February 23, 1998

For Immediate Release

Contact: Matt Howell, Sports Information Director

Office: 717.245.1652; Fax: 717.245.1441; E-mail: howell@dickinson.edu

Dickinson College and Carlisle

To Host 1998 NCAA Cross Country National Championships

CARLISLE, Pa. -- The 1998 NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships are coming to Carlisle.

The NCAA has announced that it has approved Dickinson College as the host school for the Men's and Women's 1998 National Championship Races. The championships will be held Saturday, November 21 on the Carlisle High School campus.

"We are obviously excited about being selected to host the National Championship race," says Dickinson Director of Athletics Dr. Les Poolman. "It is a prime opportunity for us to both show off our campus and to bring people to Central Pennsylvania. There will certainly be plenty of opportunities for this to be an event not only for Dickinson College but also for the Carlisle community and Cumberland County."

Dickinson has been the host site for the NCAA Regional Championship Meet the past three years, and Red Devils' Cross Country head coach Don Nichter says the success of that meet led to Dickinson's victorious bid for the National Championship Meet.

"We've received plenty of positive response from the regional meets and had several people suggest we should make a bid to bring the national championship to Carlisle," Nichter says. "We believe we have the administrative and support systems in place to make this a very successful event. There are plenty of people in this area who are tuned in to cross country and track and field, in large part because of the success that Dickinson College, Carlisle High School and the other area high school programs have experienced in those sports. Community involvement and cooperation are real assets for us and will be big factors in our success."

The National Championship race will bring nearly 400 athletes, plus coaches, teammates and fans, to Carlisle for the race weekend. For more information, you can visit the National Championship Web Site at http://www.dickinson.edu/departments/sports/xcnatl.htm.

Dickinson College is an independent liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pa. Dickinson competes as an NCAA Division III institution and is a member of the Centennial Conference.