"This will be a big benefit to the sport," John McNichols, Indiana State men's cross country head coach said. "It will allow a greater number of fans to attend the championships which is good for all involved."

McNichols, a member of the Track & Field Subcommittee, made the proposal two years ago. He noted that there were some concerns during the two-year approval process including a change to tradition and whether the region championships could be moved from Saturday to Friday.

"There is always controversy when change occurs but this change is what our sport needs," McNichols said. "We do lose a day of recovery between the region and national championships although exercise physiologists believe the effect would be minimal."

The traditional Monday date came during the short work week before Thanksgiving which made it difficult for many fans to visit the site of the National Championship.

"Logically the move means that anyone in the two-state area can attend the Championship and return home the same day," McNichols said. "It also opens up the possibility that high school students can attend the event without missing class and fans that travel will only have to miss one day of work to attend the competition."

McNichols also noted that the NCAA took into consideration statements from CBS Sports producers who said an early start on Saturday is better than running during the week.

"They told us that it is better to run before college football than to try to go up against the soap operas," McNichols said.

The new date formula was passed by NCAA Championships Cabinet and moves the NCAA Division Championship to Saturday for the first time since World War II. The same formula also moves up the regional championships to Friday, eight days before the National Championship.

The 2012 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships are scheduled to be held on Saturday, Nov. 17, at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky., and hosted by the University of Louisville. This will be the first time that the University of Louisville and the city of Louisville will host the Division I Championships. The city also hosted the 2010 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships and the Division I Southeast Region in five of the last six years including 2011.

"We were hoping that we would be the first one to hold the meet on Saturday but I know that Louisville will do a great job," McNichols said.

The NCAA Division I meet will return to Indiana State University and the city of Terre Haute in 2013 where the championships have been conducted in nine of the last 10 years including the 2011 Championships. The city of Terre Haute and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology will host the 2012 Division III Championships.

The Division I regional championships will be held on Friday, Nov. 9, with Indiana State going to the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wis., for the Great Lakes Region Championship hosted by the University of Wisconsin.

The new date formula prescribes that the national meet be held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving which matches what has been done in Division II and Division III for several years. By virtue of the calendar having the earliest possible Thanksgiving in 2012 (November 22), this year's meet will be the earliest in Division I history.

Since the first NCAA Cross Country Championships in 1938, the Division I meet had been held on the Monday prior to or immediately following the Thanksgiving holiday. The exceptions were during World War II when the meet was held on a Saturday (the earliest being November 21). The meet was held on a Tuesday in 1963 after being postponed after the assassination of President John Kennedy.