STEVENS POINT (WAOW) -
In 2014, Quant Fieldhouse at UW-Stevens Point will be
center stage for the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Finals.
"You can imagine, we're pretty excited about hosting a
national championship game right here in Quant Fieldhouse and having four teams
come in and four sets of student athletes and coaches and fans coming right
here to Stevens Point," said Daron Montgomery, UW-Stevens Point Director of
Athletics.
"Well, we're obviously very excited to be able to bring
the national championship here to UW Stevens Point and this community," said
Shirley Egner, UW-Stevens Point Women's Basketball Coach.
Enger is the former chair of this championship event and
says the experience for the student athletes is the most important factor in
choosing a site for a championship game.
"To me, that's the bottom line. What type of experience
will the four teams have while they're here competing for a national
championship? And everything else is just extra," said Egner.
City officials say they're looking forward to the boost
the tournament will bring to the local economy.
"Based on research that we've conducted over the last
several months, we know that the average sports event attendee spends about
$230 per party… that means for a family of three to four individuals coming
into the community," said Sara Brish, Executive Director of the Stevens Point
Area Conventions and Visitors Bureau.
City officials say they're confident visitors will enjoy
the local attractions in Stevens Point while they're here for the championship
game.
UW-Stevens Point has also hosted NCAA Men's and Women's
Division III Sectional match-ups in the past.
