GULF SHORES, Ala.– Five Battlin' Bears will compete at the 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championship May 23-25.

Joseph Vanden Bos is set to compete in the men's 800m. He qualified on a time of 1:53.68 during the 2019 West Coast Invitational earlier this month. Vanden Bos seeks his second All-American selection after earning one as part of Rocky's seventh place distance medley relay team at the 2019 NAIA Men's Indoor Track and Field National Championship.

Ruth Chepsat is also set to compete at the NAIA national championship during her first year as a Battlin' Bear. Chepsat broke the school record in the women's 1500m and qualified for nationals with a time of 4:38.77 at the 2019 West Coast Invitational. She will race on May 23 at 3:20 p.m. CDT.

Rocky's other three competitors will compete in the full marathon race after qualifying at the Last Half Marathon in April. 

On the men's side, George Beddow ran a NAIA A-qualifying time of 1:10:25 and is placed in eighth in the championship field.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to race at the National Championships. The goal of each season is to ultimately compete at this level," said Beddow. "Despite this being my first marathon, I am more enthusiastic than anything, but making smart decisions during the race and staying mentally in tune will be key to success."

Carina Bracy and Mei-Li Stevens hit the NAIA's "A" standard at the race too. Bracy sits in 12th in the championship field with her qualifying time of 1:27:41 while Stevens is placed in 36th on 1:29:34.24. 

"I was ecstatic when I found out I qualified. I wanted to make it to nationals more than anything," said Stevens. " The race was a little hard because I ran a half marathon two weeks before, but it was a good race on a good course and I'm happy we did it."

"Hitting the qualifying standard with Mei-Li and George in the Last Half Marathon is one of the highlights of my season and my running career this far," said Bracy.

Competing in Gulf Shores, Ala., presents a different set of challenges for the marathon runners who must get used to a completely different climate. This plays an important role given the recent colder conditions Montana experienced over the past few weeks.

"The temperature down there could be doubled the temperature we practiced in this month," said head track and field coach Mike McLean. "There could be a lot of humidity and just walking around can drench you in sweat."

Part of the training regimen for the qualifiers included running in thick and heavy sweatshirts and sweatpants to simulate the hotter conditions.

"Preparing for running the marathon at nationals was mostly centered around preparing for the heat that we will face in Gulf Shores," said Bracy. "Running a long race in the heat is very different from running a short race in the cold of Montana and we have worked hard to prepare for that change."

"I'm really excited to run. I'm nervous for such a long distance, but I'm happy to be here and I'm happy that I get to compete at the national level," said Stevens. "I think running the marathon will be a new experience and I'm really excited about it."

Beddow, Bracy, and Stevens will all compete in the marathon race Saturday at 6 a.m. CDT.