SPRINGFIELD -- Missouri State University's turn in the rotation to serve as host of the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship will be delayed, the MVC confirmed Friday. 

League officials had been working to finalize a replacement site prior to making the announcement after it was determined that MSU's javelin venue does not yet meet the conference standard for its championship meet. Missouri State, which is in the process of scheduling at least one regular-season home meet for the outdoor season, will be pushed back in the rotation to host the MVC meet in 2017 while it works to resolve the issue. The league office will make a formal announcement regarding the 2015 outdoor championship host the week of Sept. 22-26.

"We hadn't even broken ground on our new track venue at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium when we were awarded the 2015 meet, and I think all of us in good faith thought we would be ready to host this spring," said MSU Director of Athletics Kyle Moats. "But, the league standards for the javelin area are going to preclude us from having it ready to go this spring. We'll have to seek ways to fund those improvements in the near future and be ready to go." 

MSU plans to utilize the area west of Forsythe Athletics Center, commonly called the band practice field, as its designated venue for throwing events such as the javelin, shot put and discus. The league stipulates the javelin throwing area must be on campus and meet specific runway guidelines.

Moats confirmed that the Allison South Stadium itself, across the street from the throws venue, will be otherwise ready to host a conference-caliber meet. 

In a statement issued Friday by the Missouri Valley Conference, league associate commissioner Mike Kern confirmed that Missouri State's campus will be the host the meet once the updates are made to the throwing area.

"Missouri State last hosted an MVC Outdoor Track & Field Championship in 1995, and we were optimistic and hopeful that it would break that drought in 2015," Kern said. "We commend Kyle Moats, Ron Boyce and the entire Missouri State administration for continuing to be aggressive in making the MSU Track and Field Complex one of our best.  We are elated to have MSU host our championship in 2017 and look forward to having Missouri State as part of our hosting rotation again." 

Coach Ron Boyce, in his 18th year as MSU's director of track and field and cross country expressed optimism about the future of his program, despite today's news.

"It's certainly disappointing that we couldn't get it resolved in time for this year's meet, but we have a beautiful new facility that will allow us to practice and compete like never before," Boyce said. "The conference has been very generous in modifying the rotation so we still get our turn to host the meet in 2017."

 

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