INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., March 23, 2009 – The College of William and Mary and Southern Connecticut State University will host the 2009 USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships for the men and women, respectively. The men’s competition at William and Mary will be held March 27-28 at the Kaplan Arena of William and Mary Hall in Williamsburg, Va., and the women’s event at Southern Connecticut will be held April 9-11 at Moore Fieldhouse in New Haven, Conn.
For the men’s USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships, the team competition is divided into two categories, varsity and collegiate. The varsity competition is for Division I, II, or III, four-year institutions with gymnastics as a varsity sport, and the collegiate team category is for two-year or four-year degree-granting schools with gymnastics as a club sport. The women’s USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships is for Division I, II and III schools with less than seven-and-a-half full scholarships.
“USA Gymnastics is proud to sponsor the USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships as part of its efforts to support and promote collegiate gymnastics at all levels,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “Collegiate gymnastics is an important segment of our sport and this event provides additional universities the opportunity to compete for a national title.”
Men
The competition opens on March 27 at 5 p.m. with team and all-around finals, followed by individual event finals on March 28 at 5 p.m.
The schools scheduled to participate are: varsity – College of William and Mary, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Springfield College, U.S. Air Force Academy and U.S. Naval Academy; and club – Arizona State University, the College at Brockport, James Madison University and University of Washington.
Single-session tickets are $7 per adult and $5 per child, and all-session packages are $9 per adult and $6 per child. Groups of 10 or more people will receive a $1 discount per ticket. Admission is free for children younger than 5 years old and college students with a valid student ID. All tickets will be sold at the door on competition days.
Last year, Navy and Arizona State claimed the varsity and collegiate team titles, respectively. Air Force’s Greg Stine claimed his second straight varsity all-around crown, and Washington’s Ivan Koveshnikov won the collegiate all-around.
Women
The first day of competition on April 9 begins at 5 p.m. and features team semifinals and all-around finals. Team finals are April 10 at 7 p.m., with individual event finals April 11 at 1 p.m.
In addition to Southern Connecticut, other teams expected to participate are: Brown University, Centenary College, College of William and Mary, Cornell University, Rutgers University, Seattle Pacific University, Temple University, Texas Woman’s University, University of Bridgeport, U.S. Air Force Academy, West Chester University of Pennsylvania and Yale University.
Tickets can be purchased in advance through April 1 or at Moore Fieldhouse on competition days. All-session passes are $25 per adult and $12 per student/senior citizen. Single-day tickets are $10 per adult and $5 per student/senior citizen. Admission is free for children age 6 and younger. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Cash is the only acceptable form of payment on competition days. Visit www.southernctowls.com for additional ticket information.
In 2008, Texas Woman’s University earned the team crown, with William and Mary’s Stevie Waldman winning the all-around title.