ORLANDO, Florida -- Division II hit a long home run with the first National Championships Festival. Or aced it. Or put it away. Or scored a breakaway goal.

Whether the terminology involved softball, golf, tennis or lacrosse, the point is that the NCAA's first foray into conducting multiple championships at a common locale was immensely successful.

Over a five-day period, the NCAA and the Central Florida Sports Commission teamed to administer Division II championships in men's and women's golf, women's lacrosse, men's and women's tennis, and women's softball. In the end, the competition was administered effectively, and the goal of creating significant added value for the student-athlete experience was reached, if not surpassed.

A clearly pleased NCAA President Myles Brand called the May 12-16 event "historic" and strongly predicted that the format would become an increasingly standard practice, at least within Division II.

Division II Management Council Chair Sue Willey was equally enthusiastic, saying: "We had first-class venues, awesome competition in a multitude of sports and enjoyment of the experience outside of the field of competition. It was a very good first try."

The event was a hit on virtually every level, although the dominant success involved adding substance to the championships experience for the 655 participating student-athletes. Not only did the event provide them for the first time with the opportunity to interact with competitors from other teams and other sports, it also created a platform for celebrating their high-level successes.

That point was hammered home in the early and late stages of the event with highly effective opening and closing ceremonies.

The May 12 opening ceremony at Universal Studio's Hard Rock Live featured CBS broadcaster Bonnie Bernstein, Olympic softball gold medalist Dot Richardson and the rock band Collective Soul. At the May 15 closing ceremony, NCAA President Brand and college basketball commentator Dick Vitale served as headliners.

"The student-athletes enjoyed the band," said Ben Giess of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, chair of the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. "But they also appreciated the time, effort and organization that went into the event."

That seemed apparent even before the opening ceremony officially began. Camera flashes popped one after another throughout the auditorium as the student-athletes recorded their memories of the special event.

Bernstein, formerly a gymnast at the University of Maryland, College Park, was rewarded with robust applause right away when she said: "It's a shame that the athletes in Divisions II and III don't get the recognition they deserve." From that point forward, it was clear that the festival was designed to address that problem.

Gold-medal treatment

"My expectation going into the week was that we would administer quality national championships in these six sports and that the student-athletes would have an understanding that this was a unique experience," said Division II Vice-President Mike Racy. "What I didn't expect was the enthusiasm from the student-athletes for how specially they were treated this week. There was an electricity at the opening ceremony that I haven't seen before at a Division II event."

The voltage was increased when Richardson, the two-time softball gold medalist, took the stage at the opening ceremony. After telling the student-athletes that they represent "the best of the best," she gave a brief but powerful speech that focused on how true learning often is achieved by dealing with adversity (a message that Vitale reinforced in his closing remarks).

She told of her senior season at the University of California, Los Angeles, when her dominant and seemingly unbeatable team was struck by food poisoning after an opening-round victory. What had appeared to be a romp to the title suddenly became an ordeal as players became sick in the dugout and even on the basepaths. To make matters worse, the Bruins were forced into a 21-inning game in mid-tournament. In the end, it was too much to overcome, and UCLA failed to repeat as No. 1. "We finished third," Richardson said, "but that's when I learned what it took to be a champion."

Her message clearly resonated with the student-athletes, who surrounded her long after her talk, seeking autographs and asking her to pose for pictures with her gold medals.

"I thought Dot Richardson was the hit of the night," said Joan McDermott, Championships Committee chair and director of athletics at Metropolitan State College of Denver. "There may have been more interest in her than in the band."

Giess agreed, saying: "The athletes, especially the softball players, really enjoyed Dot Richardson. She stayed and signed autographs for an hour. She let them pose with her gold medal and was very nice to everybody. It was really appreciated."

The opening ceremony set an effective stage for the competition phase, which began the next morning. While the competition itself was generally indistinguishable from what it would have been had each championship had its own site, the festival yielded a number of subtle benefits.

For example, student-athletes occasionally showed up as spectators at championship events, sometimes supporting their peers. Likewise, administrators with multiple teams in spring championships were able to move from venue to venue rather than having to choose to follow one team at the exclusion of another.

Also, the festival may have boosted attendance, if only by a little. The tennis championships, which were conducted at the same site last year, provided an interesting comparison. Tennis attendance was thought to be about three times what it was in 2003.

Meanwhile, the festival also brought benefits for the student-athletes after hours and between competitions. Each of the three host hotels was equipped with a student-athlete lounge at which the athletes could play video games, play foosball or grab a snack.

"The lounges were great," Giess said. "I was there only twice when somebody wasn't there. Eleven o'clock would roll around and the intern would want to go to bed, but the athletes didn't want to leave. The student-athletes really enjoyed the camaraderie in the game room. It was much better than sitting in your room and watching TV."

The final full day -- Saturday, May 15 -- produced five national champions (softball was crowned the next night) and a memorable closing ceremony. As the sun set on an unusually cool and pleasant May evening, the student-athletes enjoyed taking part in the CBS Beyond the Game interactive exhibits and, once again, recording the memories with hundreds of camera flashes. Trophies for academic accomplishments and championships achievements were awarded before an enthusiastic crowd of hundreds rather than a small collection of family and friends.

Coaches received their awards and repeatedly expressed gratitude for the opportunity to have taken part in the festival.

To be sure, it was a night when Division II was second to none.

Or, as Vitale put it, "You're awesome, baby! With a capital 'A'!"