Wednesday, October 14, 2020
SEATTLE – One of the pinnacle events on the Division II sports calendar is coming to Seattle.
Seattle Pacific University has been selected to host the 2022 NCAA Division II Fall Championships Festival. The selection was made official in an announcement of regional and national championship sites for 2022 to 2026 announced on Oct. 14 by the NCAA.
Held every four years, the Division II Fall Championships Festival brings together the division’s fall championships, with the exception of football. The bid was developed by Seattle Pacific in conjunction with the Seattle Sports Commission. The championship events will take place during the last week of November and the first week of December in 2022.
“We are beyond excited to host the Division II Festival here in Seattle," said SPU Athletic Director Jackson Stava. "I know that the student-athletes will love their time in Seattle and the incredible beauty and hospitality of this region.
"Along with the Seattle Sports Commission, Seattle Pacific University looks forward to welcoming the Division II community to our campus and our region. While this undertaking is significant, I believe this will be a first-class event that students will remember for years to come.”
Seattle Pacific’s home facilities will take center stage with the men’s and women’s soccer championships being staged at Interbay Stadium and the women’s volleyball championship taking place at Royal Brougham Pavilion. The cross country national meet will take place at Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, near Tacoma, while the field hockey championship will be played at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila.
The Fall Championships Festival will be the first Division II national championship in the GNAC footprint since 2013. That year, the conference joined forces with the Spokane Sports Commission to host the Division II Cross Country Championships.
The Fall Championships Festival leads a list of three GNAC institutions selected to host regional or national events during the 2022-2026 bid cycle.
Montana State Billings and Western Oregon will continue to serve as hosts for the West Regional Cross Country Championships. Montana State Billings will host the 2022 and 2024 regional meets at Amend Park while Western Oregon will host the 2023 and 2025 meets at the on-campus Ash Creek Preserve.
The selections run the streak of GNAC schools hosting the West Region Cross Country Championships to 12 years. Montana State Billings hosted the regional in 2014, 2016 and 2018 and was scheduled to host the 2020 meet before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Western Oregon hosted the 2015, 2017 and 2019 meets and is the host site for the 2021 regional.