MARION – Indiana Wesleyan University, in cooperation with the Grant County Visitors Bureau (GCVB), is excited to announce the Wildcats have been selected to host 2023, 2024, and 2025 NAIA Outdoor Men’s and Women’s Track & Field National Championships on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University. This three-year partnership with the NAIA will bring over $1 million in economic impact annually to Grant and surrounding counties. This will be the second time IWU has hosted this event. The Wildcats hosted from 2010-2013.
“We are both honored and excited to host this national event at IWU over the next three years,” said Tod Dalberg, Indiana Wesleyan University Vice President for External Affairs. The university has a long history of partnering with local and county governments to bring events and conferences to the region. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this event will bring to the community over the next three years.”
The event will run May 24-26 in 2023 and is expected to attract over 6,000 student-athletes, coaches, sponsors, administrators, and fans to the IWU Marion campus. The National Championship is considered the largest NAIA National Championship event based on the number of participants.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for IWU and Grant County,” said Deane Webb, Indiana Wesleyan Director of Athletics. ” We are looking forward to creating a memorable experience for student-athletes, coaches, and fans.. I am thankful for Caleb Snyder and John Foss and their work in the early planning stages of this championship. It takes contributions from many people, including a great number of volunteers from the area, to move this from an event to an experience. We are blessed that so many people volunteered their time when we last hosted, and I am thankful in advance for those that choose to assist us in the future.”
The Wildcats will look forward to their tradition of the “Olympic-style Village,” with coaches and athletes staying on campus in the IWU dorms, which were voted #1 Best Dorms in Indiana and #8 in America by Niche.com.
“We are pleased to support Indiana Wesleyan as they host the NAIA Track and Field Nationals,” said John Lightle, Director of the Grant County Visitors Bureau. “We are excited to see the impact this event has on the community and the surrounding area.”
More information on the 2023 NAIA Track Championships will be available in the coming weeks at IWUWildcats.com.
