The Division II Championships Committee has awarded the first Division II spring sports festival to the city of Orlando and the Central Florida Sports Commission.

The event -- the first time any NCAA division has grouped multiple championships at a common place and time -- will take place Monday, May 10, through Sunday, May 16, 2004.

At its September 15-18 meeting, the committee chose Orlando because:

"The Championships Committee was impressed with all of the bids submitted and the commitment demonstrated by the cities wanting to work with Division II," said Division II Management Council Chair Mike Marcil, commissioner of the North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The championships involved in the festival will be men's and women's golf, women's lacrosse, men's and women's tennis, and softball. The Championships Committee is committed to conducting a spring sports festival once every four years so each class of student-athletes will have an opportunity to participate. About 600 student-athletes will take part in the inaugural event.

"This location has a number of things going for it," said Sharon Cessna, NCAA director of championships. "One may be the ability to attract families, in a way that previously has not been possible, because of the proximity the various theme parks and other central Florida recreational opportunities."

Cessna said event administrators will face two principal challenges.

The first will involve scheduling the festival in a way so that events do not overlap. More specifically, Cessna said the goal is to create a schedule that will make it possible to see all events, a difficult task considering that the championships will be conducted throughout a radius of about 10 miles (the specific sites will be announced later).

The second challenge will involve meeting a commitment to enhance the student-athletes' championship experience. While the student-athletes likely will enjoy the local attractions, organizers also will attempt to deal with other issues that have been identified by the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

That group has told the division's leadership that student-athletes often are frustrated because they do not have enough opportunities to interact with other athletes at championships events. "With that in mind, we will explore extra activities that we can develop so everybody takes part," Cessna said. "We also will ask the coaches and other administrators from the schools for a commitment that their student-athletes will be able to participate in activities not related to competition."

Cessna said that not only will the festival include a number of athlete-friendly activities, it also will feature a gathering place on a lake near the headquarters hotel where athletes can go for refreshments or perhaps entertainment during down periods. In addition, shuttles will be available to move athletes and fans from event to event.

Other business

The Championships Committee acted on other matters during its September meeting, including the following:

left At the recommendation of the men's and women's basketball committees, the Championships Committee approved an in-region strength-of-schedule standard for the selection process. In 2003-04, up to three bonus points will be awarded for in-region, out-of-conference play.

left The committee approved a recommendation from the Division II Women's Rowing Committee to change championship competition from I Eights and II Eights to I Eights and Fours.

left In men's and women's tennis, the committee approved a seven-year regional rotation for championships matchups as an alternative to seeding (that is, East would play West in the first round one year, South the next and so on).

left The committee also voted that each sports committee must publish three regional rankings per year -- midway through the season, the second-to-last week before selections and the week before selections.

Division II spring sports festival facts

What: A festival of six Division II spring championships conducted at a common location over a one-week period.

Which sports: Men's and women's golf, women's lacrosse, women's softball, and men's and women's tennis.

When: May 10-16, 2004.

Where: Orlando, Florida.

Number of participating student-athletes: About 600.

Frequency: Once every four years.