Vermont to host women’s hoop tourney

America East announced Thursday that it has awarded its conference women’s basketball tournament to the University of Vermont for the third straight year.

The decision was made by a vote of athletic directors at the annual meeting in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

First-round games are scheduled for Wednesday, March 7, 2001, with quarterfinal and semifinal games set for Thursday and Friday. The championship game will be played on Saturday.

The Vermont bid was the only one submitted for the March 7-10 dates. The University of Maine submitted a bid for the previous week – Feb. 28-March 3 – America East Associate Commissioner Julie Ruppert said.

Ruppert said the athletic directors voted on two separate issues when it came to the women’s tournament: First, when to have it?; and second, where?

Maine can’t host during the March 7-10 dates because the Black Bears could be hosting a Hockey East quarterfinal at that time.

Ruppert said that after the first vote came back in favor of keeping the tournament on the same weekend it was this year, there was only one choice: Vermont was the only school left. Ruppert said it never came down to comparing financial packages.

“There was no compelling reason to make the change,” Ruppert said.

Ruppert said the league coaches voted in April to keep the dates, a championship and competition committee endorsed the vote, and the athletic directors agreed.

With the dates the way they are, Ruppert said, the league is essentially the only show on the East Coast: All seven other eastern leagues hold their tourneys a week earlier. So is the America East men’s tourney.

“That’s a plus for us in a number of ways,” Ruppert said, singling out the availability of top-notch officials as one benefit.

“Our women’s basketball tournament is too good and deserves its own place,” Ruppert summed up.

The 2000 America East tournament drew an average of more than 2,000 fans for each of its five ticketed sessions. The championship game drew a sellout crowd of 3,228 for a game in which Vermont defeated the University of Maine.

“We are excited the America East women’s basketball championship will return to the University of Vermont and Burlington communitites again this year,” league commissioner Chris Monasch said. “They have a demonstrated record in providing a first-class championship experience for America East’s student-athletes and women’s basketball fans.

“America East fans benefit from the single-site format which affords the opportunity to enjoy our continually rising women’s basketball team.”

The 2001 tourney will mark the fourth straight year in which the league has utilized the single-site format for its women’s tournament. UMaine hosted the first one-site tourney in 1998.

Bates 35th in Director’s Cup

The Bates College athletic program finished in a best-ever 35th place out of 267 NCAA Division III schools in the final Sears Director’s Cup Standings.

The Lewiston-based school amassed 291.5 points in the competition. Director’s Cup points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 18 sports – nine for men and nine for women. Each national champion receives 100 points.

The Bobcats scored points in eight sports: skiing, men’s indoor track and spring track, tennis and cross country; and women’s basketball and track.

Williams College (Mass.) won the competition with 849 points. Bowdoin College of Brunswick finished 57th with 220.5 points while Colby of Waterville was 70th with 198. The University of Southern Maine wound up in 94th place with 150 points.