COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The national office of the NJCAA announced today that the organization's championship events committee has expedited its selection process in an effort to find championship hosts for its Division I Cross Country and Half Marathon Championships slated to take place November 2016.
With support from the NJCAA Executive Committee, the championship events committee has selected El Dorado, Kansas to host the 2016 NJCAA Division I Men's & Women's Cross Country Championships. The men's 8k race followed by the women's 5k event will take place on November 12, 2016 at the Prairie Trails Golf Course in El Dorado.
"The City of El Dorado has thoroughly enjoyed working with Butler Community College and the NJCAA in efforts to bring more athletic events to El Dorado," said Jen Cook, who serves as the Convention and Visitors Bureau Director for the City of El Dorado. "We are excited for the opportunity to host which will allow us to showcase all our community has to offer. We hope winning the bid to host the Cross Country Championships opens to the door to host many other NJCAA events."
The 2016 edition of the NJCAA Men's & Women's Half Marathon Championship was awarded to Gulf Shores, Alabama. The 13.2 mile race will take place on the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail, which is part of the Orange Beach Sportsplex, on November 19th.
"This was a necessary action taken by the appropriate committees of the NJCAA," said current NJCAA President Bryce Roderick. "Due to the vacancies the NJCAA was facing with these two events, new sites needed to be identified and selected as soon as possible to ensure proper planning and scheduling for both hosts and our member colleges. We are very pleased with the site selections and confident each host will provide a great championship experience for our student-athletes."