Fresno, Calif.'s Woodward Park will remain the home of the CIF State Cross Country Championships for another three years, the CIF executive committee has announced.

The new threeyear agreement will run from 2007-09. Woodward Park has been the site for the CIF State Cross Country Championships since their inception in 1987.

"Woodward Park has been the home for the CIF State Cross Country Championships since the event began 20 years ago, and we are pleased that it will remain at the site for the next three years," said CIF Executive Director Marie M. Ishida.

"Student-athletes, coaches, parents and fans associate the day after Thanksgiving with traveling to Fresno for the state championship meet."

Annually, nearly 2,000 student-athletes from across the state compete in the championships. The event features 10 races in five divisions for both male and female athletes.

All races are on a 5,000-meter course that features hard-packed dirt trails with some grass and asphalt. It has mild ups and downs over rolling hills with one steep but short hill.

"The CIF State Cross Country Championships give Fresno the opportunity to showcase itself as a premier sports destination," said Roger Montero,

deputy mayor of Fresno and chairman of the FSC. "We are pleased to keep this event in our city."

The 2006 CIF State Cross Country Championships will take place Sat., Nov. 25. The first race will begin at 8:30 a.m.

Information provided by Emmy Zack, CIF director of communications