1,300 athletes in Gulf Shores for May 26-28 for NAIA National Outdoor Track Championship

1,300 athletes in Gulf Shores for May 26-28 for NAIA National Outdoor Track Championship
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) will be back at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex for its 2021 Men’s & Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Championship May 26-28.
Approximately 1,300 student-athletes competing in multiple events. The championship will be open to the public with health and safety protocols in place, but tickets can be purchased online only and will not be available at the gate. Three-day tournament passes are $25 and daily passes are $10. Masks are required, and social distancing is encouraged.
The meet starts with the first event of the men’s decathlon (100-meters, Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump, 400-meters) at 10 a.m. and the women’s heptathlon (100-meter Hurdles, High Jump, Shot Put, 200-meters) at 10:30 a.m. on May 26 and ends with the women’s and men’s 4×400-meter relay finals beginning at 6:15 p.m on May 28. The awards ceremony will follow at 6:50 p.m.
Gulf Shores, in cooperation with Gulf Shores – Orange Beach Sports Commission, has hosted the championships since 2014. Michelle Russ, the Commission’s vice president of sales, said the a contract is already in place to hold the 2022 meet at Blackwell Stadium.
The Gulf Shores area saw an economic impact of over $3 million in 2018. The 2020 meet was a Covid casualty.
“They have been an excellent host and they continue to set the bar higher every year,” said NAIA President Jim Carr.
“We are thrilled to be back in Gulf Shores for the championship to provide these student-athletes the ability to compete in a safe and healthy environment,” said Courtney Fegter, championship sport manager for the NAIA. “With the necessary protocols in place, we look forward to feeling a bit of normalcy and getting back to competition this year with spectators in the stands.”
Tickets are $10 per day or $25 for a three day pass. Visit NAIA.org for more information on the NAIA. For information on upcoming athletic events along Alabama’s Gulf Coast, visit GSOBsports.com, or call 1-800-745-SAND.