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.
