CONTACT:
Allen Ackerman, (920) 424-1034
OSHKOSH – Oshkosh area fans might soon get to see future Olympians in action, now that the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh has been selected to host the 2007 and 2008 NCAA Division III men’s and women’s outdoor track and field championships.
The site will be the “new” Oshkosh Sports Complex, 450 Josslyn St.
“This is great news for UW-Oshkosh and its track and field facilities and program,” said UW-Oshkosh Athletic Director Allen Ackerman. “It is certainly rewarding that the NCAA knows we can host a three-day event that will draw 1,000 coaches and athletes to campus from across the nation.”
Ackerman said he expects between 1,000 and 2,000 fans to come to campus for the events on May 24-26, 2007, and May 22-24, 2008.
“This will be an outstanding showcase for the Oshkosh Sports Complex and its new, Olympic-quality track and field complex,” Ackerman said.
The UW-Oshkosh athletic director said about 200 people would be needed to manage and run various parts of the event.
Several top athletes have come out of Division III track and field. Joan Benoit won the first women’s marathon in 1984, while 400-meter hurdler Edwin Moses won the gold medal in several Olympics. UW-Oshkosh’s Melissa Mueller competed at the 2000 Olympics in the pole vault.
Both men’s and women’s track and field teams at UW-Oshkosh have been national Division III powerhouses. The women won the national title in 2004, 1995 and 1990.
“Fox Valley track and field fans will get a chance to see national caliber competition,” said women’s track and field coach Deb Vercauteren. “This also could lead to other opportunities to host major local, state and national track and field events.”
The national Division III track and field outdoor championships will be the second national championship that UW-Oshkosh has helped bring to the Fox Valley in recent years.
The national Division III baseball championship have been at Fox Cities Stadium near Appleton since 2000, thanks to an effort by Ackerman and others at UW-Oshkosh to bring it to that outstanding baseball facility, where the event has prospered in fan support.
The Oshkosh Sports Complex renovation project is about half complete, and intense fundraising efforts continue.
“This NCAA national track championship is just one of a number of the state, regional and national events that we will bring to Oshkosh, but only if we are able to complete the complex as designed,” said UW-Oshkosh Foundation President Thomas Keefe. “It is projected that these and other events will bring $30 million in annual economic impact to the area.”
The remodeling and expansion of locker rooms and completion of a courtyard are the final steps for the $5.7-million upgrade of the sports facility. The improvements are being funded entirely by private donations made to a unique partnership involving UW-Oshkosh, the Oshkosh Area School District and Unified Catholic Schools of Oshkosh.
A new, state-of-the-art football field and a track and field complex have been completed for the 10,000-seat sports facility, the largest of its kind between Lambeau Field and Camp Randall in Madison.
The UW-Oshkosh Foundation, which has led the project, expects the renovated facility will be used nearly 200 times each year.
