“The 2024-25 track season is fast approaching – and here at SPIRE Academy, we’re looking forward to hosting 30 meets over the indoor, outdoor and fall seasons at every level: youth, high school, college and open.” So says Sue McGrath-Powell, Track & Field Events Manager at SPIRE…someone who’s clearly excited at the prospect of all the exciting competition coming SPIRE’s way. “These events will bring every level of talent to our world-class facility. I recommend everyone who can to compete or simply attend. You won’t be disappointed.”

For indoor track and field, this series of events will entail: three Collegiate meets; the Speed Capital Youth Meet; the NEOITC High School Conference Series; the NEOTIC All-Star Meet; and several High School Invitationals, including the SPIRE Scholastic Showcase. The indoor season culminates with the OATCCC Indoor State Championships for Divisions I,II and III on March 7th and 8th.

The outdoor season begins in April, and will include SPIRE’s first High School Invitational on April 5th and a second High School Invitational on April 23rd and 24th. This second event will include a Decathlon and Heptathlon. The outdoor college season begins with the NCAA Last Chance Meet on May 12th and 13th, and ends with the NCAA Division III National Track & Field Championships May 22nd through 24th. 

“I’m excited for the 2024-25 track season,” says Tim Mack, Program Development Director and Head Coach, Vertical and Horizontal Jumps at SPIRE. “Word’s getting out about how fast our track is, so we expect to see a sizable increase from the number of teams and athletes that competed last year, and they’ll all be competing on our newly resurfaced 300m track. There will be thousands of competitors from across the U.S. and around the globe coming to showcase their talents at the best track and field complex in the world. We had so many great performances last year and are looking for even more records to be set this year.”

High School Meets

SPIRE High School Holiday Classic — 12/13/24

This will be the third running of the SPIRE High School Holiday Classic. It’s the perfect meet for young athletes to compete and see how their training is progressing before winter break and the rest of the indoor season begins. Register now!

NEOITC (Northeast Ohio Indoor Track Conference) — 1/8/25-2/21/25
Launched in 2013 by Charlie Powell, Mark Shafer and Mark Mendezoom, the NEOITC is a conference of northeast Ohio high school track and field teams. The event started out with eight boys teams and eight girls teams competing, and has grown to 50 boys teams and 50 girls teams competing. They are five divisions in a 15-meet series that culminates in an all-star meet in February. Register now!

SPIRE High School Invitational — 1/18/25

The SPIRE High School Invitational is an early season invite with more than 50 teams and 700 athletes competing, representing the U.S. and Canada. Historically, many early season notable times and distances come from this competition, so it serves as a forerunner of performances down the road. Register now!

SPIRE Ohio High School Preview Meet — 2/1/25

One of the largest and most competitive meets in the Midwest. This year’s meet saw more than 1,300 athletes from more than 60 teams across the U.S. compete, including teams from Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and Canada. For 2025, heats and flights are set to be competitive. Register now!

SPIRE Scholastic Showcase — 2/8/25

The SPIRE Scholastic Showcase is a high school event. The meet has minimum, verifiable entry standards and limited fields. The heat and flight performances are fast and far, which makes it a great meet for racking up impressive results. Register now!

SPIRE High School Indoor Games — 2/16/25

This is another of SPIRE’s newer meets, one which has become quite popular. This year’s meet had more than 600 athletes from 50 teams competing. It’s a great event for gauging performance and improving competitive edge. Register now!

OATCCC High School Indoor State Meet — 3/7/25-3/8/25

The Ohio Association of Track & Cross Coaches hosts this annual DI, DII and DIII meet. It formally recognizes the top five finishers in each event. The OATCCC hosts several annual meets and clinics, and also offers athletic scholarships.

College Meets

SPIRE College Holiday Classic — 12/14/24

The perfect chance for those looking to get into a quality meet to see what they can do on one of the fastest tracks in the Midwest. Our events are all conducted in separate areas, so track events and field events have no chance of getting in the other’s way. Register now!

SPIRE Midwest Open — 1/25/25

One of SPIRE’s oldest meets, 2025 will mark the 14th running of the Midwest Open. It’s always been a popular early season meet, with more than 1,000 athletes competing from 45 teams, including teams from Canada. Register now!

SPIRE Collegiate Indoor Games — 2/15/25

The Collegiate Indoor Games began in 2023 and have become one of SPIRE’s most-popular college meets. 1,500 athletes competed in 2024, representing 80 men’s and women’s track-and-field teams. Register now!

Youth Meets

Speed Capital Youth Meet — 1/11/25-1/12/25

The Speed Capital Youth Meet is a chance for track-and-field youth, as young as age five, to demonstrate their skills in track, jumps and throws. In the process, they get a sense of their personal skills, learn to set goals for themselves, and get to engage in friendly competition. Register now!