Schmidt track siblings excel in college multi-events

A pair of siblings who competed for Prairie High School are excelling in multi-event competition this track and field season.

Corban junior Valerie Schmidt became the first female athlete in history to surpass 5,000 points in the heptathlon at the Cascade Collegiate Conference championships on April 22.

Schmidt is also the first NAIA woman nationwide to break 5,000 points this year.

Schmidt broke her own school record in running 14.57 seconds in the 100 meter hurdles. She then set personal bests of 125 feet, 4.75 inches in the javelin and 17-11.5 in the long jump.

Schmidt is ranked No. 1 in the heptathlon headed toward the NAIA championship meet on May 25-27 in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Schmidt’s younger brother, Steven, is a freshman at Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho. On May 3, he won the decathlon at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships in Bellingham.

Schmidt’s outdoor title added to his indoor conference championship in February. He will compete in the NCAA Division II championships May 26-28 in Allendale, Michigan.