the outdoor crown elude them to this point.
While finishing second indicates a strong season, it could prove disappointing to this year. If the seeding were to hold up, the Lady Bison are not just favored - but strong favorites.
The OBU women are ranked No. 1 in all three relays but every member of those teams will be counted on heavily as Verone Chambers and Jura Levy compete in two individual and two relays each.
Stacy Warrior, Levy, Chambers, Uniqua Cooper and Chelsea Abinah will run the 4x100 relay. Warrior, Levy, Chambers, Nikita Tracey and Taylor Moore will run the 4x400, while Tracey, Shondia Drew, Halie Herbert, Hannah Helker and Ashton Adams run the 4x800.
The challenge will be the scheduling. On Thursday, Levy and Chambers will be tested. Levy runs the 100 at 3:30 and the 200 at 5:55. Chambers has the 110 hurdles at 2:15 and the 400 meters at 2:50. The 4x100 relay also is at 1 p.m. that day.
Chambers is the No. 1 seed in the 400 meters and second seed in the hurdles. Levy is ranked first in the 100 and second in the 200. Warrior is ranked second in the 400 meters.
The Friday schedule is even tougher on Chambers, who is set to run in the 100 hurdles semifinal at 1:20, the 400 semifinals at 3, the 4x100 at 3:50, the 100 hurdles at 4:25, the 100 hurdles finals at 4:50 and the 4x400 semifinal at 8:15 p.m.
Tracey is favored in the 400 hurdles, while Aspen Marical is ranked 15th. Marical also is ranked 13th in the 100 meter hurdles.
Helker is the second-ranked runner in the 800 meters.
OBU also hopes to score well in the women's pole vault where Evan Shimanek is ranked second and Erinn Shaughnessy seventh.
Kenney Meigs is ranked ninth in the women's high jump and Aubrie Dolliver 10th in the marathon.
While Shorter and Wayland Baptist are expected to fight it out for the men's title, the Bison are seeded seventh, but looking to make a run with a few upsets.
Ross Harlan has the No. 2 time in the 400 meter hurdles and also competes in the 13th-ranked 4x400 relay team with Travis Hinton, Justin Frye, Travis Bish and Henry Caster.
The 4x800 relay team of Jory Custar, Rah'man Byrd, Bish, Adam Godwin, Cody Camacho and Hinton is seeded third.
Frye also runs in the 200 meters, where is the 12th seed. Godwin is the No. 8 seed in the 1500 meters.
OBU hopes to score well in the pole vault where Andy Peffer is ranked third and Blaine Bassler fourth.
Cordell Baker is the fourth seed in the 10,000 meters. He also runs the marathon and is ranked 16th there. He will be joined in that race by eighth-ranked Nathan Ellis.
Airick Johnson is ranked sixth in the 110 meter hurdles while Caster is ranked 24th in the 400 hurdles.
Caleb Neal is the sixth-ranked decathlete.
Neal Ellis is the No. 22-ranked runner in the 3000 meter steeplechase.
Ty Scarborough enters the triple jump ranked 23rd.
OBU Schedule
Thursday
10 a.m. - Men's Decathlon first five events (Caleb Neal)
1 p.m. - Women's 4x100 relay trials (Chelsea Abinah, Verone Chambers, Uniqua Cooper, Jura Levy, Stacy Warrior)
1:55 p.m. - Men's 1500M trials (Adam Godwin)
2:15 p.m. - Women's 100H trials (Chambers, Aspen Marical)
2:40 p.m. - Men's 110H trials (Airick Johnson)
2:55 p.m. - Women's 400M trials (Chambers, Warrior)
3:30 p.m. - Women's 100M trials (Levy)
4 p.m. - Women's pole vault FINAL (Erinn Shaughnessy, Evan Shimanek)
4:10 p.m. - Women's 800M trial (Hannah Helker)
5:15 p.m. - Women's 400H trial (Marical, Nikita Tracey)
5:35 p.m. - Men's 400H trial (Henry Caster, Ross Harlan)
5:55 p.m. - Women's 200M trial (Levy)
6:10 p.m. - Men's 200M trial (Justin Frye)
6:30 p.m. - Women's 4x800 semifinal (Ashton Adams, Shondia Drew, Helker, Halie Herbert, Tracey)
7 p.m. - Men's 4x800 semifinal (Travis Bish, Rah'Man Byrd, Cody Comacho, Jory Custar, Adam Godwin, Ross Harlan)
8 p.m. - Men's Steeplechase semifinal (Neal Ellis)
9:20 p.m. - Men's 10,000M (Cordell Baker)
Friday
9:30 a.m. - Men's Decathlon FINAL (Neal)
1 p.m. - Men's 110H semifinal (Airick Johnson)
1:20 p.m. - Women's 100H semifinal (Chambers, Aspen Marical)
2:40 p.m. - Women's 100M semifinal (Levy)
3 p.m. - Women's 400M semifinal (Chambers, Warrior)
3:20 p.m. - Women's 800M semifinal (Hannah Helker)
3:50 p.m. - Women's 4x100 semifinal (Chelsea Abinah, Verone Chambers, Uniqua Cooper, Jura Levy, Stacy Warrior)
4:25 p.m. - Women's 100H FINAL (Chambers, Aspen Marical)
4:40 p.m. - Men's 110H FINAL (Airick Johnson)
4:50 p.m. - Women's 100M FINAL (Levy)
5:15 p.m. - Women's 400H semifinal (Marical, Nikita Tracey)
5:35 p.m. - Men's 400H semifinal (Henry Caster, Ross Harlan)
6 p.m.. - Women's 4x800 FINAL (Ashton Adams, Shondia Drew, Helker, Halie Herbert, Tracey)
6:20 p.m. - Men's 4x800 FINAL (Travis Bish, Rah'Man Byrd, Cody Comacho, Jory Custar, Adam Godwin, Ross Harlan)
8:15 p.m. - Women's 4x400 Relay semifinal (Chambers, Levy, Taylor Moore, Tracey, Warrior)
8:35 p.m. - Men's 4x400 Relay semifinal (Bish, Caster, Frye, Harlan, Travis Hinton)
Saturday
6 a.m. - Marathon men and women FINAL (Cordell Baker, Nathan Ellis, Aubrie Dolliver)
1 p.m. - Men's Pole Vault FINAL (Blaine Bassler, Andy Peffer)
1:30 p.m. - Men's Triple Jump FINAL (Ty Scarborough)
2 p.m. - Women's High Jump FINAL (Kenney Meigs)
2:20 p.m. - Men's Steeplechase FINAL (Neal Ellis)
2:40 p.m. - Women's 4x100 FINAL (Chelsea Abinah, Verone Chambers, Uniqua Cooper, Jura Levy, Stacy Warrior)
3:10 p.m. - Men's 1500M FINAL (Adam Godwin)
3:20 p.m. - Women's 200M semifinal (Levy)
3:30 p.m. - Men's 200M semifinal (Justin Frye)
3:50 p.m. - Women's 400H FINAL (Marical, Nikita Tracey)
4 p.m. - Men's 400H FINAL (Henry Caster, Ross Harlan)
4:10 p.m. - Women's 400M FINAL (Chambers, Warrior)
4:30 p.m. - Women's 800M FINAL (Hannah Helker)
4:50 p.m. - Women's 200M FINAL (Levy)
5 p.m. - Men's 200M FINAL (Justin Frye)
5:55 p.m. - Women's 4x400 Relay FINAL (Chambers, Levy, Taylor Moore, Tracey, Warrior)
6:05 p.m. - Men's 4x400 Relay FINAL (Bish, Caster, Frye, Harlan, Travis Hinton)
