The NCAA Track and Field Championships will be returning to Des Moines. Drake University has been named as host of the event for 2011 and 2012. Drake hosted the NCAA meet in 2008 and the four-day event set an attendance record despite flooding in central Iowa.
Drake athletic director Sandy Hatfield-Clubb says they were very, very pleased as they bid on 2012 and were asked to consider on 2011 too.
She says it is not uncommon for championships to be awarded for multiple years. The last rotation in 2008 they spread it around to 3 locations, but now they’ve asked Drake to go for two years.
Hatfield-Clubb says they hope to eventually host the event on a regular basis. She says they would like to be able to host on the years they would like to host, such as an Olympic year. She says they sought the next Olympic year in 2012 and ended up with 2011 and 20012.
Drake Stadium will host the U.S. outdoor Track and Field Championships next June.