West Hartford, CT - The University of Hartford has been selected as the host school for the 2009 America East Women's Basketball Championships, as voted on by the Athletic Directors Council on Thursday morning. The Hawks will host the championship for the second straight year and the seventh time in the past eight years.
"America East Conference is excited to announce that Hartford will be host to our women's basketball championship in 2009," said Patrick Nero, America East Commissioner. "Having hosted the women's tournament on six different occasions since 2002, the people at Hartford have shown their commitment to running the conference's premier event in a first-class manner. We look forward to sharing in the excitement of this tournament with the women's basketball program, the staff, the school and the fans at the University of Hartford."
The nine-team women's tournament 2009 begins with a first-round game on Thursday, March 12. Quarterfinal and semifinal games follow on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14, respectively. The Championship game will be played on Sunday, March 16. The semifinal and championship games will be produced by the America East.
“We are proud to host the America East Women's Basketball Championship for the seventh time in the past eight years,” said Patricia H. Meiser, Director of Athletics and Special Assistant to the President at Hartford. “Chase Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion provides a wonderful home for the women's basketball championship. Hartford's fan support is among the best in the conference and we look forward to showcasing America East basketball at the highest levels.”
Hartford has attracted more than 40,000 fans to Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion, hosting six of the past seven America East Women's Championships beginning in 2002.
This past year, the Hawks drew more than 21,000 fans to campus for 12 home games.
The America East has enjoyed tremendous success in women's basketball in recent years. Hartford became just the second team in league history to advance to the second round of the women's NCAA tournament, having done so in its last two appearances. The Hawks defeated Temple in 2006 for the program's first ever win in the NCAA Tournament. This past year the Hawks defeated Syracuse in the opening round, before falling to elite eight member Texas A&M in the second round.
America East will consist of nine teams for the 2008-09 season: University at Albany, Binghamton, Boston University, Hartford, Maine, UMBC, University of New Hampshire, Stony Brook University and Vermont.
Game times and ticket information for the America East Women's Basketball Championship will be announced at a later date.
