The All-American Track Classic, one of the country's top high school track and field invitationals in the month of April, has been canceled due to inclement weather.
The cancellation due to weather is a first for the meet.
On Thursday afternoon, meet officials released an announcement on Twitter explaining the decision. Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to hit Columbia on Friday and Saturday.
Coaches, Athletes and Fans: After further discussion among The All-American Track Classic Meet Staff, we have decided to make the tough decision to cancel the 29th running of THE Classic. This decision was not taken lightly, but safety and finances were taken largely into consideration due to the amount of rain projected this weekend. Our admin staff is deeply disappointed, as this is the first time we have had to cancel due to weather. All entry fees will be refunded, we are coordinating with MileSplit [on] the best course of action. Our motto at THE Classic is "Putting on the best meet anywhere and making it a little better each year." This decision allows us to make the 2024 running of the All-American Track Classic the best ever! We hop you will join us next year on April 12th & 13th, 2024.
The decision marks the third time in four years that the meet, which was formerly known was the Bojangles Track and Field Classic, has been forced to cancel due to unforeseen obstacles.
In 2020 and 2021, the meet did not take place due to COVID restrictions.
Last year's competition, however, saw a return to normalcy and over 2,300 athletes in over 3,300 events. The meet saw 249 elite performances in 2022.
This year's installment was set to be electric, with some of the country's top athletes, like Brody Buffington, Avery Lewis, Quincy Wilson and Nigel Ancrum, scheduled to compete. The Cuthbertson girls, who were entered in the 4x800, had hopes of going after the national record in the event.