NAIA Track and Field Nationals headed to Karl Straus Track 2026

UNC Asheville’s Karl Straus Track will host the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Outdoor Track & Field National Championships May 20-22, 2026, with a second championship scheduled May 26-28, 2027, officials announced at a press conference on Aug. 27. Organizers say the three-day meet will use UNCA’s state-of-the-art Mondo surface and draw the NAIA’s men’s and women’s fields to Asheville for back-to-back national finals in 2026 and 2027.

Organizers project a field roughly the size of prior NAIA nationals, with Sportstravelmagazine reporting the event “brings together approximately 1,300 athletes representing men’s and women’s teams, along with their families and fans,” while Blue Ridge Public Radio reported the three-day event “is expected to draw over 1,300 people and generate $1.3 million in direct spending in Buncombe County, according to officials at the press conference.” NAIA vice president for championships Austin Bennett said the selection followed site visits and a competitive bid process, noting, “This is one of our most anticipated competitions in track and field,” and “... We're so excited that it'll culminate in a host city like this one that reflects the qualities such as resiliency, dedication, excellence.  Asheville embodies all of that.”

The Karl Straus Track was highlighted as a primary reason Asheville won the bid. Multiple announcements state the venue was part of a $4 million facility renovation completed in 2023, and Sportstravelmagazine identifies $1.5 million of that work as coming from a Tourism Product Development Fund investment through the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority. The NAIA release says the track is “surrounded by the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains” and credits Tourism Product Development grant funds administered by Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority for enabling the upgrades.

Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority are listed as lead local partners, with Vic Isley, president and chief executive officer, framing the selection as a boost for the local economy and small businesses still rebuilding after Hurricane Helene. In the release Isley said, “On behalf of Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, we are honored to welcome the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships to our community in 2026 and 2027,” and added that hosting “fuels our local creative economy and supporting the recovery of small businesses following Hurricane Helene.”

Airstream Ventures will help lead event logistics. CEO Alan Verlander said, “Securing this national championship, in partnership with Explore Asheville, UNCA, Montreat, and the NAIA, just continues to show Asheville’s resilience and drive as a community,” and called the company “truly honored to help lead this effort in sports tourism” as it prepares to host “the thousands of visitors to Asheville in May.”

Officials said ticketing and detailed schedules will be released closer to the meets. The NAIA announcement and local partners position the championships as a headline event in a wider 2026 sports-tourism slate that also names Big South baseball, the Asheville Tourists at McCormick Field, and the PGA-level Biltmore Championship as attractions slated for the same year. More operational and funding breakdowns remain to be confirmed ahead of the May 2026 meet.