The Greater Des Moines Partnership and Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau (GDMCVB) urge Central Iowans to purchase tickets to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Competitions begin Wednesday, June 6 featuring some of the future 2012 Olympic hopefuls.

The events will be taped on Friday, June 8 at 5:30 p.m. by ESPN and broadcast at another time. Saturday, June 9 the races will be broadcast live on ESPN at 11 a.m.

“The more people we can have in the stands at Drake Stadium the better,” said Greg Edwards, GDMCVB President and CEO. “We especially want to urge spectators to sit on the East side of the stadium, in sections D through L. Those seats are in direct line of sight for the national camera crews.”

“By having more people in Drake Stadium watching the NCAA Championships, we are further proving that Des Moines, Iowa is Track Central USA,” said Jay Byers, CEO, Greater Des Moines Partnership. “The more tickets we sell and the better we look on national television, the better it is for the region to attract workforce and the more likely we are to land other national events.”

Competition begins Wednesday, June 6, with a majority of the finals events beginning Friday, June 8 at 2 p.m. Some of the most talked about final races will begin at 5:30 p.m. that evening. The race finals continue on Saturday, June 9. Des Moines’ own Katie Flood is expected to qualify and compete in the 1500 meters at 11:28 a.m. that day.

Tickets can be purchased at ncaa.com/tickets or call the Drake University box office at (515) 271-3647.