Every three months or so, CBS Sports airs a one hour special on the Championships of the NCAA. The special focuses on sports not only in Division I, but II and III as well. In addition, we get heartwarming stories of athletes that overcome adversity as well as injuries. They’re normally well done. This is what’s in store on Saturday’s show.
CBS SPORTS TO AIR NCAA FALL CHAMPIONSHIPS SHOW DEC. 18INDIANAPOLIS — For the ninth consecutive year, all 88 NCAA championships will receive television exposure, including 14 fall championships being featured in a one-hour special.CBS Sports Presents Championships of the NCAA will air at 1 p.m. Eastern, Saturday, Dec. 18, on CBS Sports. Highlights and stories from cross country, field hockey, soccer, water polo and volleyball will be featured in the program. For the 2010-11 academic year, CBS Sports will feature more than 50 of the NCAA’s 88 championships in its three seasonal shows.As individuals and teams pursue their ultimate goal to become an NCAA champion, some of the feature stories include:· The only undefeated team in Division III Men’s Soccer is Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Its leader, on and off the field, is senior Brian Miller. Miller suffered a near fatal brain aneurysm in May 2009 that left him in a brain coma for 10 days. After sitting out the entire 2009 season, Miller made it back to the soccer field this season and led Wisconsin-Oshkosh to the final four of Division III Men’s Soccer. Standing in the way of both he and his team’s quest for an undefeated season and national championship is perennial power Messiah College in the national semifinals.
· It’s undefeated versus undefeated in Division III Women’s Soccer. Hardin-Simmons (24-0) matches up with perennial power Messiah College (24-0) in a championship game that has all the storylines of a Hollywood blockbuster. Hardin-Simmons looks to capture the first team championship in any sport as a Division III member. Standing in their way are the Cowgirls of Messiah, riding a record 76-game unbeaten streak.
· Division II Harding University’s freshman Taylor Lively spent his entire childhood in and out of doctor’s offices, suffering from a variety of illnesses, as well as excruciating pain during and after races. But despite countless doctors visits and the unbearable pain Taylor was experiencing, it never subsided. It wasn’t until two years ago that Taylor and his family finally learned what the cause of his endless pain during and after running was, and how much more incredible his achievements are while carrying his life-threatening condition.
· Division III Middlebury College Head Coach Terry Aldrich announced he would be retiring after the 2010 cross country season. Coach Aldrich has led the men’s and women’s programs since their inception 36 years ago. In that time, the women have won five national championships and 10 conference titles. The women’s team, ranked No. 1 all season long, hopes to send its coach off with yet another Division III cross country national title. Middlebury’s men’s team is making its first appearance in the NCAA championships. Also in the men’s championships, Richy Bikko, a senior from Eastern Mennonite University, who at a young age experienced a painful loss; however, through his loss Richy was able to gain perspective and find purpose.
· Twins Lucy and Holly Van Dalen are on a quest to capture the NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country Championship. Natives of New Zealand, they came to the United States and enrolled at Stony Brook University. They’ve blossomed into two of the best runners in America on a Stony Brook team with a number of international student-athletes.
· Samuel Chelanga of Liberty University repeated his individual title in the Division I Men’s Cross Country Championships; while the Cowboys of Oklahoma State took the team honors from Terre Haute, Ind.
· In St. Louis at the Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship, the host and defending champion Washington University Bears look to defend their title on their home court, while the New York University Violets make their first trip to the Elite Eight since 2005.>
· At the Division II National Championships Festival in Louisville, Ky., the UMass-Lowell River Hawks look to cap off a perfect season in Women’s Field Hockey after coming up short in the championship game every year since 2007. And at the Women’s Volleyball Championships, two-time defending champion Concordia-St. Paul looks to defend its title for a third straight year, while we also meet Head Coach Deanne and senior setter Meghan Scanlon, a mother/daughter duo from Grand Valley State.
CBS Sports’ Sam Ryan will serve as host of the CBS Sports Presents Championships of the NCAA. The fall highlight show was produced by Mark Burghart, with Sarah Rinaldi, Alanna Campbell, Brian Seeling and Lindsay Goward serving as the feature producers.CBS Sports has aired 24 seasonal shows from the three NCAA sports seasons (fall, winter, spring) over the last eight years. The Dec. 18 show is the 25th edition of CBS Sports Presents Championships of the NCAA. Each seasonal show features highlights and unique NCAA student-athlete stories from a variety of NCAA Division II and III championships.
And that should do it for now. Time for bed. Back tomorrow.
