Illinois to Host NCAA Championships in 2019, 2020, 2022
April 18, 2017 | General, Men's Gymnastics, Men's Tennis, Women's Gymnastics, Women's Tennis
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois will serve as host for the 2019 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships, the 2020 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regional and the 2022 NCAA Men's and Women's Tennis Championships, the NCAA office announced on Tuesday afternoon.
"This is a proud day for Fighting Illini Athletics, the University of Illinois and Champaign-Urbana community," Director of Athletics Josh Whitman said. "Hosting the 2019 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships, 2020 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regional, and 2022 NCAA Men's and Women's Tennis Championships will create an exciting atmosphere on campus and give our fans the ability to show their support for student-athletes competing at the highest level. This also is an opportunity to showcase, on a national stage, our successful tennis and gymnastics programs and the outstanding facilities – State Farm Center and Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex at Atkins Tennis Center – that will house these championships. I am also pleased for event staff, led by associate athletics director Holly Stalcup. We have hosted a number of postseason events in recent years that were all well received. The reputation we have built for running first-class events was a key factor in being awarded these three NCAA championships."
"I am extremely excited that the University of Illinois was chosen by the NCAA to host these upcoming championships," said Associate A.D. Holly Stalcup. "These opportunities are due to the student-athletes that have competed here past and present, the outstanding facilities we have on this campus, the hard working and dedicated coaches and staff that make up our department and the wonderful support of our community. We are excited to start preparations for these championships and look forward to welcoming all the competing teams to campus."
The 2019 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships will be April 19-20, 2019 at the State Farm Center. It will mark the first time Illinois has hosted the NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships.
"It's an honor and a privilege to host the year's biggest meet," said men's gymnastics head coach Justin Spring. "After hosting a great Big Ten Championships this year, I know our event management staff will put on a great event, and we couldn't be more excited to host the 2019 NCAA Championships in Champaign."
The 2020 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regional will be held April 4, 2020 at the State Farm Center. It will mark the third time Illinois has been selected to host the elite event, the previous two coming in 2012 and 2017. The other five host sites in 2020 include: Auburn, Denver, UCLA, North Carolina State and Penn State.
"What an honor it is to be selected as an NCAA Regional Gymnastics host in 2020," said women's gymnastics head coach Kim Landrus. "I am confident that the entire Champaign community, in addition to our team and coaches, are thrilled that such a prestigious sporting event will once again take place in the State Farm Center. Coming off the excitement of recently hosting a few weeks ago, the memories are fresh in our minds. I am excited that another group of student-athletes will be able to enjoy the postseason experience during their careers here at Illinois."
The 2022 NCAA Men's and Women's Tennis Championships will be held May 19-28, 2022 at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex at the Atkins Tennis Center. Illinois previously hosted the 2013 NCAA Men's and Women's Tennis Championships.
"This really is a testament to our administration and the commitment to women's and men's tennis at Illinois," said men's tennis head coach Brad Dancer. "In addition, I think the NCAA noted the incredible community support from Champaign-Urbana in 2013 and realized just how much the event drew across the Midwest encompassing Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and more. Hats off to Holly and Josh and their combined vision to continue to elevate the sports programs at this great University. It's a tremendous recruiting tool as some of the best prospects in the nation could only dream of playing for the NCAA Championship on their home courts in front of our amazing fans."
"First of all, I certainly appreciate our administration's willingness and enthusiasm to host the most elite event in our sport on our campus," said women's tennis head coach Evan Clark. "This shows a remarkable amount of support and commitment to our program and this is what makes Illinois tennis so exceptional. Hosting this event just complements all the other wonderful things our world class University has to offer in the recruiting process. We are confident by adding an event like this that we will continue to attract the best recruits in the world to the University of Illinois. Hosting the 2022 NCAA championships aligns well with our championship vision we have for the University of Illinois women's tennis program moving forward. I want thank Holly for all of her hard work in helping us secure the 2022 championships along with all the continued support from Josh and the rest of our administration."
