Lady Bison Crowned National Champions

HOUGHTON, N.Y.—Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) was crowned champion Saturday at the NCCAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field National Championship for the second straight year.

The Lady Bison dominated the field at the Kerr-Pegula Field House with 227 points, more than doubling the score of runner-up Dallas Baptist at 113. Bethel (Ind.) finished with 71 points in third place.

With the win, OBU kept alive an incredible streak of eight consecutive calendar years with a women’s track and field national championship, dating back to 2010. This marks the 11th national championship for the program and eighth indoor championship, all coming with head track and field coach Ford Mastin at the helm.

“The championships are won in the fall when (the athletes) show tremendous work ethic. You can tell if they’re going to win in the spring back in October if they do the little things at a high level,” said Mastin.

“The girls did almost exactly what we thought they would heading into the meet. They just took care of business,” said Mastin. “Every event was contested but we were in almost every event.”

OBU placed first in eight events, establishing six new facility records, and 18 athletes earned 27 All-America honors.

The women’s track and field program is the most successful program in OBU postseason history, winning 11 of the 27 total national championships claimed by teams on Bison Hill.

Bison Win NCCAA National Championship

HOUGHTON, N.Y.—Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) repeated as national champions Saturday at the NCCAA Men’s Indoor Track and Field National Championship.

The Bison finished with 154.5 points at the Kerr-Pegula Field House, overtaking runner-up Bethel (Ind.) at 142.5. Dallas Baptist finished third with 106 points. OBU trailed Bethel by 7.5 points midway through the meet.

It was the second straight national championship for the Bison in just their second year competing in the NCCAA. This marks the sixth national championship for the men’s track and field program, and the fifth under the direction of head coach Ford Mastin.

“It was really a great team effort. We had several things go right for us over the two days,” said Mastin. “We had a lot of really great performances from some of our guys that we needed to set up. It is great to win.”

OBU placed first in three events, set two facility records, and 19 athletes earned All-America status in 25 events.

“There was something special with the guys, knowing they needed to do great to win, and they did it. They competed hard,” said Mastin. “They really came together these last two months and showed they could perform under pressure.”

The Bison have earned a total of three indoor track and field national championships in program history, including a win at the NAIA level in 2013.