The Palm Beach County Sports Commission and Keiser University announced that they have won bids to host three National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championship events on the campus of Keiser University in West Palm Beach. The events are the NAIA Football Championship Series on April 17 and April 24, the NAIA Volleyball Championship opening round on April 17, located in West Palm Beach, FL, and the NAIA Men’s Soccer Championship opening round April 22-24.
The NAIA Football Championship series kicked off the festivities at Keiser Football Field with the No. 4 Seahawks defeating the No. 15 Arizona Christian Firestorm 63-21. The massive victory marked the school’s first-ever postseason win in just their second appearance. The team amassed a program-record 546 total yards in the win and will look to keep the offense flowing against the No. 8 Reinhardt Eagles at home on April 24.
The winning ways continued for Keiser as the No. 11 women’s volleyball team hosted the school’s first-ever postseason match at the Student Life Center. The Seahawks are now 36-0 after beating the Mobile Rams three sets to zero, marking the Seahawks’ 29th shutout of the season. The team will now prepare for the next playoff round as they will travel to the NAIA Final Site in Sioux Center, Iowa to take on the No. 23 Indiana University Kokomo Cougars. Dating back to the fall, the Seahawks have now won an impressive 54 straight sets.
Coming off a 2-1 win over Mobile, the No. 2 Keiser men’s soccer team looks to keep its momentum going as they are set to be one of 10 hosts for opening round action in the NAIA Men’s Soccer Championship. Each of the opening round sites will feature four teams. Play will be from April 22-24 and will have a single day of rest between the first game and the championship. The winner of each will advance to the final site in Columbia County, Ga. beginning on May 4.
The Palm Beach County Sports Commission worked in partnership with Keiser University to submit the bids. The winning bids mark the addition of several postseason events to a growing list of NAIA events that have been played in Palm Beach County. The NAIA Women’s Soccer Championship opening round (2019), the NAIA Men’s Soccer Championship (2014-2017), and the NAIA Women’s Golf Championship (2017-2018) have all been held in Palm Beach County.
“Keiser University’s sports teams have been well-represented in the NAIA postseason for many years, and we could not be more thrilled that these teams can now compete right here in Palm Beach County as they chase championships,” said George Linley, executive director of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
