FILE - Runners compete in a women's 3,000-meter steeplechase semifinal during the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, June 10, 2021, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. The championships return to Eugene this weekend.
Thomas Boyd / AP
The best collegiate track and field athletes are set to compete in Eugene this week.
Hayward Field hosts its 19th NCAA Championships Wednesday through Saturday. The meet is expected to generate roughly $8.6 million for the local economy, according to Travel Lane County.
The organization’s spokesperson, Andy Vobora, told KLCC that area hotels have largely recovered from staffing issues following the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants are still impacted by unfilled jobs.
However, Vobora added, “One of the things that we always want to emphasize with these events is, while there’s a lot of people here, and a lot of the hotel rooms are filled up, we want local people to stay engaged, and support those local restaurants,” said Vobora. “The reality is, the busy places will be around the venue itself at Hayward field, or around those hotel clusters.”
Vobora said more than 1,100 athletes are expected in Eugene, along with their coaches, staff, families and fans.
Eugene has secured the NCAAs through 2027, and will soon find out about 2028 and beyond. Vobora said local organizers have been lobbying to make Hayward Field the permanent site for the championships, but for now, the event continues to be awarded through a bidding process.
Men’s events will be held Wednesday and Friday; women’s events are Thursday and Saturday. The women of Oregon have 14 total entries in the championships. The men have five. Oregon State has one entrant, Anneke Moersdorf, in the heptathlon. Moersdorf was the Pac-12 Student Athlete of the Year.
The NCAA Championships are just one of several major events being held at Hayward Field over spring and early summer.
The venue hosted the Prefontaine Classic over Memorial Day weekend. The USATF Under 20 (U20) Championships and Nike Outdoor Nationals are June 12-15, and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for track and field are June 21-30.
