FHSAA state track and field championship to return to UNF's Hodges Stadium in May 2023
Florida's fastest runners are racing back to the First Coast.
The Florida High School Athletic Association announced Thursday that the 2023 state track and field championships will return to Jacksonville this year, in a late switch after Gainesville withdrew from hosting rights.
The FHSAA's announcement brings more than 1,000 athletes from schools across the Sunshine State, from Pensacola to the Keys, to Jacksonville for the latest edition of a track tradition that dates back to 1915.
When is the 2023 FHSAA track meet in Jacksonville?
This year's meet will be scheduled for May 17-20 at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium.
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Why did Jacksonville receive the FHSAA's selection?
The FHSAA had originally designated the University of Florida's James G. Pressly Stadium as the host, but the association said that UF had notified them that the school "would be unable to fulfill any hosting duties moving forward." Gainesville was the host city last year for the first time since 2004. UF was also designated as the host for the 2020 meet, but the spring sports season was truncated by the coronavirus pandemic.
With UNF's elite facility and long history of track events, Jacksonville was a logical choice to host on short notice.
How will the track meet be structured?
The new event will take place one week later than the originally scheduled dates, which in effect gives athletes an extra week of rest following the regional championships from May 3-6. Under this year's calendar, the four FHSAA classes for track will each have their own day of competition in Jacksonville.
What is Jacksonville's history as a state track host?
Hodges Stadium and the Visit Jax Track, resurfaced two years ago, previously held the state track meet from 2012 to 2015 as well as 2018, 2019 and 2021. Those meets included a host of memorable achievements, including back-to-back boys team titles for Bartram Trail in 2012 and 2013; Anthony Schwartz's 10.07-second 100-meter dash for American Heritage in 2018; Bolles' triumph over Hallandale by a single point in the Class 2A girls standings in 2014; and a world age group record of 22.48 for Gainesville's Tamari Davis in the girls 200 in 2018.
What other major UNF track events are planned?
The FHSAA meet further adds to an already hectic spring spell for the UNF track, which is also scheduled to hold the NCAA East Preliminary from May 24-27. Historically, major track meets at UNF have generated an economic impact into the millions, with figures from $7 million to $9 million cited in connection with the college meet. UNF is also scheduled to serve as the host in March for the Bob Hayes Invitational Track Meet, moving across the river after more than a half-century at Raines High School.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 2023 FHSAA state track meet coming to Jacksonville, UNF Hodges Stadium
