Need proof that good things come in threes? Consider the Deaconess Aquatic Center’s calendar so far this year. The indoor swimming facility in Garvin Park hosted a trio of collegiate championship meets, which altogether packed about $1.8 million in economic impact.
The third event, the NCAA Division II men’s and women’s swimming and diving national championships, brought teams from 45 institutions and about 500 competing athletes to Evansville. They traveled from as nearby as the University of Indianapolis and as far away as the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada.
Two Florida teams captured the titles: the University of Tampa men’s team and Nova Southeastern University’s women’s squad. Dates for the meet were March 10-14, but squads arrived early to practice, and circumstances kept some in the River City even longer.
“One team from Michigan showed up on Monday, March 2, to practice for the whole week because their pool (at home) was closed,” says Brandon McClish, executive director of the Evansville Regional Sports Commission. “And there were three teams from Minnesota who didn’t fly out until (March 18) because of the 18 inches of snow in Saint Cloud.”
Two college conferences also crowned champions at Deaconess Aquatic Center during the Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference Feb. 10-14 and the Division I Missouri Valley Conference Feb. 25-28. McClish notes that both leagues have institutions within drivable distances from the River City — especially the University of Evansville, whose teams compete in the MVC — which boosts attendance and economic punch. Some GLVC squads returned to town for the national championships, where more than a dozen Division II swimming records were broken.
Visiting teams, coaches, support staff, fans, and news media stayed at 16 hotels across the city, and many teams arriving for the Division II national championships flew in and out of Evansville Regional Airport. EVV reports a busy March so far, and the NCAA championship might have played a part: Through March 19, the airport averaged 729 passengers per day, up 5.7 percent over March 2025 and 31.8 percent over March 2024, says Leslie Fella, EVV’s director of marketing and air service.
McClish says Deaconess Aquatic Center’s management and staff, at least 100 community volunteers, and area businesses played key roles in the three meets’ success. Hospitality is always a goal, McClish says, as NCAA officials saw when they requested additional speaker equipment (provided in less than an hour by Bravo Media) and a red carpet-style arrival atmosphere for the national championship swimmers and divers. TRU Event Rental delivered “a red carpet, velvet ropes, and a backdrop,” McClish says. “As teams came in, we had a true red carpet experience. Those types of things are what stood us apart.”
Now more than four years old, Deaconess Aquatic Center has more gigs hosting prominent swimming and diving competitions on the horizon. The GLVC and MVC tournaments are booked through 2028, with options for the following two years. The NCAA Division II championships are next up for bid in 2029 and 2030, and McClish says local officials want to bring the event back to Evansville.
The 100 or so volunteers who worked the events helped Evansville make an even better impression, McClish says. NCAA officials, he adds, “really liked everything we were able to do.”
