2014 NCAA Women's Championships to Birmingham
2014 NCAA Women's Championships to Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama has been selected as the site of the 2014 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships. The Championships will be held in a neutral site the University of Alabama, 6-time National Champions, will play co-host and gain a slight home team advantage by competing just 60 miles from their campus.
The 2013 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships will be hosted by UCLA in Pauley Pavillion April 19-21.
Below is the press release from the University of Alabama
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The NCAA announced today that the Alabama Sports Foundation and the University of Alabama will co-host the 2014 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship in Birmingham, Ala. The national championship will be held April 18 - 20, 2014, at the Birmingham - Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC).
The University of Alabama women's gymnastics team is a powerhouse in Division I gymnastics, having won back-to-back national championships in 2011 and 2012, totaling six in the school's history. The Crimson Tide has also won seven Southeastern Conference Championships and 27 NCAA regional titles.
"We are very excited to have the NCAA Championships return to the state of Alabama in 2014," said University of Alabama gymnastics coach Sarah Patterson. "The Alabama Sports Foundation and the Bruno Event Team have always done a tremendous job with the national events they've brought to the area. Each of the Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Championships they've hosted in Birmingham have been first-class events both for the fans and the participants and I know this will be no different.
"The attendance we've enjoyed in Tuscaloosa, combined with the crowds the SEC Championships have drawn when they've been in Birmingham, has been amazing, which is just one of the reasons why I can't wait to have this competition back in Alabama."
The NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship will consist of the top Division I women's gymnastics teams in the country competing over three days for the team title, as well as five individual championships. The state of Alabama has played host to the national championship four times with the last coming nine years ago in Auburn. Birmingham has hosted the SEC Gymnastics Championship five times, including the 2011 Championship, which welcomed a record of more than 8,000 fans to the BJCC.
"The Alabama Sports Foundation is proud to partner with the University of Alabama in hosting this prestigious NCAA Championship," said Gene Hallman, executive director of the Alabama Sports Foundation. "The Birmingham community has always been very supportive of the SEC Gymnastics Championships, which has helped shape our region's image as an excellent host of major sporting events. We look forward to making this gymnastics Championship one of the most successful ever."
For more information on NCAA Championships, visit www.NCAA.com.