2016 NCAA West Region Championship

November 12, 2016

Contact Information

Transportation, Lodging, and Restaurants

The 2016 NCAA West Region Cross Country Championships will be held at Bush’s Pasture Park in Salem, Oregon, on Saturday November 12. You can access the park either from Mission Street or Leffelle Street (off of High Street or Cross Street). On November 11, training room access, packet pickup, and the mandatory administrative meeting will take place in Sparks Athletic Center located on Willamette University’s campus at 900 State Street.

Portland International Airport is located about 60 miles north of Salem, about an hour and thirty minute drive (depending on traffic and time of day). For local restaurants and lodging options, please visit travelsalem.com. Some hotels have discounts for teams, please check with the hotel that fits your needs for further information.

For spectators: The Grand Hotel in Downtown Salem (201 Liberty St. SE) offers a discounted rate of $134.00 to those visiting Willamette University. Please call 503-540-7800 or 877-540-7800 for additional information, or visit grandhotelsalem.com. Similar discounts may be available at other hotels as well.

Link to DirectAthletics for Online Entries

The responsibility for entering rests with the coach and not the meet director. Only the 10 student-athletes listed on the entry form may compete in the regional championship meet. Coaches must submit the forms ONLINE by 5 p.m. Eastern time, Sunday, Nov. 6.

Direct Athletics
NCAA.com

Map and Description of Course

The competition will take place in Bush Park. The men will run a 2k loop followed by two 3k loops, while the women run two 3k loops. The start is a flat 200m to a short hill leading to the upper park. The course winds through the trees before a gradual downhill, followed by a pair of u-turns that eventually lead across the derby hill and behind the stadium to the lower park. The men’s race will bypass the lower loop on the first lap circling behind the start. The lower park is a flat loop starting with a left heading towards the tennis courts before turning right onto the outer bark loop. The bark loop leads back to the softball field and heads around its south before passing the start line and repeating the loop. Both courses finish veering off the loop and hugging the fence line.

Coaches Meeting

The mandatory coaches meeting will take place in Sparks Athletic Center at 7:30 pm on November 11th. Packet pick up will take place before the meeting, starting at 7:00 pm, also in Sparks Athletic Center.

Time Schedule

(see Appendix B in regional manual)

Inclement Weather Procedure

Weather Policy — For the safety of all spectators, student-athletes, officials and coaches, the following will be used in case of severe weather (e.g., cold temperatures and/or heavy snow):

• The meet director and NCAA site representative will monitor the weather during the week and morning of the championships.
• A Twitter feed on delays and/or postponement to the following day. The host can communicate through the feed alerting coaches of different start times or a delay in course inspection times due to inclement weather. The twitter handle can be found in the information with the coaches’ packets and on the meet website. The Twitter feed is @willamettetrack.
• The games committee will determine whether the start of the meet should be delayed or if the meet should be postponed until the following day. All consideration should be taken in regards to the policies toward Sunday competition for each institution.
• If the race has already begun and would have to be suspended in the middle of the competition, the track and field and cross country committee would recommend the following:
• Women’s 6,000 Meter. If competition is suspended before the 2,000-meter mark, you may run the same day with a two-hour delay. If competition is suspended after 2,000 meters we would recommend postponement until the next day.
• Men’s 8,000 Meter. If competition is suspended before the 3,000-meter mark, you may run the same day with a two-hour delay. If competition is suspended after 3,000 meters we would recommend postponement until the next day.

** Appropriate provisions will be made to the facility to ensure the safety of competitors and spectators. The games committee reserves the right to make changes to the above policies and schedules as they see fit.

Lightning Policy — The purpose of this lightning policy is to provide a uniform code of procedures to follow during weather where the risk of lightning strike is high. This is done to protect the health and wellbeing of the student-athletes.

Ceasing Activity — The NCAA has made arrangements through Schneider Electric to provide a lightning-detection and weather-monitoring system. Weather will be monitored electronically. In case there are issues with the Schneider Electric weather monitoring system, the SkyScan Lightning Detector (portable, electronic) and Internet Doppler radar will be used.

The primary method of communication, in case of inclement weather, will be through the public address announcer. The PA announcer will inform all teams, fans and spectators to seek shelter immediately.

Shelter Locations — Because of the course location, in the event of lightning or severe weather we ask that teams and spectators return to their vehicles for safety. Coaches and officials will meet in the clubhouse to discuss further action.

Please check wubearcats.com/sports/xc/meetinfo/westregion or @willamettetrack Twitter feeds for severe weather updates on race day if needed.