Seattle Pacific to host 2022 NCAA D2 cross country champs at Chambers Bay; Ostrander new volunteer coach...

Track & field and running news has been slow this fall, due to the colleges not competing in cross country this fall due to the pandemic, but in the last day, some big news has come out of Seattle Pacific University.

The NCAA Wednesday announced that the Seattle area will host the Division II Fall National Championship festival in the fall of 2022 (dates are the final week in November and the first week in December), with Seattle Pacific the host school, and the Seattle Sports Commission the host organizing committee.

"Along with the Seattle Sports Commission, Seattle Pacific University looks forward to welcoming the D-II community to our campus and our region. While this undertaking is significant, I believe this will be a first-class event that students will remember for years to come," said Seattle Pacific athletic director Jackson Stava.

According to the NCAA release, the Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place will be the site of the NCAA Division II cross country championships, while Starfire Sports, Interbay Stadium and Royal Brougham Pavilion will host the field hockey, soccer and volleyball championship matches.

In 2016, the University of Washington hosted its annual season opening meet with Seattle University at Chambers Bay (above/photo by Paul Merca) as a trial run with the intent of bidding for meets like the NCAA cross country championships. In fact, Chambers Bay was supposed to host this year's NCAA West Regional cross country championships next month, before the decision to delay the NCAA Division I championship to March 2021 due to the pandemic.

The NCAA sports committees made the nearly 450 selections of host sites based on criteria that included the ability to create an outstanding experience for student-athletes, along with adherence to NCAA sport-specific bid specifications.

The NCAA release is available here, while the Seattle Pacific release is available here.

Meanwhile, the school also announced that 2019 world championships team member in the 3000 steeplechase Allie Ostrander (photo by Paul Merca) , who currently competes for the Seattle-based Brooks Beasts, has joined the Falcon staff as a volunteer assistant track and cross country coach.

"(Coaching) is kind of my career ambition outside of professional running," Ostrander said. "I thought it would be a great opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes and be involved and learn from a really quality coach."

"She has been a great help to me, and even more so a great help to our student-athletes," said Seattle Pacific cross country coach Chris Reed. "Not only are they inspired by what she has been able to do, she brings a lot to the coaching side, too. She has plenty to offer as far as instruction and perspective. She is extremely driven, and it's great to have that presence." 

"We're thrilled that an athlete the caliber of Allie Ostrander would reach out and want to give back to the sport," SPU head coach and program director Karl Lerum said. "I think Allie is going to give us, as coaches, a fresh perspective. She'll also be able to model a little bit to our current student-athletes what it takes to be as accomplished of an athlete as she is.

"There's no better way to learn about greatness than to be around people who have done it and are continuing to pursue it," Lerum added.

The Seattle Pacific release is available here.

NOTE: The NCAA and the sports information office of Seattle Pacific University contributed to this report.

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