MARION, Ind. – The Eastern Oregon University track and field team is in the Hoosier state for the NAIA Outdoor National Championships, which begin Thursday.

The Mountaineers have 16 student-athletes on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University competing for national titles. EOU has won a total of five outdoor national titles in school history, four coming from men. The last national outdoor champion from Eastern came in 2004 when Tim Riley won the 10,000 meters.

Last season, Eastern Oregon finished with three All-Americans. Chris Dilley finished in second place in the men's hammer throw. The senior became a four-time All-American with the finish. His best toss was 196 feet, three inches. Karlee Coffey finished her freshman season with an All-American finish in the women's 10,000 meters. She entered as the sixth seed and ended with a sixth place finish. Coffey crossed the line at 36:44.45.

Alma Garcilazo was named the conference women's track and field Athlete of the Year after her record setting All-American finish at the national championships. The sophomore from Umatilla, Ore. finished fourth at both the NAIA indoor and outdoor national championships. Garcilazo clocked a school-record time of 2:11.00 at the national championships, breaking the mark she set earlier in the season.

Dustin Cloud and Robbie Haynie compete first for the Mountaineers. The duo will represent Eastern in the decathlon which begins Thursday morning at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. Haynie captured the indoor heptathlon national title and enters the outdoor decathlon with the third best point total. Cloud amassed the 15th best point total during the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships. The senior suffered a severe injury on the first day, but valiantly finished in fourth and got enough points to get into the national championships.

Anne Barnett also starts her national competition at 10 a.m. Thursday in the women's hammer throw. The senior's top mark of 47.82 meters is 23rd in the field of 26. Barnett is ninth in the women's javelin which begins at 4 p.m. Thursday. She has a top mark of 41.69 meters this season.

Garcilazo and Christine Eckstein are the next Mountaineers to compete. The EOU pair run in the women's 800 meters. Garcilazo attempts to grab All-American status for the second straight season in the event after a fourth place finish in 2010. She comes into the 2011 championships with the third best mark in the field. Eastern has a chance to score points from Eckstein as well. The senior is fifth currently in the event with a top time of 2:12.36. Helen Crofts of Simon Fraser has the top time of 2:02.68.

The following event is the men's 800 meters at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Ryan Booth finished last season in the national semifinals in the event, but enters this year with the fourth best time in the field. The junior's seed time of 1:50.83 is less than a second behind the top time of 1:49.91 by Sam Vasquez of Embry-Riddle.

At 5:15 p.m. Thursday the top two athletes in the Cascade Collegiate Conference in the women's 400-meter hurdles, Brittany Sims and Kimmy Moore, will seek spots out of the trials. Sims has the ninth best mark in the field, while Moore is 12th in the 25-member field.

Eastern will then be represented in the men's steeplechase by three athletes. Isaac Updike, Forrest Lumpry, and Zach Seely all race in the 3,000-meter unique event. Updike has the 11th best time in the 26-member preliminary field. His time of 9:18.06 was the fastest of any freshman in the NAIA this year, and he is only one of four freshmen in the field.

Coffey returns to the 10,000-meter field in 2011 after her sixth place finish last season. The sophomore comes into this year's race with the third fastest time, 35:07.83. Azusa Pacific's Lauren Jimison has the top seed with a time of 34:16.73. Terry Johnsen and Justin Dean will follow in the men's 10,000-meter race in the final event of the first day at 9:20 p.m.

Haynie and Cloud open day two in the second and final day of the decathlon at 9:30 a.m. Friday. Barnett and Ashlee Michelson are in the women's shot put final beginning at 1 p.m. Coffey and Damion Flores run in the women's and men's 5,000-meter semifinals Friday evening. Coffey is fourth in the NAIA currently, and Flores is eighth in a tight men's field.

The women's 4x400-meter relay team completes the second day for Eastern. Garcilazo, Moore, Eckstein, and Sims represent the Mountaineers in the event. EOU is 13th out of the 19 teams in the field.

Justin Dean opens the third day in the marathon. The senior has the 11th best seed time among the 74-member field. Dean qualified early in the outdoor season at the Snake River Half Marathon. The race begins at 3 a.m. Pacific Time.

Haynie enters the men's pole vault as the favorite. The Nampa, Idaho native is the lone athlete in the NAIA to vault 17 feet this season. He hit 17 feet, three inches at the Pacific Twilight meet. Haynie then won the conference title with a mark of 17 feet, one inch.

The national championships will feature a free live video stream again this year of every event. Fans can tune into EOUSports.com each day to watch the Mountaineers compete. Live results will also be available.