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Four new U SPORTS championship sites were announced on Thursday afternoon in the sports of cross-country and track & field for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, including UBC Okanagan being awarded the right to host its first U SPORTS national championship.
Western University (London, Ont.) will host next season’s 2023 U SPORTS Cross-Country Championships for a record-setting eighth time before handing the reigns over to UBCO for the historic 2024 championship.
The University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Man.) welcomes the 2024 U SPORTS Track & Field Championships back to Winnipeg next March, while the University of Windsor earns the nod as host in 2025 for the 13th time.
“U SPORTS is excited to return to Western, Manitoba and Windsor in the coming years and is thrilled to bring our first national championship competition to the BC interior in 2024,” said Lisette Johnson-Stapley, Chief Sport Officer at U SPORTS. “We have three hosts with established track records of hosting outstanding athletics championships, and we’re excited to team with an up-and-coming university like UBCO to present the 2025 cross-country event.”
The announcement comes several hours after the unveiling of Queen’s University and the City of Kingston, Ont. as hosts for the 2023 and 2024 Vanier Cup football championship at Richardson Stadium.
2023 Cross-Country Championships – Hosted by Western University
The 2023 U SPORTS Cross-Country Championships head back to Western University and the renowned Thames Valley Golf Course in London for the eighth time in history in November.
We are pleased that Western University and the Western Mustangs have been selected to host the 2023 U SPORTS Cross-Country Championships,” said Christine Stapleton, Western University’s Director, Sports & Recreation. “We look forward to working with U SPORTS and Tourism London to create an engaging event experience, as we welcome student-athletes and their families to London.”
2024 Cross-Country Championships – Hosted by UBCO
UBCO joined U SPORTS in 2011, and the Heat have been building momentum to host their first U SPORTS national championship competition. The Heat, guided by head coach Malindi Elmore, a 2020 Canadian Olympian in the women’s marathon, have fielded some of U SPORTS most competitive runners in recent years. The list includes Lauren McNeil, who finished second at the 2021 championship, and Joanna Brown, who finished sixth in 2021 and eighth in 2022.
The Heat women’s team is also coming off a best-ever finish at the 2022 U SPORTS Championships, where they finished fifth.
“We couldn’t be more excited about hosting the nation’s best cross-country student-athletes here in Kelowna and the Okanagan in 2024,” said Tom Huisman, Athletic Director at UBCO. “It’s the first U SPORTS championship that we will host here at UBC Okanagan, which is something we take great pride in and will help establish a foundation for pursuing future national championship events.”
The 2024 championships will be hosted at Mission Recreation Park in Kelowna.
2024 Track & Field Championships – Hosted by University of Manitoba
U SPORTS track & field returns to the University of Manitoba for the eighth time for the 2024 edition of the national championship.
“The University of Manitoba has successfully hosted the U SPORTS Track & Field Championships in 2005, 2012, and 2019, and we are thrilled to be selected as host again in 2024,” said Gene Muller, Manitoba’s Director of Athletics and Recreation. “We look forward to showcasing our tremendous competition venue – the James Daly Fieldhouse, our competitive Bisons student-athletes, and our “Friendly Manitoba” hospitality, as we once again welcome the best track & field athletes from across the country to our campus.”
2025 Track & Field Championships – Hosted by University of Windsor
The 2025 championships return to the Dennis Fairall Field House for the 13th time in U SPORTS history. The Windsor market is renowned for hosting U SPORTS Track & Field Championships, most recently in 2018.
“The Lancers are thrilled to once again welcome the best student-athletes in track & field to the Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse,” commented Stephanie White, Director of Athletics. “The University of Windsor has a long and impressive history of success in track & field at the U SPORTS championships, and we are delighted to once again be hosting this national event. The Fairall Fieldhouse, adjacent to our new award winning Toldo Lancer Centre and named after one of the most decorated coaches in the history of Canadian university athletics, will set the stage for what can only be another remarkable and memorable event.”
U SPORTS will announce its hosts for the 2024 and 2025 swimming championships as well as the 2024 wrestling finals in the coming weeks.