HAMMOND, Ind. — Purdue University Northwest is proud to announce the addition of women's and men's track & field programs. PNW Track & Field will compete in both indoor and outdoor seasons and will officially launch in the 2022-23 academic year. The latest sport additions elevate PNW's sport offering to 17 NCAA Division II teams.
"PNW's growing NCAA Division II Athletics programs enhance the overall student experience and provide new opportunities for accomplished student-athletes to compete at the college level while attaining a high-quality education," Purdue Northwest Chancellor Thomas L. Keon said. "I look forward to welcoming our first track and field student-athletes to the Pride next year."
"A truly exciting day for the Pride of PNW! The addition of track and field will bring a high achieving group of students in the classroom, in competition and in the community," said Rick Costello, Director of Athletics. "I am thrilled that Austin Warner will serve as head coach of the track and field programs and expand on the excellence of the PNW cross country programs. I look forward to Coach Warner's recruitment efforts and the addition of many amazing students."
According to the National Federation of State High School Association's 2018-19 Athletics Participation Survey, 10,667 girls competed in track & field across Indiana in 2018-19, while 13,593 boys competed. Over 135,000 high school student-athletes participated in track and field in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) footprint.
Austin Warner, who is in his fifth year leading PNW Cross Country, will become the first head coach to lead PNW Track & Field. The Dyer, Ind. native previously spent three years as an assistant coach with the cross country and track & field programs at DII Nova Southeastern University (FL).
"I am thrilled about the addition of NCAA track and field at Purdue Northwest," Warner said. "The addition of women's and men's track and field gives more opportunities for current and future student-athletes to compete in GLIAC and NCAA Championships. Track and field will bring added value to our growing athletic department. I am excited to be a part of this amazing opportunity to build these programs from the ground up."
PNW Track & Field teams will compete in the GLIAC as well as against other regional DII NCAA members. With the Pride adding the new programs, all GLIAC universities will sponsor women's track & field, and nine of the 11 universities will sponsor men's track & field.
"On behalf of our league members, I congratulate Purdue Northwest on their athletic program enhancement," GLIAC Commissioner Kris Dunbar said. "The GLIAC has a rich track and field tradition, and the Pride will be a great addition. They have a top-notch coach in Austin Warner, and we look forward to seeing him build the men's and women's programs."
FAQS
Why add Track & Field?
The PNW Pride student-athletes just completed their third consecutive semester with over a 3.4 GPA, have a 92% retention rate and are leaders on and off the Purdue Northwest campus. PNW is excited to welcome new students that will continue the academic, athletic, and social excellence of the Pride. Nationally, outdoor track & field is the No. 1 participation sport for high school girls and the No. 2 participation sport for high school boys, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations 2018-19 Athletics Participation Survey.
In 2018-19 alone, the sport had nearly 1.1 million participants with 488,267 high school girl participants from 17,012 secondary schools, and 605,354 high school boy participants from 17,052 schools. In 2018-19, Indiana saw 10,667 high school girls compete in the sport, while 13,593 high school boys competed.
Who is going to coach the teams?
Austin Warner, current Head Coach of the Women's and Men's Cross Country programs, will assume the expanded role of Head Coach of Women's and Men's Cross Country and Track & Field. Purdue Northwest will conduct a national search for an assistant women's and men's cross country and track & field coach, who will soon begin recruiting student-athletes for the new programs.
Where will the teams compete?
The Pride will practice at local high school tracks in Northwest Indiana and in the many indoor facilities available in Chicagoland. Purdue Northwest looks forward to the outstanding NCAA competition both regionally and nationally.
Who will the teams compete against?
PNW Track & Field teams will compete against GLIAC members as well as other regional NCAA DII members. Currently, all GLIAC members sponsor women's track & field teams and nine sponsor men's track & field. To view GLIAC track & field programs, please visit https://www.gliac.org/sports/track/index
When will the teams start competition?
PNW Track & Field Competition will start in the 2022-23 school year.
ABOUT PURDUE UNIVERSITY NORTHWEST PRIDE ATHLETICS
Purdue Northwest Athletics consists of 300 student athletes and 17 sports and is a member of NCAA Division II, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). Intercollegiate athletic teams are fielded in women's and men's basketball, women's and men's soccer, women's and men's cross country, women's and men's tennis, women's volleyball, women's and men's golf, softball, baseball, women's and men's track & field, esports and men's ice hockey. For more information on the Purdue University Northwest Athletics program please go to www.PNWathletics.com.
ABOUT PURDUE UNIVERSITY NORTHWEST
Purdue University Northwest (PNW) is a premier metropolitan university dedicated to empowering transformational change in our students and in our community. Located in Northwest Indiana, near Chicago, PNW values academic excellence, supports growth, and celebrates diversity. For more information about PNW, visit www.pnw.edu.
