UW-Oshkosh To Host Three NCAA Championships
With UW-Oshkosh and Lawrence University serving as the host
institutions, the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship will
remain in the Fox Valley through at least 2018.
The NCAA released the 523 sites for its 82 available championships
for 2014-18 on Wednesday (Dec. 11), making it the largest
collection of host site announcements in history.
UW-Oshkosh also was selected to host the 2014 NCAA Division III Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Midwest Regional, 2014 NCAA Division III Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Championship and the 2016 NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship.
“The announcement that UW-Oshkosh will host these events
is a culmination of a shared vision by many in the Oshkosh and Fox
Valley communities,” said UW-Oshkosh Director of Athletics
Darryl Sims. “We've had great success hosting these events in
the past, and we're thrilled to be working with Lawrence
University, the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Fox
Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau and our numerous community
partners to ensure that level of performance.”
Starting in July, a total of 1,984 bids were submitted to host one
of the NCAA championship events. The sites were selected by the
respective sport committees, made up of coaches and administrators
from NCAA member schools and conferences, and ultimately approved
by the appropriate divisional championships cabinets or committees.
Previously, selection announcements varied by sport.
UW-Oshkosh and Lawrence University are already scheduled to host
the 2014 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship from May 23-27.
The event has been in Appleton for the past 14 years, making Time
Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium the most frequent site in
the event’s history. A total of 49 different teams have
played in Appleton since 2000.
UW-Oshkosh served as the host school from 2000-02, while sharing
responsibilities with Lawrence University from 2003-09. Lawrence
University was the lone host for the last four championships.
Before coming to Wisconsin, the NCAA Division III Baseball
Championship was held in Marietta, Ohio (1976-1987), Bristol, Conn.
(1988-89), Battle Creek, Mich. (1990-94) and Salem, Va.
(1995-99).
UW-Oshkosh was a competitor at Fox Cities Stadium in 2003, when
its game against Chapman University (Calif.) drew a
championship-record 3,868 fans. The Titans have qualified for the
NCAA Division III finals 17 times, winning national titles in 1985
and 1994.
The NCAA Division III Baseball Championship will celebrate its
40th edition in 2015. Linfield College (Ore.) won last year’s
tournament, which drew 28,202 fans for the second-highest total in
the 14 years that it's been in Appleton.
The eight-team NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball
Championship will be held in Kolf Sports
Center on Nov. 18-20, 2016. The event previously was in Oshkosh
during 1996, when the Titans finished fourth in the tournament.
UW-Oshkosh has made five trips to the Elite Eight since 1991.
In 2016, the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship will mark its 36th year. Last month in Holland, Mich., Calvin College (Mich.) captured its second national title.
Winneconne’s Lake Breeze Golf Club will be the site of the
NCAA Division III Men's & Women's Cross Country Championships
on Nov. 21, 2015 and the NCAA Division III Cross Country Midwest
Regional on Nov. 15, 2014.
UW-Oshkosh also hosted the regional in 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995,
2007, 2009 and 2012. The NCAA Division III Championship was held at
Lake Breeze Golf Club in 1999 and 2011.
UW-Oshkosh has captured eight national titles in cross country.
The men’s team took first place in 1988, 1989, 1990 and 2002,
while the women’s squad won championships in 1987, 1988, 1991
and 1996.
“We really want to thank everyone who put in a bid,”
said Mark Lewis, NCAA executive vice president of championships and
alliances. “The competitiveness of the bids made it extremely
difficult for the sport committees to select sites, as there just
weren’t spots for all of the great bids we received.
Ultimately the sites that were selected will provide our
student-athletes, coaches and fans the best experience
possible.”
Covering nine sports, UW-Oshkosh hosted the finals of 26 NCAA
Division III Championships from 1994-2011. They were in the sports
of baseball (2000-09), women’s basketball (1996), men’s
and women’s cross country (1999, 2011), men’s and
women’s indoor track & field (1994, 1997, 2001),
men’s and women’s outdoor track & field (2007-08)
and women’s volleyball (1996).