VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia Beach was the place to be this weekend for track and field fans.

The Shamrock Marathon ran for the 53rd time this Saturday, but across the street at the Virginia Beach Sports Center, an event had the city jumping for joy — the NCAA Division I track and field championship. The city hosted the event for the first time.

“Well, we just couldn’t be more excited,” said Nancy Helman of the city of Virginia Beach. “The city of Virginia Beach is hosting the NCAA Division I indoor track and field championship. This was a dream of ours when we built the Virginia Beach Sports Center, and we’re so incredibly happy to see it come to life.”

Division I colleges from all over the country sent their best to the competition. But it’s much bigger than that.

“It’s a great event,” said Cody Brousek of the NCAA Sports Committee. “We’ve got over 400 athletes representing 44 countries. We’ve got multiple Olympians here that were in Paris that are here competing with the nation’s best, and most regard it as the hardest meet to get into in the United States and the world.

Things move fast in here, so don’t blink. 10 On Your Side went to the event, where photographer Cortez Grayson got pictures of the historical event.

And while this is the first time the city has hosted this event, it’s not a leap, or a stretch, to say this will lead to bigger and better events for the city.

“This is incredible exposure for our city and also for our venue,” Helman said. “It’ll lead to great things, including more world class track and field events coming into our facility. But also just exposing people to the city of Virginia Beach is a great destination to come visit, to come hang out, to come work out and to come be part of our community and live the life.”