GREENSBORO—Top athletes from across the state of North Carolina will compete in a busy weekend of track as the North Carolina High School Athletic Association begins its state track and field championships.

The weekend of competition will feature 2-A championships for both men and women on Friday, and then on Saturday the 4-A championships will be held, all at the Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University.

The 1-A and 3-A meets will be held next weekend.

Action in the field events will begin at 11 am and running events will start at noon on Friday, while Saturday’s schedule opens with field events at 10 am and running events at 11 am. It will be the 88th annual men’s championships and the 37th annual renewal of the women’s event.

Burlington Cummings is the two-time defending state 2-A women’s champion while North Rowan has won the team title among 2-A men four times in the past five years. Cummings was among the regional winners in women’s competition, along with West Henderson and Swansboro. Among the regional champions in men’s action were Shelby, Southern Guilford and North Brunswick.

Harding University of Charlotte has earned three of the last four 4-A titles in women’s competition while New Bern is the two-time defending champ among the 4-A men’s teams.

Southeast Raleigh, Apex, West Charlotte and Charlotte Myers Park all took regional titles last weekend in women’s competition, while it was Matthews David Butler, Charlotte Mallard Creek, New Bern and Southeast Raleigh winning regionals among the 4-A men.

The Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Greensboro Sports Commission, and Chick-Fil-A of Greensboro are serving as the host city sponsors for the event.

NCHSAA FastFacts

Event: NCHSAA Track and Field Championships, 2-A and 4-A classifications

Date: May 9-10, 2008, with 2-A men and women on May 9 and 4-A men and women on May 10

Site: Irwin Belk Track, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro

First Held: 1913 for men, 1972 for women

Qualifiers: The top four finishers in each event, including relays, qualified from the regional level to the state championship meet

Defending champions: women: 2-A, Burlington Cummings; 4-A, Charlotte Harding University; men: 2-A. North Rowan; 4-A, New Bern.

Of Interest: the oldest men’s track and field record still on the NCHSAA books is the 1975 record-setting shot put of Mike Salzano of Northern Durham at 61 feet, four and one-half inches.

Host City Sponsors: Greensboro Sports Commission, Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau, Chick-FIl-A of Greensboro