OWENSBORO, Ky. — Kentucky Wesleyan College hosted their first ever Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Track and Field championships on their new track this week.

Events took place starting Wednesday and Kentucky Wesleyan assistant coach Mark Rowe was extremely excited about hosting the event.

“To be able to host the conference meet is huge," Rowe said. "It's great for our kids and it’s great for all the other teams to come in and it’s also great for our community as well.”

The track program just completed its eighth year and the influx of teams and families benefited small businesses in the area. 

“It’s not just basketball and football there is these other sports like track and field and archery and they bring people into Owensboro," said Moonlite Bar-B-Q co-owner Patrick Bosley. "That’s critically important especially with a struggling economy it’s a big deal for Owensboro.”

Rowe is currently in his second year as assistant coach and is looking forward to hosting the championships in the future. 

"It's big for our staff and especially our kids who get to sleep in their own beds at night," Rowe said. "Us hosting is just going to make us a better team and we look forward to doing it again."