Raleigh Awarded Seven NCAA Championships Events Oover Next Four Years

The Town of Cary was awarded six future NCAA national championships and N.C. State University was awarded one regional championship event during an announcement made by the NCAA.

The Town of Cary will be the site of the following national championships:

2014 Men’s Soccer College Cup at WakeMed Soccer Park (Host: Campbell University)

2015 Women’s Soccer College Cup at WakeMed Soccer Park (Host: Campbell University)

2016-2018 Division II Baseball at USA Baseball National Training Complex (Host: Mt. Olive College)

2017 Division III Men’s and Women’s Tennis at Cary Tennis Park (Host: Meredith College)

N.C. State University will host the following event:

• 2018 Women’s Gymnastics Regionals at Reynolds Coliseum

“This is a tremendous day for Cary and the entire region” said Scott Dupree, Executive Director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, which helped to coordinate all NCAA bids submitted by local municipalities, venues, colleges and universities. “Of course, Cary has already established itself as a one of the top destinations in the U.S. for collegiate and amateur sports, and it has already been designated as an NCAA Championship City. And this announcement today further strengthens Cary’s brand and its well-earned reputation as one of the NCAA’s most reliable host cities.

“We are also thrilled that N.C. State University was awarded a women’s gymnastics regional in what will be the newly-renovated Reynolds Coliseum.”

The NCAA awarded 523 sites as hosts for 82 of its 89 championships today, spanning academic years 2014-2015 through 2017-2018. The bidding process began in July and final submissions were due in mid-September. Each sport committee, per division, then selected the host sites it believed would provide the ultimate experience for the competing student-athletes.

The selected cities represent 39 states across the United States. Florida led the way as the state with the most championship site selections with 42 sites, while Pennsylvania had 34 selections and Texas finished with 30. California and North Carolina rounded out the top five with 29 each.

As for the current academic year, the Greater Raleigh area is hosting four NCAA championship events: Women’s College Cup (soccer) this past weekend in Cary; Men’s Basketball 2nd and 3rd rounds in March at PNC Arena; Men’s Golf Regional in May at Lonnie Poole Golf Course; and the Division II Baseball World Series in late May/early June at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary.

The Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA) markets and promotes Raleigh and all of Wake County in order generate and/or retain sports-related business (tournaments, championships, special events and meetings) for the purpose of economic development. The GRSA’s 21-member Advisory Board takes a leadership role in helping to chart the future of the sports event industry in Wake County. The Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance is a division of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.