NAIA XC Champs at Gans Creek Friday, 1st of Many Nat Champs

If you don't plan to be in Columbia at Gans Creek on Friday, change your plans. The 2nd straight of three consecutive national collegiate cross country championships in Missouri and the first of the three NAIA national meets at Gans Creek goes off at the sound of the starter's pistol Friday at 10:30 as Columbia College, the City of Columbia, and Columbia's Sports Commission host the 2024 NAIA Cross Country National Championships.

Last year, Missouri Southern State University hosted the NCAA Division II national championships, as it does about every 5 years, at Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course, on the school's campus in Joplin.

With the City of Columbia, its Parks and Recreation Department, and the University of Missouri designing and building the world-class Gans Creek Cross Country Course at Grans Creek Recreation Area, which opened in 2019, it was only a matter of time before more and more meets came to the Show-Me State to run at the first-class facility.

First, the MSHSAA state championships berths were awarded to the course in the fall of 2018, which began in the fall of 2019. Then, in October of 2021, the NAIA announced the signing of deals for cross country national championship site commitments through 2030. Those deals were with entities in Tallahassee, Florida; Vancouver, Washington; and Columbia, Missouri, and put the NAIA meets at Gans Creek in 2024, 2027, and 2030. Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Washington has been a regular host, doing so 8 of the previous 15 years. Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee hosted for the first time in Tallahassee in 2022.

The NAIA, or National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, comprises 250 schools and 83,000 student-athletes, has 21 conferences, and hosts 29 championships. Its member institutions are primarily private colleges and universities, though some are public.

In 1952, the NAIA grew into a collegiate athletic association that held multiple championships after 15 years as a college basketball tournament in Kansas City's municipal auditorium. The NAIA has been headquartered in downtown Kansas City since 2007.

The NAIA is a unique collegiate association to participate in for one reason because it offers many more events than standard to qualify and compete in at the conference and national level, like the 4x800, the 600, 1,000-meter, and 3,000 and 5,000-meter race walks, and the half-marathon. The national championship cross country meet even qualifies more teams and individuals to nationals than any of the NCAA national meets.

Thirty-six teams and an additional 80 individuals have qualified to compete in the 69th annual NAIA Mens National Championship, while 36 teams and 82 individuals have qualified for the 45th annual Women's National Championship.

The Men's 8k begins at 10:30 on Friday, while the Women's 6k begins at 11:30, with Awards at approximately 1:00 p.m.

The races will be streamed free at the UrbanEdgeNetwork

Columbia College athletic director Cindy Potter said about hosting the meet, athletes, and teams from around the country: "We are ecstatic that the time has finally come to welcome over 800 student-athletes to Gans Creek Cross Country Course, Columbia College, and the City of Columbia. Our team, led by Associate Athletic Director Drew Grzella, has worked tirelessly alongside the staff from the City of Columbia, Parks and Recreation, and the Columbia Convention & Visitors Bureau to make this event a memorable experience for all involved. We can't wait for student-athletes to experience the gorgeous Gans Creek course and all Columbia has to offer!

Grzella said in a Columbia College news release earlier this week, "We are so excited to bring the 2024 NAIA National Championship to Columbia! 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."

Columbia College coach and alumnus Brennan Cape added, "A big-time cross-country championship race is one of the coolest experiences in sport. Gans Creek is a perfect place for it, and Columbia is a great location to host an event like this. I'm really happy for our team and our city to get to run in and host the NAIA Championship at home."

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