The 2005, 2006 and 2007 championships will be staged at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex in Sacramento, California, site of the just-completed U.S. Olympic Team Trials for track and field and also the site of the 2003 NCAA Division I championships.

The championships will be co-hosted by Sacramento State and the Sacramento Sports Commission.

The Sacramento State venue was selected after Division I coaches expressed interest to the Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee's Division I subcommittee in selecting a multiyear site, for the purpose of building a fan base for the sport.

That desire, combined with facilities available at the venue and the area's climate, were factors in selection of the site, said John Kane, associate director of athletics at Boston College and committee chair.

"Basically, the coaches were asking us to help put people in the stands, and to draw a little more attention to our sport," he said.

"In listening to coaches from across the country, there seemed to be a theme," Kane said. "They really thought a practice track facility, and its relationship to clerking and checking-in areas and the track, was important.

"Another factor is climate. Whether it's a distance, sprint or weight coaches, they think the climate in Sacramento -- hot, sunny days, cooled down by breezes at night -- benefits all of the events, and not just one discipline over another. That also is critical to the coaches."

The championships have been held in multiple years at two previous sites -- for 12 years beginning with the first championships in 1921 at the University of Chicago, and at Marquette University in 1944 and 1945.

Kane said the hosts of the Sacramento event, as well as the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, are committed to effectively marketing and promoting the event.

"They laid out a sequential, progressive plan to grow the attendance numbers, and that's what we're looking for," he said. He added that the area clearly has become a track and field center in the United States, as host for Olympic Trials in 2000 and 2004.

"We're looking to be part of that scene out there," Kane said. "There's something special happening with track and field there, and I think it's important we're involved in that."

Regional meets survey

The Division I subcommittee, which selected the championships site during its June 25-July 1 meeting in Indianapolis, also took time during that meeting to discuss its current survey soliciting feedback about the two-year-old Division I regional meet system.

Survey responses are due to the NCAA national office by July 25. It seeks opinions regarding such aspects of the regionals as qualifying standards, competition dates and schedule of events, and costs of participating in the meets.

"I'm hoping we get a good rate of response," Kane said. "It's important that we fairly evaluate the process, and we need some constructive criticism."

The subcommittee also: