JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Hundreds of college athletes from across the eastern half of the country are in Jacksonville, as the University of North Florida hosts the 2025 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field East Region First Round Championship this week.

Local businesses say they are seeing a boost in business because of it.

“We do see a lot of kids coming in with the coaches and stuff, lunch and dinner,” Snehal Patel, Owner & Manager of Tikka Bowl and Tacos Southside location, said.

“We’ve seen a good amount of college kids because of the meet come in,” Top Israel, Shift Lead at Clean Eatz Southside, said.

According to the UNF, this year there are 174 college track and field teams at the meet, with a total of 1,779 student-athletes competing.

They tell me they are expecting roughly 6,000 people at the meet for each day of the four-day competition. The last time UNF held this meet was in 2023, and they report that the city of Jacksonville saw more than $9 million in economic benefit just from this event alone.

UNF said it plans to host the championship again in 2027. Patel is already looking forward to the next one.

“We hope these meets keep happening over here,” Patel said. “It’s going to help a lot of small businesses like ours.”

Day 1 of the meet kicks off Wednesday at Hodges Stadium.

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