By Paige Smith
On Friday, Nov. 22, Columbia College, in partnership with the Columbia Sports Commission and the City of Columbia, is set to host the 2024 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men’s and Women’s Cross Country National Championships.
The 2024 National Championships will be the first of three (2027, 2030) that Columbia College, along with its partners, will host.
“We are so excited to bring the 2024 NAIA National Championship to Columbia!” stated Drew Grzella, Assistant Director of Athletics & Events. “Our community has worked extremely hard behind the scenes to provide student-athletes and teams with a first-class championship experience. I hope athletes, coaches, parents and fans walk away from the week’s activities in awe.”
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 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.
Prior to race day, Columbia College will also host the Student-Athlete Experience, which promotes and recognizes the student-athletes involved. Accomplished runner Courtney Frerichs will be the guest speaker. The Missouri native was a seven-time All-American at the University of New Mexico and a silver medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in both the 2017 World Championship and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Additionally, all 72 teams that qualify for the national championships will visit local elementary schools to visit with students and share two of the five core values (respect and responsibility) of the NAIA Champions of Character® program.
The men’s race (8K) is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. CT on Nov. 22, while the women’s race (6K) will occur shortly thereafter at 11:30 a.m. Post-race awards will take place at approximately 1 p.m. *Championship awards start time is approximate upon completion of the final race; results must be finalized and posted, and the appeals window must be completed before the ceremony.
The NAIA, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. Since 1937, the NAIA has administered programs dedicated to championships in balance with the overall college educational experience. Each year more than 83,000 NAIA student-athletes have the opportunity to play college sports, earn over $1.3 billion in scholarships, and compete for a chance to participate in 29 national championships.
