There is a lot to like about Oregon's track facility. But the cost of attending the meet is ridiculous and getting there is equally ridiculous. The other thread is talking about the expense of hosting meets in Eugene. Let's talk solutions.
The next three years will be held at Oregon, but after that, who knows.
What are some other venues that would be best for both athlete and fan?
I'm from Texas, so of course I think A&M and UT-Austin (who has hosted) would be great venues. I liked when it was at Sacramento.
Is Arkansas/Fayetteville too remote, similar to Eugene?
How about Oklahoma? Norman is super close to Oklahoma City.
What about somewhere in the Midwest, like a BIG10 school?
Nashville, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Louisville, Kansas City, Lincoln???
Although I'm in Texas, I would prefer nicer weather that time of year for records and spectating. Not sure the best options for 60-80 weather, not Texas or even Oklahoma/Arkansas.
There is a big difference between who should host and who could host. The bottom line is this. Anyone who hosts other than Oregon costs the NCAA money. Given the meets don't break even the NCAA must pay a stipend to the university. When Oregon came to the table they told the NCAA that they would not have to worry about funding the meet in Eugene, all costs would be taken care of. And that was music to the NCAA's ears. So unless someone else can do the same thing it probably won't go to anyone other than Oregon. Plus there are very few places that can actually host the meet. If you look at the indoor and outdoor meets here is partial list of who can actually host the meet (have the infrastructure and know how to). Oregon, New Mexico, Texas A&M, Texas, LSU, Drake, Virginia Beach, Boston, Louisville, Arkansas, Staten Island, Kansas.
It’s all about money and the best facilities for the athletes. The NCAA doesn’t care about the fans unless they are football or basketball fans. You don’t spend enough to matter.
Eugene travel sucks, and it can be hot in Eugene, but the issue is more likely hot weather everywhere else. Recent hosts since 1999 other than Eugene include Austin, Des Moines (Drake), Fayetteville, Sacramento, Baton Rouge, Durham and Boise. Des Moines is probably the best bet for mild weather in June, other than Eugene. Baton Rouge must have been sweltering.
Eugene travel sucks, and it can be hot in Eugene, but the issue is more likely hot weather everywhere else. Recent hosts since 1999 other than Eugene include Austin, Des Moines (Drake), Fayetteville, Sacramento, Baton Rouge, Durham and Boise. Des Moines is probably the best bet for mild weather in June, other than Eugene. Baton Rouge must have been sweltering.
This is actually a fun mind game I play with the other assistant coaches at the school that I am at: Where would it be cool to host NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Nationals at?
We looked at a few different variables (we are probably missing some):
-Ease of travel: Major airport hubs vs out in BFE -Hotel accommodations: You need enough hotels for athletes, coaches, officials first then fans. -Facilities: Throws in or out of stadium/near by, seating, 8 lane vs 9 lane.
Short Answer: There aren't many places that can host. But we did get a good list based off of the criteria above.
Major travel hubs from east to west: Boston, New York, Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans (more so because it's a destination spot), Minneapolis, Houston, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco/San Jose, Portland, San Diego, and Anchorage (fun fact: busiest airport in the USA because of cargo!) Hotel Accommodations: All of those cities have hotel accommodations, and any P4 school within reasonable distance usually has hotel accommodations because football/basketball. Facilities: Here's where the list actually begins. We couldn't really find many facilities that are WA certified facilities (class 1 or 2) because there aren't that many in the world. If we want that to be of importance is up for debate but I would assume yes. Here's a list of all the WA certified facilities, both class 1 and class 2, in the USA:
CLASS 1: Hayward Field, Eugene OR John McDonnell Field, Fayetteville AR
CLASS 2: Hodges Stadium, Jacksonville FL MIDDLETOWN HIGH SCHOOL / FALLER FIELD, Middletown NY ANSIN SPORTS COMPLEX TRACK, Miramar FL
There are other facilities that could probably meet the certifications but like with most things WA, it's probably a ton of money to do so. Here are other great facilities that are not certified but are pretty dope and have a decent (I use this term loosely) amount of seating NEAR travel hubs:
Icahn Stadium, New York City NY Franklin Field, Philadelphia, PA Irwin Belk Track - UNC-Charlotte, Charlotte NC Tad Gormley Stadium, New Orleans LA - hosted 1992 Olympic trials but run down Bernie Moore Stadium, Baton Rouge LA (nearish to New Orleans) EB Cushing Stadium, College Station (nearish to Houston Airport- IAD) Drake Stadium, Los Angeles CA Loker Stadium, Los Angeles CA Wilmer Lodge Stadium, Walnut CA
Now here's a list of other track stadiums but can be/are a pain in the ass to get to: Irwin Belk Track - NCAT, Greensboro NC - has seating Irwin Belk Track - NCST, Raleigh NC Mathewson Memorial Stadium - Bucknell, Lewisburg PA - has seating UB Stadium - Buffalo NY - Has seating Pressley Stadium, Gainesville FL Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, Columbus OH - has seating? La Porte Stadium, Knoxville TN University of Kentucky Outdoor Track, Lexington KY Drake Stadium, Des Moines IA - has seating Prefontaine Stadium, Oxford, MS Rock Chalk Park, Lawrence KS - has seating? Cessna Stadium, Wichita KS - has seating Mike A Myers Stadium, Austin TX - has seating Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium, Waco TX Durham Track at Kidd Field, El Paso TX - would have seating if the stadium wasnt condemned Drachman Stadium, Tuscon AZ Ed Jacoby Track, Boise ID Hornet Stadium, Sacramento CA - has seating Kezar Stadium, San Francisco CA Edwards Track Stadium, Berkley CA - has seating
I am definitely missing a stadium but that's a decent start for choosing your site!
