Division II Men's Basketball Championship

Dates and sites: Regional play at campus sites will be March 12, 13 and 15. The Elite Eight is March 23, 24 and 26 in Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Field: Sixty-four teams.

Selection date: March 6.

2004 champion: Kennesaw State.

Top contenders: Bentley, Findlay, Metropolitan State, Minnesota State Mankato, Texas A&M-Commerce.

Championship notes: Bentley reached the top spot in the Division II NABC poll for the first time in 16 years ... Findlay's 15.1 scoring margin ranked eighth in the nation through mid-February ... Metropolitan State coach Mike Dunlap has led Roadrunners to seven NCAA tournaments, four semifinal appearances and two national championships ... Minnesota State Mankato's Jamel Staten averages 22.8 points per game, which ranks 10th in the nation ... Texas A&M-Commerce has rebounded from a 10-19 season in 2003-04 to being a top-five team this year.

Division II Women's Basketball Championship

Dates and sites: Regionals are March 11, 12 and 14 at campus sites. The Elite Eight will be at Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Arkansas, March 23, 24 and 26.

Field: Sixty-four teams.

Selection date: March 6.

2004 champion: California (Pennsylvania).

Top contenders: Drury, Seattle Pacific, Shaw, Washburn, Lake Superior State.

Championship notes: Drury's Amanda Newton is the nation's leading free-throw shooter at 91.1 percent ... Seattle Pacific's rebounding margin is 10.8, which ranks third in the nation ... Shaw is defeating its opponents by an average of 29.7 points, which is best in the country. Jessica Hawkins is third in the nation in steals at 4.4 ... Washburn's Carla Sintra ranks sixth nationally with a .608 field-goal percentage ... Becky Marquardt-King of Lake Superior State is making 63.8 percent of her shots, which is second in the country.

Division II Men's Swimming and Diving Championships

Dates and site: The nationals will be at the YMCA Aquatic and Family Center in Orlando, Florida, March 9-12. Rollins College and the Central Florida Sports Commission will host the meet.

Field: The meet is open to all competitors who have met the NCAA's established minimum standard in an event. The number of entries is unlimited; however, no team is allowed more than 18 competitors.

2004 team champion: Cal State Bakersfield.

Top team contenders: Cal State Bakersfield, North Dakota, Delta State, UC San Diego, Drury.

Championships notes: North Dakota won its sixth straight North Central Conference championship behind league record swims from Rodrigo Ferreira in the 100-yard freestyle (an event in which he finished third in last year's national meet)and the 400-yard freestyle relay team. Divers Kasey Moseley and Chris Bancroft will add to North Dakota's title chances as well ... UC San Diego's Kurt Boehm was named swimmer of the meet, but the Tritons finished second to Cal State Bakersfield in the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference championships. Freshman Joel Tourtellotte won the 1,650-yard freestyle. Cal State Bakersfield, despite having won 13 Division II national team titles, captured only its second league championship in the last 13 years. Piotr Gegotek, who won the 100- and 200-yard freestyles last year, is back for the Roadrunners ... 2004 swimmer of the meet Jakub Jiracek, who won four individual events last year, returns for defending runner-up Drury.

Division II Women's Swimming and Diving Championships

Dates and site: The nationals will be at the YMCA Aquatic and Family Center in Orlando, Florida, March 9-12. Rollins College and the Central Florida Sports Commission will host the meet.

Field: The meet is open to all competitors who have met the NCAA's established minimum standard in an event. The number of entries is unlimited; however, no team is allowed more than 18 competitors.

2004 team champion: Truman.

Top team contenders: North Dakota, UC San Diego, Truman, Cal State Bakersfield, Drury.

Championships notes: Truman won the New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference championships over Delta State behind swimmer-of-the-meet Diana Betsworth, who was a top-five performer in three events at last year's nationals ... Nebraska-Omaha edged North Dakota by 20 points in the North Central Conference championships ... UC San Diego won the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference championships behind school records from Sophi Levy in the 1,650-yard freestyle and Emily Harlan in the 100-yard freestyle. Rosanna Delrugio also broke her own NCAA record in the 200-yard breaststroke ... Cal State Bakersfield's Loni Burton, who has won four individual events in each of the last two national meets, was named swimmer of the meet after winning another four events at the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference championships.

Division II Men's Indoor Track Championships

Dates and site: The championships will be March 11-12 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston.

Field: A total of 200 student-athletes will compete in the championships. Athletes qualify by reaching the automatic and provisional standards established for each event.

Selection date: The spots remaining in the field after the automatic qualifiers are entered will be filled from the descending-order list of provisional qualifiers March 1.

2004 team champion: Abilene Christian.

Top team contenders: Abilene Christian, Saint Augustine's, Lincoln (Missouri), Grand Valley State, Western State.

Championships notes: Abilene Christian goes for its fourth straight indoor title with a deep lineup that includes an oft-decorated senior making his final NCAA championships appearance (Bernard Manirakiza, who has completed eligibility in cross country and outdoor track) and a freshman (Nicodemus Naimadu) coming off a victory at last fall's cross country championships. With that talent on hand, the Wildcats will benefit from the addition of a new event at the championships -- the distance medley relay. Abilene Christian also features defending triple jump champion Yevgen Pashchenko and runner-up Ben Washington ... Saint Augustine's, a close runner-up to the Wildcats last year with strength in the long sprints and jumps (including defending high jump champ Fabian Hutchinson), and Lincoln (Missouri), featuring junior sprinter Lerone Clark and freshman hurdler Decasma Wright, appear to be the top challengers.

Division II Women's Indoor Track Championships

Dates and site: The championships will be March 11-12 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston.

Field: A total of 200 student-athletes will compete in the championships. Athletes qualify by reaching the automatic and provisional standards established for each event.

Selection date: The spots remaining in the field after the automatic qualifiers are entered will be filled from the descending-order list of provisional qualifiers March 1.

2004 team champion: Lincoln (Missouri).

Top team contenders: Lincoln (Missouri), Saint Augustine's, Abilene Christian, Grand Valley State, Adams State.

Championships notes: A championships-seasoned Lincoln (Missouri) squad, featuring defending 400 meters champion Marlene Smith, may have its hands full against a young Saint Augustine's squad whose 1,600-meter relay team (including three freshmen) had the best time in Division II through February 13 ... Like Saint Augustine's, which won the title in 2001 and 2003, Abilene Christian also is attempting to return to the top. The Wildcats, who won eight straight titles ending in 2000, could do so behind pole vaulters Katie Eckley and Val Gorter and a strong crew of distance runners ... The distance events also are strengths for Grand Valley State and last year's runner-up, Adams State, which also could get points from sophomore hurdler TiaNiecia Mosley.