Lee, Chattanooga Sports To Host Multiple NCAA DII Championships
Photo courtesy of Lee Athletic Communications
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The NCAA has announced championship sites for the next six seasons and Lee University, in partnership with Chattanooga Sports, has landed five championships to be hosted in the Scenic City.
Lee and Chattanooga Sports will host the 2023, 2025, 2026 NCAA DII Softball Championships in May at Frost Stadium. In addition, Chattanooga will host the 2023 and 2024 NCAA DII Men’s and Women’s Soccer National Championships at beautiful new CHI Memorial Stadium, home to the Chattanooga Red Wolves SC.
“We are excited to be partnering with the Chattanooga Sports Committee in hosting the national championships. Tim Morgan and his staff do a tremendous job promoting the Chattanooga area, and we at Lee are honored to be working with them,” said Lee Athletic Director Larry Carpenter.
“Today’s announcement is a big win for our community, our sports scene and our region’s economy,” said Tim Morgan, chief sports officer of Chattanooga Sports, a division of the Chattanooga Tourism Co. “Our range of facilities, vibrant destination and collaboration among community partners make the Chattanooga region an ideal sports destination. We’re honored to host these championships with our incredible sports partners.”
CHI Memorial Stadium is a place where our community can enjoy all levels of soccer, and hosting a NCAA championship is a great opportunity for our region,” said Sean McDaniel, general manager of Chattanooga Red Wolves SC. “We’re excited to host the DII men’s and women’s championships in Tennessee's first soccer-specific stadium.”
Lee and Chattanooga Sports were poised to host the DII Softball Championship this past spring, and today’s selection reaffirms the region as a softball destination.
“We were scheduled to co-host the 2020 D2 National Softball Tournament and were disappointed when they canceled it due to COVID-19. Receiving these bids allows us another opportunity to showcase the outstanding athletic facilities and to welcome visitors to our wonderful community. Area fans will really enjoy the level of competition these teams will bring to Chattanooga,” said Carpenter.
The Lee women’s soccer team advanced all the way to the NCAA DII Final Four in 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and have appeared in the NCAA National Tournament for five straight seasons while the men’s soccer team made its first appearance in the Big Dance in 2019 after winning the GSC Championship. The Lee softball team was one step away for a final site appearance as it appeared in the South Super Regional against West Florida in 2017.
