From Dec. 1 through Dec. 3, Seattle Pacific University will host the NCAA Division II Championships Festival, where athletes from across the nation will gather to compete in a fierce competition.

The sports featured at the festival are men’s and women’s cross-country, women’s field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball. The events will be held on SPU’s campus, Royal Brougham Pavilion, Chambers Bay and Renton Memorial Stadium.

SPU athletic director Jackson Stava shared his thoughts about the significance of SPU hosting the Division II Festival.

“It’s a huge honor to host an event of this magnitude in Division II. The festivals rotate around fall, winter and spring are a unique aspect of Division II; they’re something that student-athletes love and look forward to,” Stava said. “To host what in many ways is like the seminal event on the Division II calendar for that year means a lot. They’ve never had a festival in any of the three seasons west of Denver, so this is the first time that the Division II community will come out to the west coast, and experience life in the Pacific Northwest.”

Women’s soccer player Sophie Beadle sees the festival as a great opportunity for SPU athletics to get more exposure throughout the nation

“I think it means a lot. I think it’s a really cool opportunity for us as athletes to have something like that to look forward to. It is something close to home and something that our family can attend,” Beadle said. “All these cool sports coming to town gives the opportunity for the spotlight to be on SPU and SPU athletics. We have a really good stadium and deserve the opportunity to host an event like this.”

There is an innate pressure on SPU athletes to make Division II nationals this year. Athletes want to be able to represent the host institution when the festival comes to town. Despite this, SPU athletes like runner Charisma Smith are trying to stay focused on one day at a time.

“I wouldn’t say it puts pressure on me; it makes you feel a little more competitive. Our team is amazing, we are smaller [than other teams] but we have really talented athletes, and I think that we have a shot to be there, and we are definitely a team to look out for,” Smith said.

Beadle’s soccer team has national championship hopes this year and, while she is excited about the possibility of playing in front of her home fans come December, she wants to stay focused on the task at hand.

“There’s always pressure no matter what, and no matter where the national championships would be. I try not to think about it honestly because I want to go just as bad, no matter where it is held at. It definitely adds a lot of pressure to a lot of [SPU athletes], but it is important no matter what,” Beadle said.