ST. LOUIS AWARDED 13 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS

ST. LOUIS – April 18, 2017 – Unveiling its site selections today for nearly all of its championships between 2018 and 2022, the NCAA awarded 13 events to the St. Louis region.  Those championships include:


“We’re pleased to see the depth and diversity of championships coming to St. Louis and salute the many institutional and venue partners who stepped up to help bring these events to our community,” said St. Louis Sports Commission President Frank Viverito.  “To secure at least one division I wrestling championship and a men’s basketball event is an especially important accomplishment because the competition to attract these high-profile, visitor-intensive events is so strong.  We’re grateful for the efforts of Scottrade Center and the City of St. Louis to move forward on improvements to the venue, which were instrumental in us being awarded these two championships.”

  • From 1998 to 2022, St. Louis will have hosted at least one NCAA championship event in every year but three.
  • The NCAA Men’s Basketball First/Second Rounds in 2020, hosted by the Missouri Valley Conference, will mark the 13th time St. Louis has hosted a men’s or women’s NCAA basketball postseason event since 1993.
  • In 2021, St. Louis will host the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships for the ninth time since 2000.  The Gateway City set the tournament’s total attendance record in 2015 (113,013) and holds the top-three attendance records for the event.  The Wrestling Championships is the most visitor intensive sporting event hosted by St. Louis with 97 percent of the fans attending coming from outside of the area.
  • With Maryville University as host, the Division II Wrestling Championships return to St. Louis after a successful experience in 2015.  The Division III Women’s Volleyball Championships are back at Washington University for the first time since 2011.  The NCAA Division II Spring Festival, hosted by Lindenwood University, is making its debut in the St. Louis region.

In addition to the events awarded as part of the 2018-2022 bid cycle, St. Louis is already set to host two NCAA championships next year: NCAA Women’s Bowling and NCAA Women’s Gymnastics.  Also in 2018, the region hosts the Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament, SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, SEC Gymnastics Championships, and the PGA Championship.  The Sports Commission just completed a run hosting three NCAA championships in the last month – Division I Wrestling, the Women’s Frozen Four, and Women’s Gymnastics.