Irwin Belk Track

Irwin Belk Photos
Over the last four years, North Carolina A&T’s Irwin Belk Track has become one of the premiere track and field facilities in the country. More events are scheduled for the state-of-the-art facility. The Aggies will host the 2009 NCAA East Regionals in May. Irwin Belk Track will also be the site for the National Junior Olympics in July.

The six-day event in July will feature more than 7,000 athletes from across the country. The MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships also return to Irwin Belk. Irwin Belk’s appeal to the track and field community is highlighted by the events the university has been able to attract. Among the biggest events hosted was the successful 2006 NCAA East Track and Field Regional Championships.

N.C. A&T became the first historically black college or university to host an NCAA Regional and earned rave reviews for its hospitality and professionalism. Irwin Belk Track received numerous accolades for its fast track surface and overall facility. Athletes showed how much they loved the facility as 13 regional records and one college record fell at the 2006 NCAA East Regional.

North Carolina A&T athletes have even benefited from the facility. Over the last four years, six Aggie athletes have advanced to the NCAA Nationals and one of those athletes earned All-American honors. N.C. A&T’s ability to attract the finest events in the country did not start or stop with NCAA East Regionals. Prior to hosting the regionals, the Aggies also hosted the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships and will look to host the event again in 2009.

For four consecutive years, the Aggies have been the home of the Nike Outdoor Nationals. The Nike Outdoor Nationals brings the best high school athletes in the world to Greensboro. It has been a major producer to the track world, providing a foundation and exposure for fierce competition in the high school arena. Many athletes have competed in the Nike Outdoor Nationals prior to appearing in Olympic competition.

Also for the fourth straight year, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Track and Field Championships were hosted by North Carolina A&T as the state’s best athletes competed for state championships. For three years, the International Friendship and Freedom Games and the State Games Meets have come to Irwin Belk Track. Coach Roy “Spaceman” Thompson and his men’s and women’s track teams have also had the opportunity to host events. The programs hosted its first-ever track meet at N.C. A&T when the Aggie Relays came to Irwin Belk in 2005.

Thanks to the installation of the track and the events the university has been fortunate enough to host, many of track field’s famous names have visited N.C. A&T, including track and field legends Gail Devers and Carl Lewis. Two-thousand eight Olympic qualifier LaShawn Merritt has even competed at Irwin Belk Track.