Some 425 days after the last time an NCAA Championship trophy was hoisted, the 2021 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships are the first out of the blocks today on ESPN3. ESPN, currently the broadcast home to 28 NCAA Championships, is set to spotlight a plethora of postseason play, with 26 NCAA Championships slated for coverage across ESPN networks over the next three months. Every championship event is also available internationally.
“After a year without NCAA Championship competitions on our networks, I think I can speak for all of us at ESPN when I say we couldn’t be more excited to welcome back the NCAA postseason as it returns to our comprehensive college sports coverage,” said Dan Margulis, ESPN senior director, Programming & Acquisitions. “Our commitment to women’s and men’s collegiate athletics is unmatched, and while nearly two dozen NCAA Championships over three-and-a-half months is a herculean task, I can’t think of a team more up to the challenge than our college sports crew at ESPN.”
With a creative refresh to ESPN’s college sports coverage earlier this year thanks to the “Willy Wonkas of Graphics,” the graphics gurus on the ESPN Creative Studio team brought their best to crown collegiate athletics’ best, with a brand new NCAA Championship look debuting this weekend.
“With the return of NCAA Championship season, we evolved the look beyond the regular season style to encompass the motif of competition and prestige through a cobrand logo, color scheme, and inclusion of the NCAA Championship sports banners,” said Thomas Maloney, associate art director for ESPN Creative Studio. “This results in our viewers experiencing a refreshed look that elevates the package they already know.”
Division I Indoor Track & Field is one of just six NCAA Championships starting up over the next 10 days across ESPN networks, taking the collegiate championship calendar through the College World Series at the end of June.
| CHAMPIONSHIP | COVERAGE DATES |
|---|---|
| Indoor Track and Field | March 11-13 |
| Cross Country | March 15 |
| Women’s Swimming and Diving | March 17-20 |
| Women’s Ice Hockey | March 18-20 |
| Wrestling | March 18-20 |
| Women’s Basketball | March 21 – April 4 |
| Men’s Swimming and Diving | March 24-27 |
| Fencing | March 26-28 |
| Men’s Hockey | March 26 – April 10 |
| Bowling | April 10 |
| Gymnastics | April 16-17 |
| Women’s Volleyball | April 18-24 |
| FCS Football | May 5-16 |
| Beach Volleyball | May 7-9 |
| Men’s Volleyball | May 8 |
| Women’s Soccer | May 13-17 |
| Men’s Soccer | May 14-17 |
| Lacrosse | May 15-31 |
| Softball | June 3-9 |
| Outdoor Track and Field | June 9-12 |
| Baseball | June 19-30 |
