FloSports today announced a multi-year partnership with the NCAA and NCAA Digital -- managed by Turner Sports -- to provide live and archived coverage of the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships exclusively on FloTrack.com. The partnership kicks off Saturday, Nov. 19, from Terre Haute, Ind., where FloTrack will live stream the championships. The women will race at 11 a.m. ET, followed by the men.
"This partnership with the NCAA allows us to highlight exceptional student-athletes competing in the NCAA Cross Country Championships to a global audience of die-hard running fans," FloSports co-founder and COO Mark Floreani said. "FloTrack is the worldwide leader in track and cross country coverage, and we're excited to work with the NCAA to elevate this event to new heights."
Earlier this year, FloTrack live streamed the 2016 Big 12 Cross Country Championship, the Roy Griak Invitational at the University of Minnesota, as well as the 2016 Big 12 Championships for indoor track & field.
"Partnering with FloSports is going to put more attention and visibility on the accomplishments of NCAA cross country student-athletes, and it will provide our fan base with the opportunity to see the excitement of an NCAA championship while it's actually happening," said Angie Lansing, Division I cross country chair and Indiana State University senior associate athletics director and senior woman administrator. "This is a move in the right direction as we continue to look for ways to bring our championships to a broader audience and ways to improve the overall student-athlete experience."
At the upcoming 2016 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, long-time FloTrack announcer and Bowerman Awards emcee Ryan Fenton will handle play-by-play duties alongside Olympians Bob Kennedy and Sheila Reid. Competing for Indiana University, Kennedy won individual NCAA cross country titles in 1989 and 1992; his 1989 win was one of the only wins ever by a true freshman. Reid won individual titles in 2010 and 2011, and was part of Villanova's national championship teams in 2009 and 2010.
The women of the University of New Mexico and the men of Syracuse University will look to defend their team titles against stiff competition from the Mountain Region. The Colorado women and the University of Northern Arizona men are both ranked No. 1 in FloTrack's Saucony Flo50 rankings and are undefeated on the season.
It will be a history-making championship in Terre Haute. University of Oregon senior Edward Cheserek is looking to become the first man in NCAA history to win four individual cross country national championships. If the Northern Arizona men win, they'll be the first men's team from outside the Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12, Big 10 and the Pac 12 to win in 35 years.
The women's individual race is equally thrilling. In the most wide-open race in years, the University of Michigan's Erin Finn, New Mexico's Alice Wright, University of Notre Dame's Anna Rohrer, and Boise State University's Brenna Peloquin will vie for their first NCAA title.
To access the live streaming coverage and post-event replays of the cross country championships, users must sign up to become FloPRO subscribers on FloTrack.com. As a special offer for this year's event, seven-day free trials are available for monthly and annual FloPRO subscriptions. Members get access to all live events and replays, our original documentary series, technique videos and more. Yearly subscribers also gain access to premium content across the FloSports network of sites.
FloSports content is available on all screens now with the recent launch of the FloSports' Roku and Apple TV apps.