BETHLEHEM,
Pa. – The NCAA Wrestling Committee announced the host sites for the NCAA Wrestling Championships from 2008-2011 Thursday afternoon, and after over a decade in the midwestern United States, the Championships will soon return to the east coast when the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia plays host in 2011. The
Philadelphia bid was submitted by
Rider University and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, who will co-host the event.
“There were a lot of cities in the bidding for these championships,” said Lehigh head coach Greg Strobel, who is also a member of the NCAA Wrestling Committee. “It has really added to the popularity of wrestling. Years ago the NCAA had to go to the sites to try and host the events, now are looking to the NCAA.”
Strobel continues, “Bringing it back to Pennsylvania is important because most of the wrestling in this country is in the east. Fifteen of the 87 Division I schools that have wrestling are in Pennsylvania. This is really good for wrestling in general, and fans from across the country are going to love Philadelphia, it’s a great city.”
The last time the NCAA Championships were held in the Keystone State was 1999, when Penn State hosted at the Bryce Jordan Center. Pennsylvania has hosted the event 10 times in 75 years, with Pittsburgh and Bethlehem among previous host sites.
Other sites awarded championships on Thursday include Savvis Center in St. Louis in 2008 and 2009, and the Qwest Center Omaha in Nebraska in 2010. The 2011 event will take place at the Wachovia Center March 17-19, 2011.
The 2006 NCAA Championships will be held at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City March 16-18. The Palace at Auburn Hills, in Michigan will host the event in 2007.
