Indoor Track Joins the Fold: NAIT Ooks Now Compete in All ACAC Sports
(May 23, 2025) – The following article was submitted by the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Ooks.
NAIT Athletics is proud to announce that the Ooks have officially been accepted to compete in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) indoor track season beginning in 2025-2026. With the addition of indoor track, NAIT will now compete in every ACAC-offered sport for the upcoming season — a significant milestone for the Ooks and NAIT Athletics as a whole.
Ron Barnhart, who currently leads the Ooks' cross-country running team, has been named head coach of the indoor track team. Coach Barnhart brings experience, passion, and a clear vision for the newest addition to NAIT's varsity lineup.
"Indoor track will appeal to a broader range of athletes as there [are] sprint, middle distance, and distance events. That will allow for a more diverse representation on the team," said Barnhart when asked about how the new team will contribute to NAIT Athletics' overall culture.
Having previously participated as guest competitors, Barnhart and his athletes are eager to step into the spotlight as official contenders.
"We have been guest competitors over the last two years, so being able to compete officially is exciting. Even more exciting is that we will finally be able to compete in the ACAC Championships," he said.
Looking ahead, Barnhart outlined his goals for the program.
"The short-term goal is to get the team up and running—no pun intended. Long term is to bring home an ACAC Championship within the next 3-5 years."
The addition of indoor track marks a key strategic move by NAIT Athletics, guided by Director of Athletics and Recreation, Jordan Richey.
"With the department adding cross-country running two seasons ago, the natural progression was to get into indoor track once our cross-country running program was established. We are extremely proud of our cross-country program and coaching staff and are happy to now provide them an opportunity to compete in indoor track," said Richey.
This development also represents a significant milestone for the department.
"We are very proud to now be officially in all ACAC sports. Our vision within NAIT Athletics is to provide quality student-athlete opportunities, and now that we have added the final ACAC sport, we are excited to say we are living up to our vision," he added.
Richey also emphasized the benefit this new program brings to NAIT student-athletes. "Similar to when we added futsal so our soccer student-athletes would have an opportunity to train and earn their scholarship in the soccer off-season, adding indoor track will do the same for our cross-country runners. It keeps our fall semester students engaged for the full year."
With the indoor track team officially joining the fold, the NAIT Ooks are poised to reach new heights in 2025-2026.
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About the ACAC: The ACAC is the governing body for intercollegiate athletics in Alberta. Its mission is to provide competitive collegiate sport experiences, promote academic achievement and be a leader of sport development in Canada.
For more information on the ACAC, please visit our website: www.acac.ab.ca
For additional information, contact:
Jordan Richey, NAIT Ooks
Director of Athletics & Recreation
780-999-6452
jrichey@nait.ca
Mark Kosak, Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference
Chief Executive Officer
403-875-7329
markk@acac.ab.ca
Kayla Beers, Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
kaylab@acac.ab.ca