JACKSONVILLE, Fla., May 23, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Collegiate track and field athletes from the Eastern U.S. hoping to compete in the NCAA Division I Championships in June will first have to make it through a preliminary round at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville May 24-26. The track serving as the surface for the NCAA Division I East Regional Preliminary Round is Mondotrack, the official track of the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics.
Installed in 2008 at UNF's Hodges Stadium, the nine-lane, 400-meter track features 48-inch lanes—the width specified by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and required for international meets. In addition to the track, all the runways—including two for javelin, two for long jump and triple jump, and two for pole vault—have the Mondotrack surface. The track also has full markings for all NCAA and IAAF events, and directional events can be run in either direction on either straight. Hodges Stadium is a certified Class II facility by the IAAF, one of just six in the U.S. and 372 in the world.
Those who qualify at UNF will advance to the NCAA Division I Championships at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, June 6-9. Drake Stadium also has a Mondo track surface, its world-renowned Super X Performance track.
About Mondo's Tracks
Mondotrack provides the optimum blend of speed, safety and comfort for high-speed competition and training. It helps athletes run faster compared to other surfaces. Five world records were set on the Mondotrack at the Beijing Games in 2008.
Renowned for its shock absorption and optimal energy return, Mondo's Super X Performance track provides consistent performance throughout its life and minimizes the occurrence of injuries. The high-performance rubber surface was an official track of eight Olympic Games through 2004.
About Mondo
Mondo is the global leader in the track and field, indoor sport and contract flooring markets, manufacturing rubber flooring surfaces for virtually every application. More than 1,100 Mondo tracks and 800 Mondo artificial turf fields are installed worldwide. An official supplier of athletic tracks 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 rubber flooring and manufactures 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. For news updates, the latest on Mondo products and events, and the company's latest sport flooring installations, visit mondoworldwide.com and like Mondo America's Facebook page and the Mondotrack Facebook page.
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Mondo and Mondotrack are registered trademarks of Mondo.