Craig Pearson
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
While this November will be the seventh straight year and eighth time overall Indiana State will serve as host for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, the NCAA has decided to move the event, at least in the short term. The NCAA meet will return again in 2013.
Louisville will serve as host in 2012, according to an NCAA release, and Oregon has reportedly made a bid for the 2011 championships.
ISU track and field and cross country coordinator John McNichols hoped the NCAA would consider LaVern Gibson Championship Course as a permanent site, as some coaches have spoken in favor of, but he’s not surprised by the move.
“I had no idea we’d host as often as we did. We were originally hoping to be in some type of rotation,” McNichols said. “It speaks very well for what we’ve done.
“There’s a lot of competition for these events.”
McNichols fully expects ISU to stay in the rotation.
“I think the key for our community is we’re in the rotation. If we keep putting on the effort we have, we’ll stay in the rotation,” he said.
The NCAA has been thoroughly impressed by the way ISU officials have organized and delivered the event to the NCAA athletes and fans, McNichols said.
Oregon is known as Track Town, USA, because of its rich history in track and field, and Eugene, Ore., has served as host for the Division I Track and Field Championship 10 times.
ISU is already approaching that number with eight championship meets after this fall. The design of the LaVern Gibson course has been called revolutionary because of how fans can view the event within the perimeter of the running course.
“We’ve put a new presentation of our sport. Expectations are changed now,” McNichols said. “I think we can pretty proudly say we are and will continue to be Cross Country Town, USA.”
McNichols and Dave Patterson with the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau hope to fill the void by bidding for the Division III championship, an event Rose-Hulman and DePauw University have been pushing to host at LaVern Gibson.
“We hope to have a major meet here every year,” McNichols said.
