INDIANAPOLIS--- The city of Houston will host more than 900 NCAA Division II student-athletes March 10 – 14 during the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championships Festival. The student-athletes will compete for championship titles in men’s and women’s track and field; men’s and women’s swimming and diving; and wrestling during the Olympic-style championship event.

With Division II’s strong focus on community engagement as a pillar of its membership values, the festival will include several opportunities for student-athletes, athletic administrators and fans to participate in volunteer opportunities to benefit the Houston-area community.

The NCAA will host Youth Education through Sports (YES) Clinics where girls and boys from the ages of 10 to 16 will receive sports instruction from NCAA coaches and student-athletes while gaining conditioning tips, connecting with other local athletes and learning life skills and sportsmanship. The NCAA has worked closely with the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and the Minority Education Academic Determination (MEAD) Group to provide opportunities for approximately 400 area youth to participate in these clinics. The clinics will be conducted by Division II student-athletes and administrators participating in the men’s and women’s track and field and wrestling championships at the festival. The clinics will be held at Texas Southern University’s Recreation and Wellness Center on Wednesday, March 11 from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm.

Also in conjunction with the HISD, the NCAA is offering Sporting Geography curriculum programs, which emphasizes state requirements and guidelines for social studies and math education in grades four through eight. Nearly 30 Houston area elementary and middle school classrooms will participate in the curriculum in conjunction with the championships festival.

Through a partnership with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, swimming and diving student-athletes will be conducting a senior outreach program at the University of Houston Campus Recreation Center. The event will be held on Thursday, March 12 from 10 am to 1 pm. Approximately 50 seniors from the Sunnyside Community Center and Tidwell Community Center will visit with the student-athletes and enjoy the men’s and women’s swimming and diving competitions.

This is the fourth national championships festival hosted by Division II, which is the first and only NCAA division to host a multiple championships festival. Division II held its first festival in spring 2004 in Orlando, Fla., and conducted a fall festival in November 2006 in Pensacola, Fla. This is the second festival hosted in Houston, which also hosted the spring 2008 festival last May.

The goals of the Division II National Championships Festival are to enhance the student-athlete college experience; create more awareness and exposure for Division II sports; and increase attendance by hosting multiple championships in one location.

All championships competition are open to the public. Tickets for the athletic competition will be $5 per day on Wednesday and Thursday, and $10 per day on Friday and Saturday.

NCAA Division II is one of the three membership divisions within the NCAA, which comprises more than 1,300 institutions, conferences and affiliated organizations. Division II is a group of institutions and conferences that serve more than 75,000 student-athletes nationwide, including in Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The emphasis for the student-athlete experience in Division II is a comprehensive program of learning and development. The Division II approach provides growth opportunities through academic achievement, learning in high-level athletic competition and the development of societal attitudes in service to the community. The balance and integration of these different areas of learning provide Division II student-athletes with a path to graduation while cultivating a variety of skills and knowledge for life ahead.

-30-