COLLEGE STATION, Texas and ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., March 11, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Five hundred of the nation's best collegiate track and field athletes will converge at Texas A&M University today and tomorrow for the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships. About 750 miles away, four hundred elite NCAA Division II athletes will gather at the Albuquerque Convention Center for their track and field championships. The common thread connecting both highly anticipated meets will be the Mondo surfaces under the competitors' feet.
Division I Championships
In the Division I meet, 70 women's teams and 62 men's teams will compete at Texas A&M's Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium, which features a state-of-the-art, six-lane, 200-meter track system with a Mondotrack surface and two curved track sections that can be banked for high-speed running events. A hydraulic system raises and lowers the running surface; the process can be completed in a few minutes. Mondo makes the world's only hydraulic banked 200-meter indoor competition track system.
The track can be set at any intermediate position between flat and fully raised, so it can be used for a wide range of events and by athletes with different skill levels. When the curved sections are lowered, the surface of the track is flush with the surrounding surfaces, so those surfaces can be used for other sports or activities.
"We're proud to have such a great indoor track and field facility with a world-class track system from Mondo," said Pat Henry, head coach, Texas A&M track and field. "The athletes competing at this year's NCAA Championships will have the opportunity to deliver their best performances as they compete on the Mondo surface."
Gilliam Stadium also features an eight-lane Mondotrack straightaway, press boxes and permanent seating for 4,800. The $38 million facility, which was completed in December 2008, hosts intercollegiate athletic competitions as well as a wide variety of other sports activities and events. It is one of the largest indoor collegiate track and field facilities in the country.
Division II Championships
The men and women competing in the Division II Track & Field Championships will take their marks on a 200-meter, six-lane banked Mondotrack surface at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, N.M. This specialty track was designed with a perfectly uniform surface for consistent performance in all lanes. It provides correct banking on turns and features controlled deflection when athletes are running.
During the two-day meet, 68 women's teams and 59 men's squads will compete in 17 events. For the second consecutive year, the competition will be hosted by Adams State College (Alamosa, Colo.) in partnership with the convention center.
"The Mondotrack gives our athletes a wonderful opportunity to run their best times," said Damon Martin, director of track and field at Adams State. "We want them to be able to compete at their highest level and I believe Mondo is the premier surface to let them do that."
Mondotrack builds upon the success of Mondo's world-renowned Super X Performance track, which has been the world's top track for more than 30 years and was the track of the eight Olympic Games prior to Beijing. Mondotrack was designed to provide optimal traction and a greater contact area than other tracks. It converts the maximum amount of force generated by athletes' foot strikes to energy for maximum energy return, which helps athletes achieve faster times compared to running on other surfaces. Mondotrack also provides excellent athletic comfort and maximum safety with the optimum blend of speed and comfort to accommodate both high-level competition and training venues. More than 230 world records have been set on Mondo tracks, including five at the 2008 Olympics.
About Mondo
Mondo is the global leader in the sports and contract flooring markets, manufacturing flooring surfaces for virtually every application. More than 1,100 Mondo tracks and 800 Mondo artificial turf fields are installed worldwide. The official supplier of the athletic track for the past nine Olympic Games and the upcoming 2012 London Olympics, Mondo also is the official supplier or official sponsor of more than 100 sports federations and associations.
The company supplies a wide variety of commercial flooring, and it is the world's largest producer of sports and toy balls with an average daily production of 450,000 units. In addition, it manufactures large luxury yachts under its Mondo Marine division.
A family-owned business since its founding in 1948, Mondo sells its products in more than 196 countries. The company's global headquarters are in Italy, and it has manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. More information about Mondo is available at www.mondoworldwide.com.
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Mondo and Mondotrack are registered trademarks of Mondo.