INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA announced today that the final day of the 2006 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships will air live on CBS Sports.  The broadcast will air from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on June 10.

“This is a tremendous step for collegiate track and field,” said DeTrease Harrison, chair of the Division I Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee and assistant athletics director for business at Virginia Commonwealth University.  “It gives us the opportunity for greater viewership and better exposure of our student-athletes.  The Division I Track and Field Committee wants to thank CBS Sports and the coaches association for teaming with us to get this done.  With the talent of our student-athletes we expect this to be an outstanding show.”

CBS Sports has televised the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships since 1986, but this is the first time that the network will televise it live.

“We are pleased to present the excitement of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships live to our viewers,” said Mike Aresco, senior vice president, programming, CBS Sports. “We look forward to a great event and the opportunity to highlight the outstanding achievements of the track and field student-athletes.”

The 2006 Championships will be held June 7-10 at the A.G. Spanos Sports Complex on the campus of California State University, Sacramento.  The schedule for the event has not been finalized, but the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Committee are working in consultation with the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) to work it out.

"Today’s announcement is a red letter day for collegiate track and field," said Sam Seemes, Chief Executive Officer of USTFCCCA. "This presents an outstanding opportunity not only for our sport but for the 1,100 student-athletes at the NCAA member institutions that compete at the Championships in track and field.  Although having the luxury of live television will create some challenges in scheduling and the conduct of the championships, I have no doubt that the NCAA committee, our coaching body and the student-athletes will be more than up to the task and will enthusiastically look forward to the final result."

Tickets for the event are available by calling Sacramento State ticket office at 916/278-4323.