INDIANAPOLIS---Although most college sports fans are fixated on the men's and women's NCAA basketball championships during March Madness, hundreds of NCAA student-athletes continue to work toward what will be their equivalent of "championship madness" in the next eight weeks.
The NCAA will host the inaugural 2004 Division II National Championships Festival, May 11-16, in central Florida (Orlando region), welcoming close to 600 student-athletes who will compete for the national titles in women's golf, men's golf, women's lacrosse, softball, men's tennis and women's tennis. This "Olympic-style" spring sport event will be contested over a six-day period with all competitions taking place in the same geographical region. The event also will feature a student-athlete village, which will enable the participants to interact socially when not competing; shuttle transportation to competitions for spectators; and opening and closing ceremonies. In addition to attending championship games, fans will have opportunities to participate in ancillary events such as a Youth Education in Sports (YES) clinic and the NCAA Beyond the Game interactive tour presented by CBS Sports.
Video promoting the national championship festival will be shown this week at the NCAA Division I men's first and second round tournament games at the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando. Signage is also being placed in key areas around central Florida to promote the event. Partnering with the NCAA on this inaugural national championship festival is the Central Florida Sports Commission, the Sunshine State Conference and Rollins College.
The goal of the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival is to enhance the student-athlete collegiate experience and to create more exposure for NCAA Division II sports. The NCAA Division II Championships Committee plans to conduct the championships festival once every four years to give each class of student-athletes the opportunity to participate.
The Central Florida Sports Commission has taken the lead on helping the NCAA make the event a success. The commission has been involved in previous NCAA Division II championship events, such as the 1998 Division II Women's Volleyball Championships; the 2002 Division II Men's Golf Championships; and the 2003 Division II Women's Golf Championships.
The following is a list of the sports, venues, geographical locations and dates of competition for the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival:
Men's Golf - Victoria Hills Golf Club (Deland, Florida), May 12-15
Women's Golf - The Legacy Club at Alaqua Lakes (Longwood, Florida), May 12-15
Women's Lacrosse - University of Central Florida (Orlando Florida), May 13, 15
Softball - Seminole County Softball Complex (Altamonte Springs, Florida), May 13-16
Men's Tennis - Seminole County Sanlando Park (Altamonte Springs, Florida), May 12-15
Women's Tennis - Seminole County Sanlando Park (Altamonte Springs, Florida), May 12-15
Other fan entertainment activities:
NCAA Beyond the Game Tour presented by CBS Sports (Altamonte Springs Mall), May 8-16
NCAA YES Clinic (Site to be determined), May 8
For more information on the 2004 NCAA National Championships Festival, log on to www.ncaasports.com.
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