CORVALLIS - A small, passionate crowd recently gathered at the west side of the Oregon State University intramural field next to the softball and soccer facilities.

On the grass, a string of orange and black pennants were arranged in the shape of a track.

The field is the site of OSU’s future track and field facility. Coach Kelly Sullivan described the track, his words and poster boards of the plans combining to paint a picture for the supporters, many of whom had been waiting years for the sport’s return.

That time could arrive much sooner than most fans imagined and when it’s built, OSU can fill out the women’s team and eventually add a men’s program.

Even Sullivan never really expected the plans to move along so quickly. When he was hired in 2004, there really wasn’t an action plan.

“It wasn’t in the job description,” Sullivan said. “It was a small part of the interview. The initial thing was it’s not on the table.

“(The administrators said) it’s not a possibility at this time but let’s see what happens.

“We’ll keep doing what we’re doing and then we’ll just keep that in the back of our minds.”

The feasibility of adding a men’s team was in question, but athletic department officials decided it could be done with the addition of an indoor women’s team along with cross country and an outdoor program.

The timeline was sped up in part because of the support of OSU director of athletics Bob De Carolis and executive associate athletic director Todd Stansbury.

They knew of the strong history of OSU track and field and were both involved with the sport in one form or another at other universities.

The first step was to build a track. That meant looking for a proper location and getting the OK to go ahead. Then it was a matter of deciding on the type of facility to go with.

Instead of planning for a simple oval and some aluminum bleachers, the Beavers went with a design that includes a berm surrounding the facility, an entryway flanked by statues of former OSU track stars and a special area for distance coaches and spectators to watch the races.

The stadium will seat 1,500 to start, with room to expand. Sullivan estimated the cost to be between $6-8 million, with the first phase being the construction of the oval for about $3 million.

“Where we are now is we’ve gotten the stamp of approval to move forward as far as building a track facility and now the next stage is raising the money to do that,” Sullivan said.

Construction can begin when the money is raised.

“It’s going to depend on how quickly in the next 6-12 months that we can raise the money to do it,” Sullivan said. “Optimistically, we could start next summer on phase one. That’s probably our immediate goal is to have the $3 million raised so we can start next summer.”

“Bob’s initial safety net was to start in 2010, with the idea then of starting the men’s program by 2012.”

There could be a few men wearing OSU track gear as soon as next spring, however. Sullivan said there has been talk of forming a 400 relay team with some incoming football recruits.

“With the young football recruits we’ve got in here the last couple of years, there’s a lot of speed,” Sullivan said. “The kid they signed out of Canada (Keynan Parker)is one of the top upcoming sprinters in the world and then Jordan Bishop is a great athlete out of West Salem High School and then the two Rodgers brothers (James and Jacquizz), both of them are outstanding sprinters coming out of high school.

“I think you’d have to sponsor the outdoor track season for men, but it could actually be something that they could wear a uniform and compete in.”

Sullivan said OSU football coach Mike Riley is all for the addition of a men’s track program.

“Coach Riley’s behind it because they run into a lot of recruiting with kids that say, ‘Hey, I want to do track,’ ” Sullivan said. “Without us having a men’s track program right now, the answer is pretty much ‘No.’ They want it as badly as we do.”

Although the stadium initially would not be able to handle a huge event such as the recent U.S. Olympic track and field trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Sullivan doesn’t rule out any long-term prospects for the venue.

He said it could host the Pacific-10 Conference Championships and will be perfect for age group meets, high school state meets, OSU duals and camps and clinics.

“There’s a big niche that we would have with the track facility,” Sullivan said.