Majority of following story written by Michael Ghika, Assistant Commissioner for Media Relations, Great Northeast Athletic Conference
WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference, founded in 1995, is pleased to announce the addition of its 21st and 22nd sport offerings beginning in the 2019-20 academic year, as the GNAC will host its inaugural Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships on February 15, 2020 at Boston University's Track & Tennis Center.
All six of the 13 GNAC core member institutions that sponsor track & field will compete at the 2020 event: Colby-Sawyer College, Emmanuel College, Lasell College, Regis College, Saint Joseph's College of Maine, and Suffolk University.
The increase from 20 championship sport offerings to 22 marks the latest in the conference's expansion, both from a sport and membership standpoint. Upon Regis entering the league in 2017-18 and Colby-Sawyer joining this year, the GNAC also hosted its first-ever Outdoor Track & Field Championships last spring at Regis. The one-day 2018 Outdoor Championship will expand to a two-day meet this spring on April 27-28, 2019, with Regis again serving as host.
The New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) and North Atlantic Conference (NAC) will also compete at the 2019 GNAC outdoor event in a combined meet, however the 2020 GNAC indoor event will only feature the GNAC's programs next winter.
"The addition of indoor track & field was made possible by the commitment of the GNAC Presidents' Council," said GNAC Commissioner Joe Walsh. "Collectively, our league's member instiutions and administrators have made it their continued focus to enhance the student-athlete experience and promote student-athlete success."
The conference would like to thank GNAC outdoor track & field sport chair Mark Clemente, Regis Associate Athletic Director, as well as its track & field head coaches – Colby-Sawyer's Lyndsay Ostler, Emmanuel's Reava Potter, Lasell's Michael McGrane, Regis' Kourtney Bonsey, SJC's Tom Dann, and Suffolk's Will Feldman – for their guidance and insight in making this opportunity possible for GNAC student-athletes.
"We are thrilled to be a part of a conference that will now have an indoor championship. The addition of the indoor championship will increase the competitiveness of our program and the rest of the teams in the GNAC," said Bonsey. "Championship meets provide a great atmosphere and truly reinforce the team aspect of our sport. The indoor facility at Boston University is one of the best in the country, and I know our student-athletes are excited about the opportunity to compete there."
BU Photo Courtesy of Colby-Sawyer XC & TF Twitter.
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.