BOSTON – After a region realignment and expansion of NCAA Division III cross country, the NCAA has awarded East Regional Championships hosting rights to Suffolk in the city of Boston for the 2021 campaign. The hosting gig is the Rams' first-ever across any sport in the University's Athletic program history, which spans over 75 years.  

"Suffolk's cross country program is thrilled to be hosting the NCAA DIII East Regional Championship this November," head coach of cross country/track & field Will Feldman said. "It's a tremendous honor that only a handful of programs have been fortunate to have … I think it's a great testament to the hard work that the student-athletes, coaches and administrators at Suffolk University have put into the cross country program over the last four years." 

Feldman continued, "This year's event is especially notable as it will be the first regional championship post regional realignment. Not only are we hosting NCAA Regionals, we're hosting the first-ever East Regional Championship. It's a historic event for NCAA DIII Cross Country and Suffolk University." 

The Rams earned the hosting responsibility following the July 2021 decision by the NCAA DIII Men's and Women's Track & Field and Cross Country Committee, as well as the Division III Championships Committee, to approve a 10-region realignment model for cross country, which will effective on Sept. 1, 2021.  

The new-and-improved 10-region model took over for the eight-region system, which lasted for nearly 40 years. The updated regions feature the East, Great Lakes, Metro, Mid-Atlantic, Mideast, Midwest, Niagara, North, South and West. For a full map of the 10 regions click here. For a full breakdown of each region, click here. 

In the last decade both men's and women's cross country has blossomed by 30-plus institutions per gender, which made some regions grow exponentially. The adjusted region system evens out the number of teams per region, which helps to eliminate one of the biggest obstacles cross country faces: finding courses capable of hosting regional meets with up to 70 teams.  

Each of the 10 regions will crown a regional champion Saturday, Nov. 13 when the 2021 NCAA Division III Cross Country Regional Championships are held across the nation.  

Suffolk will welcome institutions from the East, compromised of all of Maine, New Hampshire, and Eastern Massachusetts, to Franklin Park in Boston, the second Saturday of November. 

"We're looking forward to putting on a top of the line event for the student-athletes and getting to compete in front of our home crowd."