The city of Shenandoah is placing a bid to become the first championship city in the nation for the NCAA Division III. The city of Shenandoah is placing a bid to become the first championship city in the nation for the NCAA Division III.[/caption]

In hopes of becoming the first championship city in the U.S. for NCAA Division III events, Shenandoah City Council will place a bid Aug. 12 to host four championship sporting events.

With several athletic facilities inside city limits, Shenandoah hosted the Division III swimming and diving championships in 2013 and 2015, and will again in 2017.

The council’s bid this year will expand to include football, soccer and women’s golf, in addition to swimming and diving, for four years starting with the 2018-19 season. If awarded, soccer and football would be played in the Woodforest Bank Stadium, swimming and diving would take place in the Conroe ISD natatorium and women’s golf would be played at The Golf Trails of The Woodlands.

“What we are basically asking for as a championship city is to host one Division III national championship every year and in doing so, we will be able to be the first Division III championship city the NCAA has ever worked with,” City Administrator Greg Smith said. “This is a new concept we are presenting to the NCAA.”

When Shenandoah held its first NCAA championship in 2013, Smith said athletes, patrons and university officials stayed in hotels from as far north as Conroe to as far south as FM 1960.

“The championships bring benefits not just to Shenandoah, but to the entire region,” Smith said. “We will have people from across the nation visiting for multiple days, staying at our hotels, eating at our restaurants, shopping at our stores and going to our entertainment venues. It’s not just Shenandoah—it’s Oak Ridge North, Conroe and The Woodlands—we all benefit from these events.”

During the bidding process, Shenandoah will compete against other cities, municipalities and venues from across the nation to host the championships.

“We think we will put in a very competitive bid,” Smith said. “We think we stand a good chance to get multiple championships and we have a proven track record with the NCAA. Our chances are good, but it is a very competitive process.”

After the online bid is placed Aug. 12, the NCAA will announce the first round of cuts in October and the final round in December.

For more details, see the Sept. 8 edition of Community Impact Newspaper.