VANCOUVER John Gay is ready to defend his NAIA 3000 meter steeplechase championship. The Thunderbird junior student-athlete left no doubt about that statement after winning the event at the Oxy Invite in Los Angeles, California over the weekend. Gay ran a blistering 8:43.20, the fastest time in the NAIA this year, as he looks to repeat his 2016 national championship in the event when the Thunderbirds travel to Gulf Shores, Alabama for the NAIA Championships May 25-27.