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DII Festival begins this week

The Division II National Championships Festival conducted opening ceremonies last night in Louisville and will run through Saturday when champions in six sports will be crowned.

The fifth version of the Festival in Division II – the only one of the three NCAA divisions to host a multiple championship festival – is being held in conjunction with Bellarmine University and the Louisville Sports Commission. It features 70 teams and more than 800 student-athletes vying for titles in men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, and field hockey.

Previous Festivals have been conducted in Orlando (spring 2004), Pensacola (fall 2006), and Houston (spring 2008 and winter 2009). The format is a result of student-athletes telling Division II presidents and athletics administrators that they wanted more than they were getting out of their championships experience. They didn’t have opportunities to interact with other student-athletes, and awards ceremonies frequently were conducted before only family and a few friends.

“Those people fortunate enough to be in Louisville this week will see just how big the Festival celebration is,” said Drew Bogner, president at Molloy College and chair of the Division II Presidents Council. “There are two opening ceremonies (cross country has its own tonight because the athletes arrive later) and a high-energy closing ceremony on Saturday. In between, student-athletes, coaches and administrators will have many opportunities to interact, such as at community-engagement events, student-athlete lounges or the competition venues themselves.”

Actual competition for the Festival begins at 11 a.m. Thursday on the Bellarmine campus with a women’s soccer semifinal matchup between Grand Valley State and Florida Tech. UC San Diego and Saint Rose will follow in the other women’s soccer match at 2 p.m.

Men’s soccer follows at 5 p.m. Thursday when Rollins and Midwestern State collide. Dowling and Northern Kentucky will round out the night on the men’s side at 8 p.m.

At Bellarmine’s Knights Hall, a full day of volleyball is in store on Thursday, beginning with a noon quarterfinal contest between Cal State San Bernardino and Concordia-St. Paul. That will be followed by matches between Clarion and Dowling (2:30 p.m.), Grand Valley State and Tampa (5 p.m.), and Wingate and Central Missouri (7:30 p.m.).

The field hockey semifinals begin at 1 p.m. Thursday at Trager Stadium. The first will pair Massachusetts Lowell against Stonehill, with the second game pitting Bloomsburg against Shippensburg at 4 p.m.

Cross country holds its championships races on Saturday at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park. The men’s race begins at 11 a.m., followed by the women’s final at noon.

Coverage of all the events will be provided on NCAA.com.

“The Division II National Championships Festival is 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,” said Mike Racy, NCAA vice president of Division II. “The people of Louisville and Bellarmine have combined to provide a first-rate championship experience that our student-athletes won’t forget.”

For more information on the Festival and schedule of events, see www.NCAA.com/diifestival.