Men’s and women’s schedules separate for final two days of March 11-13 event, similar to outdoor championship meet format with genders competing apart; Meet returns to Fayetteville for first time since 2015 and 13th occasion overall

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

For the first time in meet history, the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships will be held over three days, as the originally scheduled two-day event has now been extended to March 11-13 at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark.

From 1965-67, the meet was a two-day competition, before being reduced to one day in 1968 at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Mich.

Since returning to a two-day format in 1969, it has remained that way until last year, when the meet scheduled for March 13-14 at the Albuquerque Convention Center in New Mexico was canceled as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

It marks the first time the indoor championship meet will be held at Randal Tyson Track Center since 2015 and the 13th overall. The event was held in Fayetteville every year from 2000-08, then again in 2010, 2013 and 2015. It is also scheduled to be hosted by Arkansas again in 2026.

The Arkansas women’s team and Florida men’s program are still the reigning national champions from 2019 at the CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala.

The changes in the schedule begin with the pentathlon being held March 11, along with the heptathlon being held March 11-12.

The men’s and women’s weight throw, scheduled for the final day last year, have also been moved to March 11. The men’s and women’s triple jump will remain on the final day, along with the men’s pole vault.

The men’s and women’s shot put, men’s and women’s high jump, and men’s and women’s long jump are scheduled for March 12, along with women’s pole vault.

The traditional two-day schedule of track events was not adjusted in terms of events, with the men’s and women’s 5,000-meter finals, along with the men’s and women’s distance medley relay championship races remaining March 12. All other track finals are scheduled for March 13.

The biggest changes, similar to the men’s and women’s schedules being on separate days for the four-day outdoor championship meet, is that all men’s events will go first on both March 12-13 and be completed before the women’s competition begins.

Men’s events are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Central time March 12, with the women’s competitions expected to begin at 11 a.m. for field events and 7 p.m. for track races.

On March 13, men’s field events start at 12:30 p.m., with the track finals scheduled for 2 p.m. The women’s triple jump championship is slated for 5 p.m., with the track finals at 6 p.m.

The indoor track and field meet is still expected to be followed March 15 by the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships in Stillwater, Okla.