As part of the Championship City Pilot program, the NCAA has teamed up with the “We Run This City” Youth Marathon Program as well as the John Carroll University Volleyball Team and local Elementary Schools as an effort to get the community involved with the Championships this week. These initiatives will also provide unique opportunities for youth from around the Greater Cleveland area to get involved in sports.

Boys and girls from eight local schools will participate in the “We Run This City” marathon program where finishers will run a one-mile race after the NCAA Cross Country Championships at Highland Hills Golf Course on November 21, 2009. All participants will receive an event t-shirt, a completion certificate and ribbons will be awarded to the winners. During the Championships, race youth participants will be divided into four groups and will rotate around the course and hear speeches by a student-athlete, coach, former Olympian runner and medical staff. The ‘We Run This City” Youth Race will begin at 1:00pm with the awards presentation to immediately follow.

The NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Champion players will also take part in a community project and visit different Elementary Schools within the Cleveland area and read books to classes. Students at the schools will learn from talented student-athletes and receive an autographed memento. Along with the school visits, John Carroll University will host a Free Youth Volleyball Clinic on Saturday, November 21st from 3:00-5:00pm. This clinic is open to all volleyball teams, individuals and youth in the community that want to learn skills and techniques from college-level coaches and players. Participants will receive collegiate level training, a free event t-shirt and volleyball, and a ticket to the Championship Game which will follow at 7:00pm.

The NCAA Division III Women’s National Volleyball and Men’s and Women’s National Cross Country Championships, are both part of the NCAA Championship City program and are estimated to have a combined local economic impact of $1.5 million as athletes and visitors travel to Cleveland from across the nation. In 2008, NCAA selected Cleveland as one of six cities throughout the United States to serve as inaugural members in its new “NCAA Championship City” program. The Championship City pilot program will feature multiple host opportunities of NCAA Division I, II and III men’s and women’s championships through 2012. These championships will celebrate Cleveland and provide an enhanced experience unlike any other for NCAA student-athletes and fans. For more information, visit www.clevelandsports.org.