The Division II National Championships Festival begins this week in Seattle, where six fall championships will be conducted. The Olympic-style event has not been held since the fall of 2018 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hosted by Seattle Pacific and the Seattle Sports Commission, the festival is designed to enhance the student-athlete experience, create more awareness and exposure for Division II sports, and increase attendance by having multiple championships in one location. Each festival features opening and closing ceremonies, social opportunities for student-athletes and community engagement events. Student-athletes are housed in centrally located hotels, allowing for an athlete village atmosphere.
Below is an overview of this year's event, some of its history and what makes it unique.
Festival by the numbers
6— The festival will feature championships in six sports: men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball and field hockey. Six winners of theElite 90 award, given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at NCAA championship finals sites, also will be named.
12—The 2022 festival marks the 12th such event since the inaugural event in 2004 in Orlando, Florida. It will be the fifth fall festival, as the festival rotates between fall, winter and spring sports. It's the first time a festival will be on the West Coast.
88— The number of teams that will travel to Seattle seeking an NCAA championship. When broken down by sport, this comes out to 34 teams for men's and women's cross country (68 total), four teams for men's and women's soccer (eight total), eight teams for volleyball and four teams for field hockey.
1,000— The approximate number of student-athletes who will compete at the festival. A few hundred other school representatives, including support staff, will experience the event as part of each team's allotted travel party.
Festival highlights
In addition to the trophies on the line, student-athletes will get the rare chance to mingle with peers in different sports from across the country. For many of them, it may be their first opportunity to experience Seattle, as well.
Below are a few additional highlights of the festival.
Opening and closing ceremonies:Teams will gather Tuesday at the Museum of Pop Culture to open the festival. In addition to brief programming, there will be opportunities to tour the museum established in 2000 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Teams will conclude the week with closing ceremonies Saturday at the Seattle Convention Center.
Student-athlete lounge:A converted ballroom at the festival hotel will serve as a dedicated area for student-athletes to socialize and relax. The lounge will feature video gaming stations, televisions and games. A separate area will be dedicated for use by student-athletes looking for a quiet place to study.
Community engagement:Student-athletes will participate in a variety of community engagement opportunities, a core component of NCAA Division II championships, throughout their time in Seattle.
Venues
Competitions will be held Thursday through Saturday at these locations:
- Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships—Chambers Creek Regional Park, University Place, Washington.
- Field Hockey Championship—Renton Memorial Stadium, Renton, Washington.
- Men's and Women's Soccer Championships—Interbay Stadium.
- Women's Volleyball Championship—Royal Brougham Pavilion.
Links and more
To learn more about the festival, visitncaa.com/d2festival. For results, follow Division II on Twitter (@NCAADII) and Instagram (@ncaadii), as well as the sport-specific ncaa.com pages listed below.