The 2004 NCAA Division II National Championships Festival has been voted the best collegiate multisport event by readers of SportsTravel magazine.

The award was presented October 23 at a banquet in Houston. Joan McDermott, athletics director at Metropolitan State College of Denver and former chair of the Division II Championships Committee, accepted the award on behalf of Division II.

SportsTravel magazine nominates events in a number of categories and then encourages votes from its readers. Criteria for nomination and voting include superior organization of and attendance at the event, a superior experience for the competitors and/or spectators at the event, and how the site or venue served to enhance the event. The nominated events had to occur between July 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004.

Other events nominated in the collegiate multisport category were the 2004 NAIA Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships in Johnson City, Tennessee; the 2004 USEF Varsity Equestrian Championships in Conyers, Georgia; the 2004 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas; the 2004 NIRA College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming; and the 2004 Southeastern Conference Swimming and Diving Championships in Athens, Georgia.

The NCAA Men's Final Four also was recognized as the best collegiate series event.

The nominated events were prime examples of the achievement of excellence in the organization and management of sporting events. The awards program is an opportunity for leaders in the sports-event industry to honor their peers for a job well-done.

The inaugural Division II National Championships Festival -- the first time that more than 700 college athletes from multiple sports gathered to determine national championships at a common time and place -- was designed to enhance competition for the athletes and create exposure for their sports. The event was conducted from May 11-16, 2004.

"The championships festival set a standard for Division II that could redefine the makeup of the division's future championships events," NCAA President Myles Brand said. "In fact, plans are being formulated to host a fall Championships Festival in 2006, and a second spring Championships Festival is well under way for 2008.

"I applaud Division II for its foresight and efforts in this area, and I hope that the Division II Championships Festival becomes a recurring event."