The Division II Championships Committee has announced that the 2010 Division II National Championships Festival for fall sports will be conducted in Louisville November 30-December 4.

The 2010 Festival will be the fifth time Division II has staged the Olympic-style event and the second time for fall sports. More than 800 student-athletes from 70 teams will compete for championships in six sports.

Bellarmine University will host the championships in men’s and women’s cross country, women’s volleyball, field hockey, and men’s and women’s soccer. The university’s Knights Hall and Owsley B. Frazier Stadium will serve as the practice and competition venues for volleyball and soccer, respectively. The field hockey finals will be at the University of Louisville’s Trager Stadium, and E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park will serve as the cross country venue.

“We are happy to welcome the NCAA’s fall festival of national championships to our campus and hometown,” said Bellarmine President Joseph J. McGowan. “We appreciate the opportunity to showcase Bellarmine and our improved athletics facilities on a national level.”

Janet Montgomery, chair of the Division II Championships Committee and associate athletics director at West Alabama, called the festival “a wonderful opportunity for student-athletes to compete for an NCAA title, support peers in other sports and enjoy a national championship atmosphere at the highest level.”

“The Championships Committee is very excited to have Division II member Bellarmine serve as the host institution, as well as the community of Louisville,” Montgomery said.

Division II is the only NCAA division to host a multiple-championship festival. Division II’s first festival was in spring 2004 in Orlando, Florida, followed by the first fall festival in November 2006 in Pensacola, Florida. The spring 2008 and winter 2009 festivals were both in Houston.

Division II established the festival approach as part of its strategic-positioning platform. The events are designed to enhance the student-athlete college experience by creating more awareness and exposure for Division II sports. They also increase attendance by hosting multiple championships in one location. The festivals feature opening and closing ceremonies, social opportunities for student-athletes and community-outreach events. Student-athletes are housed in centrally located hotels, allowing for an athlete-village atmosphere.