INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA announced on Wednesday that the Pensacola Sports Association and the University of West Florida were selected to host the NCAA Division II national finals in men’s and women’s soccer in 2015, the women’s golf super regional in 2016, and the women’s volleyball national finals in 2017.Dates and Locations:
2015 NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships
Dec. 3 and 5 - Ashton Brosnaham Park - Pensacola, Fla.
2016 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf South Super Regional
May 3-5 - Stonebrook Golf Club - Pace, Fla.
2017 NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Championships
Dec. 7-9 - UWF Field House - Pensacola, Fla.
“I’m absolutely thrilled,” said PSA executive director Ray Palmer. “I think this proves that the partnership between the PSA and UWF in hosting these types of national championships is strong and well-respected. College kids are going to be looking for places in which they can settle down in the future, whether it’s for a lifetime or just their first job. These tournaments are a great opportunity for us to showcase Pensacola and all it has to offer.”
“It’s a great honor to be selected by the NCAA to host these championship events,” said UWF athletic director Dave Scott. “Universities go through a selection process and compete against many other communities across the nation to be able to host these events. This will give our student-athletes an opportunity to compete at home if they advance to the NCAA championships, and it’s a great professional development opportunity for our staff.”
UWF is no stranger to hosting NCAA championships. The men’s and women’s soccer finals in 2015 will mark the fourth time the University has hosted the tournament and the third time at Brosnaham Park. UWF hosted the Division II soccer finals at Brosnaham Park in 2006 and 2011, as well as in Orange Beach, Ala. in 2007. Brosnaham Park has also been the site of the Gulf South Conference Soccer Championships since 2005.
The Division II volleyball finals will return to the UWF Field House for the third time in 2017, as the University hosted the tournament in 2006 and 2012. The UWF Field House has also been the site of the GSC Volleyball Championships five of the last six years. Stonebrook Golf Club in Pace, Fla. has been the site of Division II regional championships in 2004, 2006 and 2012, and the course also hosted the Division II finals in 2007.
“Hosting an NCAA championship event in Pensacola can bring teams to our area that may not have ever been to Northwest Florida, and with them will come their fans, families and other supporters,” Scott added. “We enjoy working with the Pensacola Sports Association to host these events, and we’re looking forward to continuing that partnership in the future.”
The new NCAA championship bid process created the largest host site announcement ever on Wednesday, spanning 82 championships across a four-year cycle. Previously, selection announcements varied by sport. This process now gives the NCAA and host sites more time to plan each championship experience.
Bidding for 82 of 89 NCAA championships began in July, and 1,984 bid applications were ultimately submitted. Each sport committee, per division, selected the host sites it believed would provide the ultimate experience for the respective student-athletes, resulting in 523 total championship event sites awarded. The seven championships not included in the process due to preexisting site arrangements are: Division I baseball, Division I men’s basketball, Division I football, Division I men’s and women’s golf, Division I softball and Division III women’s ice hockey.
The Pensacola Sports Association, originally incorporated in 1955, is a private not-for-profit agency and one of the oldest sports commissions in the country. Signature events produced by the PSA include the Double Bridge Run 15k, the Senior Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet, the High School All-Star Games, and the PSA Annual Awards Banquet. For more information, visit www.PensacolaSports.com.
For information on all UWF athletics, visit www.GoArgos.com.
