FERRIS TO HOST GLIAC OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Annual League Event To Be Held May 4-5 At FSU's Top Taggart Field

The 34th annual men's event and the 26th annual women's outdoor championships will feature 10 conference schools, including the Ferris State men's and women's track squads. The event will kick off Thursday (May 4) at 3 p.m. (EDT). First day action concludes with the men's 10,000-meter race at approximately 7:55 p.m. (EDT). Final day action Friday (May 5) begins at 11 a.m. (EDT) with the awards ceremony rounding up the event at 3:45 p.m. (EDT).

Admission to the event is $5 for adults with student tickets $3 on a one-day basis. Two-day passes will also be offered for $8 (adults) and $5 (students) apiece. Parking will be available near the stadium and concessions will be sold throughout the event.

One of the premier NCAA Division II conferences in the nation, the GLIAC holds championships in 21 sports throughout the year. Conference members slated to compete on Friday include Ferris State, Northwood, Grand Valley State, Saginaw Valley State, Michigan Tech, Lake Superior State, Ashland, Findlay and Hillsdale. Northern Michigan will field a women's team only.

Eight places will be awarded for all individual and team relay events with the points figuring into the respective team scores. The closing awards ceremony will include the presentation of the league championship trophy along with season-ending awards for the league's top performers and coaches.

Last season (2005), Grand Valley State captured both the men's and women's outdoor titles on their home track at Lubbers Stadium in Allendale, Mich. GVSU also claimed both the 2006 men's and women's indoor titles in late February (Feb. 24-25) at the Malcolm Athletics Center in Findlay, Ohio. The Lakers have presently won six-straight women's outdoor championships along with three consecutive men's outdoor crowns heading into this year's event.

Overall, Hillsdale leads the GLIAC with nine outdoor championships in the women's division. The Chargers have also earned runner-up honors nine times since joining the league in 1974. Saginaw Valley State is second with eight championship trophies. Grand Valley State has won six titles and Ashland has emerged victorious twice.

In the men's division, Saginaw Valley State has placed first on seven different occasions in the outdoor meet. Ferris State and Ashland are tied for second with six titles, Hillsdale has won five crowns and GVSU four to date. Wayne State picked up three outdoor titles as a former conference track competitor while Northwood has finished first twice.

Ferris State last hosted the league outdoor meet in 2001 (May 4) at Top Taggart Field when Grand Valley State took both the men's and women's overall championships with 228.50 and 221 points, respectively. This year will mark only the third time the Bulldogs have played host to the event in the last 20 years as the event had not been held in Big Rapids since May 1, 1987, prior to the 2001 meet.

Top Taggart Field serves as the site for the Bulldogs' home track and field meets. The stadium, which also serves as home to FSU’s varsity football program, was dedicated October 1957 in honor of the school’s first official varsity football coach and his contributions to the institution.

The facility underwent a multi-million dollar renovation in the spring of 1998, which involved the installation of a 400-meter, eight-lane track with a brick red urethane surface surrounding a top-of-the-line artificial turf playing surface. Also, renovations were completed at that time for two shot put circles, two long and triple jump pits, and a pair of pole vault boxes. The facility also includes the three-story Wheeler Pavilion, which was added in 2001 and features a ticket office, club level along with media/game operations area.

In addition to Top Taggart Field, throwing events will also be held just south of the stadium on university practice fields.

The GLIAC Championships will represent the second Ferris home meet of the 2006 campaign as FSU also hosted the annual non-scoring Bulldog Invitational April 8 at Top Taggart Field. Both the Ferris men's and women's teams placed sixth at last year's conference outdoor meet in Allendale.