The University of Hartford, which in March won its first-ever America East Conference women’s basketball championship, has been selected as the host site for the tournament again next season.

America East announced Monday that the Hawks will play host to the 2003 Friendship Cottage Cheese America East Women’s Basketball Championship at the 3,977-seat Chase Family Arena in West Hartford. The event is scheduled for March 13-15.

The decision was made last week by a vote of the league’s athletic directors during the America East annual meeting in Groton, Conn.

Last season, Hartford earned the program’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament by beating Stony Brook in the title game. The 2002 tournament attracted a total of 9,036 fans, including 2,811 for the championship game.

“Coming on the heels of a tremendously exciting championship last season, we look forward again to showcasing our premier women’s basketball even in the Hartford area,” America East Commissioner Chris Monasch said in a press release.

“The fan base, the Chase Family Arena, the continued support from Friendship Dairies Inc., and the central location of the campus relative to the other America East member institutions afford our fans a tremendous opportunity to enjoy three great days of women’s basketball,” Monasch added.

University of Maine coach Sharon Versyp was out of town recruiting Monday and could not be reached for comment, but said after last year’s tournament that Hartford did an outstanding job putting on the event.

UMaine was the tourney host when America East went to the single-site format in 1998, then Vermont held the championship from 1999-2001. Each year, the tournament has averaged more than 2,000 fans per session with an average of 2,800 for the title game.

McCaw named AD at UMass

Ian McCaw, a former assistant athletic director and sports information director at the University of Maine, has been named the director of athletics at the University of Massachusetts.

McCaw, 37, had spent the last five years as the athletic director at America East member Northeastern University in Boston. He worked at UMaine from 1986-92 before following former Black Bears AD Kevin White to Tulane, where from 1992-97 McCaw served as senior associate AD for development and associate AD for external affairs.

He replaces Bob Marcum, who retired in June.

McCaw is a member of the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey committee and also serves on the Atlantic 10 football, Hockey East and National Consortium for Academics and Sports executive committees.

McCaw earned his master’s degree in sport management from UMass in 1987 after receiving a bachelor’s degree in sports administration at Laurentian University in Sudsbury, Ontario.