Louisville Track and Field to Host 2009 NCAA Mideast Regional
June 10, 2008 | Men's Track and Field
June 10, 2008
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville has been selected to host the 2009 NCAA Mideast Region Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Cardinal Park. It will be the first time U of L has hosted the regional event, which is one of four qualifying meets for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The 2009 NCAA Mideast Regional, which is scheduled for May 29-30, will feature men's and women's teams from 12 different states. Overall, the Mideast Region includes more than 80 schools and consistently features one of the deepest fields of nationally ranked teams.
"We're honored and excited to host the 2009 NCAA Mideast Regional at Cardinal Park," said Louisville head coach Ron Mann. "Hosting an event of this magnitude on the U of L campus is the next step in taking Louisville track and field to the highest level. It should be an exciting and highly entertaining two days for not only Cardinal fans, but for all track and field fans throughout our great city, state and region."
The 2009 NCAA Mideast event will be the first track and field regional ever contested in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The current regional format has been in place since 2003 and previous host cities for the Mideast Regional include Fayetteville, Ark., earlier this season, Columbia, Mo., in 2007, Knoxville, Tenn., in 2006, Bloomington, Ind., in 2005, Baton Rouge, La., in 2004 and Columbus, Ohio in 2003.
Although this will be the Cards' first time hosting the track and field regional, U of L is no stranger to hosting regional events after hosting the NCAA Southeast Cross Country Regional in 2006 and 2007 at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park. The 2009 NCAA Mideast Regional will be the first post-season meet contested at Cardinal Park since the 2004 Conference USA Championships.
It was also announced that the University of Oklahoma would host the Midwest Regional in 2009, while the University of Oregon will host the West Regional leading to its duties for hosting the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships will be held at the University of Arkansas.
The Cards will open the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships on Wednesday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. The four-day meet, which will conclude on Saturday afternoon, will feature a school record total of 11 Louisville athletes.
