Division II Football Championship

Dates and sites: First-round games will be November 22, quarterfinals will be November 29 and the semifinals will be December 6, all on the campus of a participating institution. The final will be December 13 at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama.

Field: 16 teams, four from each of four regions.

Selection date: November 16.

2002 champion: Grand Valley State.

Top contenders: Valdosta State, Saginaw Valley State, North Alabama, Texas A&M-Kingsville and Central Oklahoma represented the top five teams in the October 28 American Football Coaches Association poll.

Championship notes: The top three teams in the AFCA poll remained undefeated through October 28, with Saginaw Valley going 8-0 for the first time in school history. The Gulf South and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Conferences lead all Division II leagues with the most representatives in the poll as of October 28. Each has four teams in the top 25 ... While no one team has dominated the Division II championship recently, Northwest Missouri State has won twice in the last five years.

Division II Men's Soccer Championship

Dates and sites: Preliminary-round games will be played on campus. First-round games will be November 13 or 14, second-round games will be November 15 or 16 and quarterfinal games will be November 22 or 23. The semifinals and final will be December 5 and 7 at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex, with Longwood University serving as host.

Field: Twenty-four teams, three from each of eight regions.

Selection date: November 10.

2002 champion: Sonoma State.

Top contenders: Lynn, Truman, Cal State Dominguez Hills, South Carolina-Spartanburg and Incarnate Word were the rankings leaders in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America November 3 poll.

Championship notes: Not only was Lynn unbeaten at 15-0-1 through November 3, but the Fighting Knights hadn't had too many close games during that span. The tie came against Nova Southeastern, while the lone one-goal wins were against Barry, Northwood, Tampa and West Florida. Mark Melling and Andrew Hirst have combined for 24 goals ... Lynn has never won the title, but the Fighting Knights finished second in 1997, the year they hosted the finals ... Victor Guerrero of Cal State Dominguez Hills tied his head coach for the school's all-time scoring lead with a successful penalty shot during the Toros' regular-season finale against Cal State Los Angeles. Guerrero's goal, which ties him with head coach Joe Flanagan for the most points in school history, lifted the Toros to 17-1-2. Cal State Dominguez Hills won the championship in 2000.

Division II Women's Soccer Championship

Dates and sites: Preliminary-round games will be played on campus. First-round games will be November 14, second-round games will be November 16 and quarterfinal games will be November 22 or 23. The semifinals and final will be December 4 and 6 at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex, with Longwood University serving as host.

Field: Thirty-two teams, four from each of eight regions.

Selection date: November 10.

2002 champion: Christian Brothers.

Top contenders: Metropolitan State, Kennesaw State, UC San Diego, Adelphi and Christian Brothers were the rankings leaders in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America November 3 poll.

Championship notes: Metropolitan State is in the middle of a great season despite recent media reports that the school's board of trustees is talking about discontinuing the entire athletics program. The 18-0-1 Roadrunners' only blemish on the schedule is a 0-0 tie at Nebraska-Omaha. Amy Leichliter and Naomi Clarke have combined for 27 goals and 15 assists through games of November 3 ... Defending-champion Christian Brothers is 14-1-1 and winner of seven straight after a 1-0 loss to West Florida. Scoring champion Missy Gregg may be gone, but Shoko Mikami has picked up the pace with 31 goals and eight assists.

Division II Women's Volleyball Championship

Dates and sites: The regionals are set for November 20-22 or 21-23 and the finals will be December 4-6 on the campus of a participating institution.

Field: 48 teams.

Selection date: November 16.

2002 champion: Brigham Young-Hawaii.

Top contenders: Cal State San Bernardino, Metropolitan State, Truman, Western Washington and University of UC San Diego represented the top five teams in the October 28 American Volleyball Coaches Association poll.

Championship notes: Through the October 28 poll, only one team in the top 25 -- No. 16 Northern Michigan -- was undefeated ... Schools from Hawaii have won this event four of the last five years, with Hawaii Pacific taking the title in 1998 and 2000 and Brigham Young-Hawaii winning in 1999 and 2002 ... Last year marked the second highest attendance (14,947) for all rounds of the championship.