University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass To Host 2003 Field Hockey Championship
March 05, 2003 | Field Hockey
March 5, 2003
AMHERST, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts has been selected to host the 2003 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship on Nov. 21-23, 2003, on Richard F. Garber Field.
"The University of Massachusetts is excited to be hosting the 2003 NCAA Field Hockey Championship, and we look forward to putting on an outstanding event for the competing teams," said UMass Athletic Director Ian McCaw.
This will be the first time the University of Massachusetts has hosted the NCAA Field Hockey Championship and the first time an Atlantic 10 institution has hosted the championship since field hockey became a conference sport in 1988. Temple hosted the 1982 championship prior to the formation of A-10 field hockey competition.
"We're really pleased to be able to bring a national championship to Amherst and to the Northeast where there is a wide spread interest in field hockey at both the high school and collegiate level," said UMass Associate Athletic Director and Senior Women's Administrator, Elaine Sortino. "We're looking forward to embracing this championship and hope that many people will come to support it."
The field hockey national championship will be played in the Northeast for the first time since 1999, when Northeastern hosted the event. Prior to its two-year hiatus from the Northeast, the championship was held in the region for four straight years, from 1996 to 1999.
"We are going to be able to expose the top level of our game to the Northeast where the game of field hockey really began. It's great to be able to bring it back to its roots," said UMass' head field hockey coach, Patty Shea. "It's a wonderful opportunity for our sport and our institution."
Ticket information will be available at a later date.