UVA might be a place but as a hokie, hard for me to suggest that one. Weather should be a critical factor. Lot of good suggestions already. If one is looking for crowds, UVA has already shown they can pull this off with the X-C nationals a couple of years ago. East coast is likely to bring in more folks to spectate. Duke held the NCAAs in 90 or so, I was there and it was awesome although I didn't know as poster above noted that stadium has now been condemned.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
There is a lot to like about Oregon's track facility. But the cost of attending the meet is ridiculous and getting there is equally ridiculous. The other thread is talking about the expense of hosting meets in Eugene. Let's talk solutions.
The next three years will be held at Oregon, but after that, who knows.
What are some other venues that would be best for both athlete and fan?
I'm from Texas, so of course I think A&M and UT-Austin (who has hosted) would be great venues. I liked when it was at Sacramento.
Is Arkansas/Fayetteville too remote, similar to Eugene?
How about Oklahoma? Norman is super close to Oklahoma City.
What about somewhere in the Midwest, like a BIG10 school?
Nashville, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Louisville, Kansas City, Lincoln???
Sacramento is actually a great facility with tons of hotels nearby. Reliable weather.
There is a lot to like about Oregon's track facility. But the cost of attending the meet is ridiculous and getting there is equally ridiculous. The other thread is talking about the expense of hosting meets in Eugene. Let's talk solutions.
The next three years will be held at Oregon, but after that, who knows.
What are some other venues that would be best for both athlete and fan?
I'm from Texas, so of course I think A&M and UT-Austin (who has hosted) would be great venues. I liked when it was at Sacramento.
Is Arkansas/Fayetteville too remote, similar to Eugene?
How about Oklahoma? Norman is super close to Oklahoma City.
What about somewhere in the Midwest, like a BIG10 school?
Nashville, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Louisville, Kansas City, Lincoln???
College Station over Eugene? Really? We just travelled to Texas A and M for the West Regionals. You have to fly to either Austin or Houston, and then you have a 90 min or 2 hour drive (same as flying into Portland and driving to Eugene). The track at AandM is nice, but the facility doesn’t compare to Hayward Field.
Then there’s the biggest factor for College Station and all those other mid west towns…the climate. Putting it nicely: it sucks. 90 degrees and muggy AF. It’s a disaster for the athletes and a sh!t show for the spectators.
I don’t mind moving the venue somewhere else, if you think you are going to save money, but the places you suggest are ill advised at best. It’s gotta be somewhere like LA or San Jose or Minneapolis. Gotta have a decent airport, and decent weather.
Minnegan Field at Johnny Unitas® Stadium is home to Towson’s football, men’s lacrosse and track and field programs. The sports complex, which underwent a $32
3. Plenty of lodging and things to do in the harbor or down to DC or up to Philly
Minnegan Field at Johnny Unitas® Stadium is home to Towson’s football, men’s lacrosse and track and field programs.
The sports complex, which underwent a $32 million renovation over a three-year span, seats 11,198 spectators. It ranks as the third-largest outdoor team sport venue in the metropolitan area, behind M&T Bank Stadium where the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens play and Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles.
Stadium renovations, which were completed in 2002, included an addition of 6,000 seats, artificial turf, an entry-level plaza, concession stands, new restrooms, ticket booths, a four-tier press box, a field house and a promenade that conveniently connects the northside and southside seating areas. “In addition, a new FieldTurf Revolution playing surface was added during the summer of 2020.”
Unitas Stadium was the host site for the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championships, drawing record crowds each year. In the 2014 NCAA Championship game, a crowd of 10,311 fans saw Maryland beat Syracuse, setting a record for the largest crowd to watch a women’s lacrosse national championship game in the United States.
Towson hosted the 2021 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship Weekend and the 2022 Women's Lacrosse World Cup. In 2024, Towson was a quarterfinal site for the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament.
Hilmer Lodge Stadium AKA MT SAC. They rebuilt the Stadium to Host Big Meets and were supposed to have the Olympic Trials, but they did not finish in time, so it went to Eugene as usual. The Mt Sac Relays are Huge and Draw Lots of Fans as Southern California is maybe THEE HOTBED for Track and Field, The People in Southern California are arguably thee most knowledgeable, If you are in a line at the Grocery Store and Mention Eulace Peacock, Eddie Tolan or Renate Stecher there is a 90-95% Chance they would know who they are, and would be happy to talk about them, All Kids by 3rd grade have read My Race be Won by Vincent Mathews 1972 Olympic Champion, If you talk about the Boston Marathon Expect names like Tarzan Ellison Brown, Clarence Demar John Kelley and Jack Fultz in the 1976 run for the hoses to all be household names. Southern California is an Awesome place for Track and Field
list goes on and on, but you get the picture, since the students are mostly gone by the time the meet roles around it should be in a big city where we can actually get a crowd and where fans who want to travel to the meet don't have to stay 30+ miles away and pay out of the butt for hotel rooms. Probably don't want it in the south due to weather (heat, humidity, thunderstorms) that time of year, but north, northeast, midwest, Seattle should be fine
list goes on and on, but you get the picture, since the students are mostly gone by the time the meet roles around it should be in a big city where we can actually get a crowd and where fans who want to travel to the meet don't have to stay 30+ miles away and pay out of the butt for hotel rooms. Probably don't want it in the south due to weather (heat, humidity, thunderstorms) that time of year, but north, northeast, midwest, Seattle should be fine
Are you nuts? Most of those on the list couldn't host an all-comers meet for the local rec department.
Towson could be a hit. Mid Atlantic weather in mid June is finicky. Could be decent. Could be mid 90s. High probability it's going to be humid too. No shade for spectators.
Doesn't look like ideal setup for jumps and throws. Do they have multiple ramps for long jump or pole vault?
