Kansas City, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced that Columbia College, in partnership with the Columbia Sports Commission and the City of Columbia, will host the 2024, 2027, and 2030 NAIA Men's and Women's Cross Country National Championships.
 
"It is truly a special opportunity to host this Championship on our home course, and it will be an experience our student-athletes will never forget," said James Arnold, Director of Athletics at Columbia College. "We are thrilled to welcome teams from around the country to Columbia and facilitate a first-class event for everyone involved."
 
Each year will bring nearly 75 teams and over 600 racers to the City of Columbia. At the 2019 NAIA Championships (the last year data was available), the City of Vancouver, Wash. received an overall economic impact estimated at $1,336,464. In addition, the average team stay was four days, and 2,000 hotel rooms were used.
 
"Tourism is one of our community's most vital industries, and it has been hit exceptionally hard this year," said Amy Schneider, Director of the Columbia Visitor's Bureau. "This event will bring thousands of people to our destination to stay in our hotels, dine in our restaurants, and shop in our stores. These contributions to our local economy support local businesses and jobs here in Columbia."
 
The 2024 event will take place on November 22, with the dates for the 2027 and 2030 championships to be announced later.
 
"The NAIA is clearly confident that Cougar Athletics and the city will host a highly successful series of national championship events," said Dr. David Russell, Columbia College President. "Columbia College eagerly looks forward to working with the city and the Columbia Sports Commission to make the Cross Country National Championships the best ever."
 
All three National Championships will occur at the state-of-the-art Gans Creek Cross Country Course on the south side of Columbia. The 320-acre park opened in September of 2019 and is the host of state, regional, and national meets. The course features a 500-meter starting chute, 10-meter wide grass running surface that is irrigated, 2k and 3k loops to help accommodate multiple race distances, permanent starting line, finish line, and course checkpoints, elevated viewing area, timing tower, athlete barn, awards plaza, and a shelter with restrooms.
 
"Columbia being awarded the NAIA Cross Country Championships reflects the Columbia Sports Commission's dedication to attracting high-level events and that our community is becoming a cross country destination," said Jen Rukstad, Columbia Sports Commission Chair. "We are excited to host this event for three years and the strong economic impact of nearly $900,000 it will bring to our area."
 
"Our entire team is looking forward to welcoming the NAIA athletes, coaches, and fans to Columbia," said Zach Franklin, Columbia Sports Commission Sports Sales Supervisor. "Securing this event is a testament to our great partners at Columbia College and the NAIA as well as the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department. Parks and Rec did an outstanding job with the Gans Greek Cross Country course, and that work will continue to put Columbia in a great position to succeed when bidding on cross country events like these."
 
"These three agreements display a commitment from several hosts to provide our student-athletes a quality championship experience," said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr. "We are thrilled to have all three of these hosts in the mix for years to come."

ABOUT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS (NAIA) 
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. NAIA members provide more than 77,000 student-athletes with opportunities to play college sports, earn $800 million in scholarships and compete in 27 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA