For the third year in a row, the Indiana Wesleyan University Athletic Department is preparing to host the NAIA Track and Field National Championship.
An expected 2,000 coaches and athletes, 200 officials, 300 volunteers, and 20,000 guests will attend this year’s national championship.
The large number of people on IWU’s campus during the championship is not only beneficial for IWU but also for the Marion community.
Caleb Snyder, IWU’s head track and field coach, said the increase in people in Marion during that week has a huge economic impact on the community.
“The county estimates somewhere in the ballpark of like three or four million dollars every year we host this of economic impact, which is unbelievable,” Snyder said.
The championship also requires hundreds of volunteers. Jeff Reyes, IWU’s Associate Athletic Director of External Operations, said they try to get volunteers from the Marion community so that visitors can really get the opportunity to meet and learn about the people of Marion.
“I also think that it [the championship] helps create an awareness of Marion, Indiana,” Reyes said. “So basically cementing there’s our spot here on the map.”
Hosting this championship also allows IWU to share its mission with hundreds of people.
“We always talk about God and Christ in everything we do, even though it’s a national meet, because that’s just who we are and a part of our culture and we want people to know that while we are ultra-competitive, we’re also very centered in Christ and do everything for him,” Reyes said.
In the past, Snyder said his team has had the opportunity to share IWU’s mission with others by offering a spot where people can anonymously submit prayer requests. He also said that IWU’s track and field athletes write encouragement and prayer cards for each team.
“We’ve heard multiple stories of athletes that have come here and just been really amazed at the level of consistency in which we put our mission out there, and the level at which people are just generous and kind and helpful and just friendly and just how you can use all those different interactions and all those different things to display the gospel and actually tell people about Christ,” Snyder said.
While IWU’s athletes don’t get to travel somewhere new for this championship, CJ Kelley, a track and field senior, said he still loves the opportunity he has to bond with other teams.
“There’s a lot of fellowship, I feel like that happens within the week with other teams and just different interactions,” Kelley said.
This year’s championship will be on May 21-23. Volunteers are still needed.
