NAIA<\/a> vice president for championships. \u201cThe Karl Straus Track and the amenities the area brings to the table will allow the NAIA to provide an event that will make lasting memories for our student-athletes, coaches and fans.\u201d<\/p>\nFor its first year in Asheville, the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships will take place May 20\u201322, 2026. In 2027, the event is set for May 26\u201328.<\/p>\n
\u201cHosting the NAIA championships at Karl Straus Track is a tremendous honor and opportunity,\u201d said Janet Cone<\/strong>, athletic director at UNC Asheville. \u201cOur facilities are designed to support elite level competition, and we are committed to providing an exceptional experience for athletes, coaches and spectators. We\u2019re proud to bring national attention to Asheville and UNC Asheville and thankful for this partnership with Airstream Ventures, Explore Asheville and the NAIA.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NAIA, Explore Asheville and Airstream Ventures have announced Asheville, North Carolina, as the host city for the NAIA Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in 2026 and 2027. \u201cWe are honored to welcome the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships to our community in 2026 and 2027,\u201d said Vic Isley, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":75030,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2977,2980,2978,3055],"tags":[8415,16123,8689,18089,18091,3772,18090,16125],"class_list":["post-75028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-sites-venues","category-sports-organizations","category-track-field","tag-austin-bennett","tag-buncombe-county-tourism-development-authority","tag-explore-asheville","tag-janet-cone","tag-karl-straus-track","tag-naia","tag-unc-asheville","tag-vic-isley"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/sportstravelmagazine.com\/asheville-to-host-major-naia-event-in-2026-and-2027\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Asheville to Host Major NAIA Event in 2026 and 2027","url":"http:\/\/www.sportstravelmagazine.com\/asheville-to-host-major-naia-event-in-2026-and-2027\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.sportstravelmagazine.com\/asheville-to-host-major-naia-event-in-2026-and-2027\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.sportstravelmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/27161428\/Explore-Asheville-NAIA-150x150.jpg","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/media.sportstravelmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/27161428\/Explore-Asheville-NAIA.jpg"},"articleSection":"Sites & Venues","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Shaw"}],"creator":["Justin Shaw"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"SportsTravel","logo":"https:\/\/www.sportstravelmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/sportstravel-logo-simple-1.jpg"},"keywords":["austin bennett","buncombe county tourism development authority","explore asheville","janet cone","karl straus track","naia","unc asheville","vic isley"],"dateCreated":"2025-08-28T11:15:53Z","datePublished":"2025-08-28T11:15:53Z","dateModified":"2025-08-28T11:15:53Z"},"rendered":"