Basketball Tournaments Extend With Hosts Through 2020

Story by NAIA National Office

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The NAIA is excited to announce that the Division I Women’s Basketball (Billings, Mont.), Division II Men’s Basketball (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Division II Women’s Basketball (Sioux City, Iowa) National Championships will be played in their individual cities through the 2020 events. All three hosts are extending their respective partnerships one more year.

“Basketball is where it all began for the NAIA,” said Jim Carr, NAIA President and CEO. "We are grateful to have such great hosts that continue to help us showcase this premier sport.”

The 2019 event will mark the third year the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship will be hosted by Visit Billings. The action takes place inside the Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark.

“Billings and Montana couldn’t be more proud to host the amazing athletes of the NAIA,” said Alex Tyson, Visit Billings Executive Director. “What a privilege to be able to be part of another year of competing and celebrating the hard work and dedication of the NAIA’s incredible female athletes.”

Sioux Falls welcomed the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship for the first time in 2018 in the Sanford Pentagon. Sioux Falls Sports Authority, Dakota State University (S.D.) and Northwestern College (Iowa) all serve as hosts.

“The 2018 championship was a great success,” said Bryan Miller, executive director of the Sioux Falls Sports Authority, “and we look forward to working with Dakota State University and Northwestern College as co-hosts to make the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship a memorable championship experience for all involved.”

Sioux City has been host to the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship since 1998 – the longest active tenure of the 26 NAIA National Championships. The event is contested in the Tyson Events Center and hosted by the City of Sioux City and the SpectraVenue Management.

“Our community is always fully behind the NAIA DII Women’s Basketball Championship,” said Erika Newton, Tyson Events Center General Manager. “Teams work hard all year to make it to Sioux City, hoping to win the national championship title, and we are very proud to help them create those life-long memories.”

After the 2020 tournaments, NAIA basketball divisions will merge into a singular division for both NAIA men’s and women’s basketball. The merge was approved by membership and the NAIA Council of Presidents at the 2018 NAIA National Convention.

Source: National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics 

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About National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA):  The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. NAIA members provide more than 65,000 student-athletes with opportunities to play college sports, earn $600 million in scholarships and compete in 26 national championships. www.naia.org | @NAIA