FREELAND, Mich.-- The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association announced today that it will add men's and women's indoor track and field as varsity conference sports, effective with the 2015-16 school year.
"We are excited to be adding men's and women's track and field to our lineup of sponsored sports. This will give our student-athletes an opportunity to compete for conference championships," MIAA Commissioner Penny Allen-Cook said. "Currently, only the few elite track and field student-athletes have a chance at end-of-season recognition in their sport by qualifying for the NCAA National Championships. This is another affirmation of our membership's commitment to providing a quality, competitive experience for MIAA student-athletes."
The MIAA previously sponsored men's indoor track and field as a conference sport from 1936-48. Some MIAA member schools, including Trine, already offer indoor track and field as a sport.
During the 2014-15 indoor season, Trine produced two All-Americans and three total national qualifiers. Tyler Bourdo (Plainwell, Mich./Delton-Kellogg) earned his second-consecutive Indoor All-America honors in the 400 M. Freshman Kara Eck (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) earned her first-career All-America honor in the Weight Throw. Trisha King (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) qualified in the 800 M and placed ninth in the nation- just short of All-America honors.
MIAA schools sponsoring indoor track and field during the 2014-15 school year included Trine, Albion, Adrian, Alma, Hope, Calvin and Olivet. The teams have traditionally gathered for an unofficial indoor championship in late February. This year's event was held at Trine University's Keith E. Busse/Steel Dynamcis Athletic Recreation Center.
The Thunder men won this year's unofficial indoor championship. The women placed fourth. Both teams are preparing for their outdoor seasons, which culminate in the MIAA outdoor championship event known as Field Day. This year's Field Day will be hosted by Albion College April 30-May 1.
The addition of men's and women's indoor track will bring the number to 22 sports sponsored by the MIAA – 11 for each gender. They are the first sports to be added to the conference's lineup since men's and women's lacrosse was added during the 2012-13 academic year.
The Trine track and field teams open the outdoor season tomorrow at Vanderbilt University's Black and Gold Meet.