NCAA Division II Women's Rowing Championship

Dates and site: The regatta is May 27-29 at the CSUS Aquatic left in Sacramento, California.

Field: A maximum of four teams, one each selected from the three current regions and one at-large selection, are required to field one boat of eight rowers and one boat of four rowers. There also will be two at-large Eights chosen from the remaining participating schools.

Selection date: May 17.

2004 team champion: Mercyhurst.

Top team contenders: Western Washington, Nova Southeastern, Barry, Mercyhurst and Florida Tech round out the top five in a recent USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Division II Varsity Eight Coaches poll.

Championship notes: Although top-ranked Western Washington is the only school to make an appearance at every Division II championship since the event began in 2002, the Vikings have never won the championship. They were national runner-ups to UC Davis in 2002 and 2003 ... Mercyhurst, which captured the Division II title in a one-point victory last year, is seeking its third straight trip to the national championships ... After capturing its third straight and fifth overall Sunshine State Conference championship, Florida Tech hopes to make a return to the national championship field. The Panthers finished fourth in their first and only appearance in 2003.

Division II Men's Track and Field Championships

Dates and site: The championships will be May 26-28 at Abilene Christian.

Field: A total of 310 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 May 17.

2004 team champion: Abilene Christian.

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

Championships notes: Abilene Christian goes after its fourth straight outdoor crown and eighth in 10 years, and judging by the ease with which the team won the indoor championships in March, it looks like a tall order for any challenger to stop the Wildcats at home. Nicodemus Naimadu, who already has won cross country and indoor 5,000-meter run titles this year, is the top qualifier so far this spring in the 5,000 and the 3,000-meter steeplechase ... Barring any major missteps by the Wildcats, four other teams appear set to battle for runner-up honors. Adams State may be able to collect enough points in distance events to duplicate its indoor runner-up finish, but defending 100-meter dash champ Lerone Clarke and indoor hurdles champ Decosma Wright could give Lincoln (Missouri) a big scoring boost, Albany State appears set to challenge based on qualifying times this spring, and perennial power Saint Augustine's could use its strength at 400 meters to rebound from a fifth-place indoor finish.

Division II Women's Track and Field Championships

Dates and site: The championships will be May 26-28 at Abilene Christian.

Field: A total of 310 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 May 17.

2004 team champion: Lincoln (Missouri).

Top team contenders: Saint Augustine's, Abilene Christian, Lincoln (Missouri), Adams State, Nebraska-Omaha.

Championships notes: Competition for the women's team crown should be fierce, with indoor titlist Saint Augustine's fighting host Abilene Christian and defending outdoor champ Lincoln (Missouri) for top honors ... Saint Augustine's took the indoor crown in March without winning a single individual title, and very well could repeat that feat at Abilene. The outcome could hinge on how well the relatively young Lady Falcons (including standout freshman sprinter Johnsie Liles) fare in the relays against a veteran Lincoln lineup that includes pastbtitlists Shandria Brown, Simmy George and Marlene Smith ... Abilene Christian was runner-up at the indoor meet, and a distance corps that features Addeh Mwamba, Trina Cox and indoor mile champ Olga Kryv'yak looks to make good use of the home-track advantage.