Leon County to Host 2022 NJCAA Cross-Country Championships at Apalachee Regional Park

Leon County is slated to host the 2022 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I and Division II Cross-Country Championships. The event will be held at the Apalachee Regional Park.

According to a press release, the championships were last held in Leon County in 1973 at the Florida State University Seminole Golf Course. The 2022 championships are expected to draw 1,000 athletes and coaches to Leon County and result in a $1.5 million economic impact.

Tallahassee Community College will be the host school for the event. Rob Chaney, Director of Athletics at TCC said bringing the championships to back to Tallahassee has long been a goal of TCC, the Leon County Division of Tourism, and the Tallahassee running community.

“It will be exciting to watch this event come together over the next couple of years, and I’m just as anxious to see it raise the profile of cross country at Tallahassee Community College,” Chaney said.

Apalachee Regional Park sits on over 100 acres and has the capacity to host thousands of people. The park has held cross-country events for several organizations, including the National College Athletic Association, the Florida High School Athletic Association, United States Track and Field, and the Atlantic Coast Conference, according to the press release. The 2021 NCAA Cross-Country National Championships will also be hosted there.

“With recent investments at Apalachee Regional Park, our facility continues to be in high demand among national athletic associations,” said Leon County Commission Chairman Bryan Desloge. “We look forward to a hopeful future past the COVID-19 pandemic when we can welcome fans, coaches, and student-athletes to experience the most memorable championship of their lives.”