The NSAF’s Outdoor Nationals Headed to Hayward Field
EUGENE, Ore., May 13, 2021 – A high school national championship like none other in the sport's history will await America's top prep track & field talent when the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation (NSAF) hosts The Outdoor Nationals, Presented by Nike at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon, Wednesday, June 30-Saturday, July 3, 2021.
The NSAF is partnering with TrackTown USA, Nike, Hayward Magic, AthleticNET and RunnerSpace.com to bring the high school championships to Eugene. Full details about the meet are at TheOutdoorNationals.com. Athletes can register HERE on our AthleticNET meet page and all registered athletes will receive an exclusive Nike backpack for The Outdoor Nationals.
“Hosting the 30th edition of The Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field is a monumental privilege,” said NSAF Executive Director Jim Spier. “Especially now in 2021, when this facility has been so beautifully reimagined. We look forward to being at Hayward Field for many years to come, and to providing the best and safest meet for everyone who comes here and joins us.”
The NSAF’s exciting scheduling innovation this year will offer athletes a ground-breaking competitive experience, with the meet's 4-day schedule structured to give special attention to different event groups on each day. Wednesday will be Throws Day, followed by Jumps Day (Thursday), Sprints/Hurdles Day (Friday) and Distance Day (Saturday). The relays and multis will be interspersed throughout the weekend.
The competition schedule will also allow the NSAF to best accommodate state and local COVID-19 guidelines and protocols, which will be published and followed to ensure the safest possible conditions for all participants and attendees as well as the community hosting the event. The Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field is pending final approval by State of Oregon public health officials. Bearing in mind that the current COVID-19 pandemic can be disruptive to the best laid plans, the NSAF has made arrangements for two alternate locations in the event that State of Oregon public health officials determine that it is unsafe to hold the event there.
“Every track & field athlete in the world wants to make it to Hayward Field,” said Keith Peters of Hayward Magic, “and The Outdoor Nationals gives thousands of high school athletes the opportunity to realize that dream. In this year of firsts at Hayward Field, The Outdoor Nationals will be the first high school meet to be held at the reimagined venue.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to partner in the hosting of The Outdoor Nationals,” said Michael Reilly, CEO of TrackTown USA. “Hayward Field at the University of Oregon is the perfect setting for shining a spotlight on the next generation of track and field athletes. We can’t wait for them to experience Hayward Magic for themselves.”
Due to state COVID-19 regulations that limit stadium capacity, The Outdoor Nationals this year will have a Championship division only – with entry standards expanded to allow for more participation. Complete COVID-19 protocols, meet entry standards, the full 4-day schedule, webcast information and much more will be available at TheOutdoorNationals.com. Additional details will be added in the weeks to come.
Hayward Field opened in 1919 for football, 1921 for track & field and, for 100 years and counting, has been “a work in progress” – ever growing and expanding as it became one of the world’s greatest and most popular venues in the sport. World Athletics announced in 2015 that Hayward Field would host the 2021 World Athletics Championships (rescheduled for 2022), the first time the Worlds have ever been held in the U.S. Renovation began in 2018 and was completed in 2020. The first meet since the facility reopened was held in early April of this year.
Full details about the storied past and present of Hayward Field, including downloadable media assets are at hayward.uoregon.edu/. The Outdoor Nationals will begin at Hayward Field three days after the completion of the U.S. Olympic Trials (June 18-27), which follows by a week the NCAA Championships (June 9-12).
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REGISTRATION and MEET INFORMATION QUESTIONS: Please direct all questions about registration, entry guidelines, schedule and other meet information to info@nationalscholastic.org.
Media Information CONTACT: Steve Underwood, Director of Media & Public Relations, NSAF
steve.underwood@nationalscholastic.org
About the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation, Inc.:
The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation (NSAF) was founded in 1990. It is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization with the mission of opening doors to the world for our youth, through athletics, and providing them opportunities to succeed. That includes supporting high school and junior-aged track and field athletes in the US through national high school competitions, including The Indoor and Outdoor Nationals; The Great American XC Festival and HBCU Challenge; and the American Javfest and Ironwood Throws Classic. It also includes Team NSAF international competition and team-building events in Cuba and Iceland; clinics and event-specific special projects, such as Project Javelin Gold and Project Triple Jump; vigorous grant programs, which enable high school athletes to compete around the country, at USATF Junior Nationals, and internationally; and with program development grants, which are awarded in the winter and fall each year. The NSAF provides approximately $250,000 in grants annually. For more information about the NSAF, please visit NationalScholastic.org.
About TrackTown USA, Inc.
TrackTown USA, Inc. is a non-profit organization committed to setting a standard of excellence in the sports of track and field and running by hosting premier events, creating a supportive environment for elite athletic performances, improving facilities, being a leader in sustainability and inspiring the next generation of track and field athletes and fans. The organization is responsible for organizing the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships, the 2015 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships, the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Track & Field, and the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials—Track & Field.
