FRESNO, Calif. --- Biola's Kristin Schmidt placed sixth in the finals of the 10,000, knocking 67 seconds off her previous best time to earn NAIA All-America honors in first day action at the 2007 NAIA Track and Field Championships in Fresno.

Schmidt, a freshman from Temecula, crossed the line in 36:50.86 to finish sixth in the event. She finished just 23 seconds behind the winner of the event, Petrana Petkova from Goshen College.

Schmidt wasn't the only Eagle in action at the Championships as Brian Ball and Amanda Stephens both ran time trials in the steeplechase.

Ball took second place in his heat with a time of 9:13.52 to earn a spot in Saturday's finals. Ball, who has already earned All-America honors this year during the cross country and indoor track seasons, ran the second fastest time of the day.

Stephens also earned a spot in Saturday's finals of the steeplechase, matching her personal best in the event with a time of 11:34.78 to place sixth in her heat. Stephens is the 12th of 14 qualifiers in the event and is just four seconds out of All-America positioning.

Schmidt also qualified in the 5,000 and is scheduled to be the only Biola athlete competing on Friday. The finals of the event at set for 6:40 p.m.

Complete results including live action can be found on the NAIA website by clicking here.