The cities of Amarillo and Canyon will partner with West Texas A&M University to host the 2013 Lone Star Conference Spring Championships Festival, league officials announced Monday after a unanimous vote by presidents at LSC universities.

        The festival, to be held May 2-6, will begin with an opening ceremony at the Amarillo Civic Center before featuring multiple days of competition in the LSC’s baseball, softball, and outdoor track & field championships at Buffalo Sports Park on the WTAMU campus.

         “This event promises to be another feather in the cap for the Lone Star Conference,” LSC commissioner Stan Wagnon said of the event that is expected to include more than 800 student-athletes and coaches representing 11 different universities. “Our teams enjoy a great deal of success in the sports of baseball, softball and track, so this will provide LSC fans with a tremendous opportunity to see some of our great athletes and teams competing at one of the nation’s premier collegiate sports complexes in Buffalo Sports Park.”

        By contesting the 6-team, double-elimination baseball tournament, 8-team single-elimination softball tournament and 17-team track meet at a single location, league officials are hoping to create a festival environment similar to the NCAA Division II Championship Festivals which provide student-athletes with an opportunity to support their peers and to interact outside of practice or competition periods. LSC student-athletes and coaches also are expected to engage in community events within the host cities, similar to NCAA festivals.

        The bid from Amarillo, Canyon and WTAMU was selected from a pool including two other Texas cities wanting to host the inaugural event. Areas of consideration for selecting the host site included finances, lodging for participants and officials, banquet facilities, revenue opportunities, and marketing plans.

         “We’re going to have quite an economic impact on both Amarillo and Canyon by combining these three events into one festival,” Wagnon said. “It should be a win-win situation for everybody involved, and most of all we think this format will lend itself to a positive experience for our student-athletes, coaches and fans.”

        Buffalo Sports Park is a 45-acre complex, which was completed in December of 2010 and features competition facilities for baseball, soccer, softball, and track and field. It is expected that the purchase of a single ticket will provide fans with access to all venues within Buffalo Sports Park each day.  Tickets are set to go on sale Dec. 1 through the WTAMU ticket office with more information on tickets and pricing to be released at a later date.

        The LSC, with headquarters in Richardson, Texas, has 11 member institutions with nine in Texas and one each in Oklahoma and New Mexico. 

 
2013 Lone Star Conference Spring Championships Festival

• Opening Ceremony: Amarillo Civic Center, May 2, 2013
• Outdoor Track & Field: West Texas A&M University Track, May 2-3-4, 2013
• Softball: Schaeffer Park, May 3-4-5, 2013
• Baseball: Wilder Park, May 3-4-5-6, 2013