GULF SHORES, Ala. – Four St. Gregory's track and field athletes will compete for a national title this week at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. Events will be held Thursday through Saturday at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Ala.

On the women's side, SGU's Jerica Heyd and Alexis Gee qualified for the national meet.

Heyd, a sophomore from Dumas, Texas, enters with the fifth-best distance among her competitors in the triple jump. She flew past an "A" standard at the Red Raider Open late last month with a leap of 12.05 meters. Heyd is scheduled to compete at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

Gee, a sophomore from Oklahoma City, will run the marathon at 6 a.m. Saturday. She qualified based on her time of 1:30:06 at the Strides of March Half Marathon on March 8. That time was best among 130 female participants at the event.

Athletes to compete from the Cavalier men's team are Anthony Watkins and Quintin Powell.

Watkins, a junior from Kileen, Texas, punched his ticket to nationals in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.76 at the OBU Open. That time is 16th-best among his competitors at nationals. Watkins will compete in the prelims at 1:45 p.m. Friday with finals set for 3:40 p.m. Saturday.

Powell, a freshman from Oklahoma City, earned his spot at nationals in the last meet of the season. His time of 48.44 in the 400 at the OBU Last Chance event was six one-hundredths inside the "B" standard. Powell will go at 3:50 p.m. Friday. The final round is scheduled for 4:40 p.m. Saturday.

Stretch Internet, the NAIA's official video-streaming company of 17 select NAIA national championship events, will be broadcasting the championships on www.NAIANetwork.com. A subscription package to view the entire three-day event is $10.