Ferris Hosts First GLIAC Track Championship in 14 Years

The 29th annual men's championships and the 21st annual women's outdoor championships will feature nine conference schools, including the Ferris State men's and women's track squads. Friday will mark the first time Ferris State has hosted the conference meet since May 1, 1987.

Field events are slated to start at 11 a.m.  The running events will open with the women's 10,000-meter run at 11:30 a.m and continue until approximately 5:45 p.m. An awards ceremony will be held at the conclusion of the meet.

The meet will be the third FSU home meet of the season. Ferris State hosted the Bulldog Invitational on April 7th and the United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA) Quadrangular this past Saturday (April 28th). The Bulldogs will also host the Ferris State Open on May 12th at 11 a.m.

One of the premier NCAA Division II conferences in the nation, the GLIAC holds championships in 20 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.

A year ago, Grand Valley State captured the women's outdoor title and Ashland grabbed the men's crown at Lubbers Stadium in Allendale, Mich. Grand Valley State claimed the 2001 men's and women's indoor titles in late February at the Malcolm Athletic Center in Findlay, Ohio.

Entering the 2001 outdoor meet, Ashland has won five-straight men's titles. The women's title has changed hands each of the past four seasons.  Saginaw Valley State won the competition in 1997, Hillsdale was victorious in 1998 and Ashland emerged on top in 1999.

Overall, Hillsdale leads the GLIAC with 18 total track championships in the women's division. The Chargers have won nine indoor titles and nine outdoor titles since joining the league in 1974. Saginaw Valley State is second with 11 championship trophies. Ferris State, Grand Valley State and Ashland have all won three titles apiece.

In the men's division, Saginaw Valley State has won a total of 15 indoor and outdoor championships. Hillsdale is second with 11 titles, Ferris State is third with 10 and Ashland is fourth with eight championships. Wayne State won five titles as a conference track competitor, Northwood has won three titles and Grand Valley State has won two.

Built in 1957, the 9,100-seat Top Taggart Field has undergone recent renovations and is currently in the process of constructing the Wheeler Pavilion, a new clubhouse and game management level. In the summer of 1998, Ferris State made vast improvements at the stadium by installing a 400-meter, eight-lane track with a brick red urethane surface and an AstroTurf playing surface for the football program. Additional renovations were made to the shot put circles, long and triple jump pits and pole vault boxes. The new clubhouse will also include restroom and concession facilities and is slated to be completed late this summer.

Saginaw Valley State claimed the men's and women's titles 14 years ago in the 1987 conference championship meet at Top Taggart Field.