National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA News Archive - 2010

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Dec 6, 2010 11:34:00 AM

Local civic and national NCAA leaders gathered Friday to celebrate the Division II Festival and its inaugural visit to Louisville. As volleyball players practiced in the gym behind them, the leaders embraced the Olympic-style event that will crown six national champions on Saturday.

"Louisville has one of the largest and greatest records of hosting sporting events," said Steve Higdon, chairman of the Greater Louisville Sports Commission. Local former DII student athletes George Tinsley and Scott Wiegandt recalled how competing while in college was a tremendous experience. "There is nothing like having an opportunity to play athletics and realize your dreams," said Tinsley, who played basketball at Kentucky Wesleyan and won three national titles in four years.

Wiegandt, the athletics director at Bellarmine, has a personal connection to the DII Festival. Bellarmine, where Wiegandt played baseball before earning his undergraduate and graduate degrees there, is the host institution and will host the volleyball and soccer championships on its campus. "This truly is a great show on a grand stage," he said.

David Rankin, president of Southern Arkansas and a member of the DII Presidents Council and Greg Shaheen, the NCAA's interim executive vice president, said the NCAA was excited to bring the Festival to Louisville.

"We have 70 teams and more than 800 student-athletes here," Shaheen said. "This is truly something for us to celebrate. The fact they can balance the rigors of academic study with the opportunity to compete on the field of competition make for story lines with each and every one of them."

Shaheen also lauded the unique qualities of the DII Festival: "In the case of Division II, the vision they have shown in putting something together where there is not only the competitive experience but the opportunity to truly celebrate what truly makes them special."