Philadelphia has hosted its share of marque sporting events, from the World Series and Army/Navy Game to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for gymnastics.
Come 2011, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will roll into town. The three-day, six-session event is scheduled for March 17 to 19 of that year. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and New Jersey’s Rider University are hosting the festivities.
“The MAAC is excited to again be hosting the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships with Rider University. It is an honor to be able to bring college wrestling to Philadelphia and have all its fans in the east be able to easily access tickets,” MAAC Commissioner Richard J. Ensor said in a press release. “Philadelphia is a special host city with all its historical sites and other attractions, but especially so because of its great sports fans who we hope will come out and attend the championship.”
The conference and institution co-hosted the ’02 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Albany, N.Y. The two also worked together to host the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship at Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, N.J.
“Rider University has a strong tradition in wrestling and we are extremely proud and excited to be the host institution for the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia,” Don Harnum, Rider’s director of athletics, said. “We anticipate this prestigious championship to be a tough ticket and I would strongly encourage all local wresting fans to purchase tickets as early as possible.”
All-session tickets go on sale March 18. Lower bowl all-session passes, with access to all six sittings, are $135 to $165. The Wachovia Center’s capacity for wrestling is 17,366. The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship’s three-day, six-session attendance record is 97,336, set earlier this year in St. Louis. The ’10 championships are taking place in Omaha, Neb.
