March 9, 2004

RICHMOND, Va. - George Mason University has been selected to host the Colonial Athletic Association Women's Basketball Championship in 2005 and 2006 by the league's athletic directors.

It will be the first time that George Mason has served as host of the women's championship. All games will be played at the 10,000-seat Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va.

"Old Dominion has done an outstanding job of hosting the championship for the past four years, but this allows us to expose our women's basketball championship to other regions in the conference," CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager said. "George Mason put together an excellent bid and we are confident that they will put on a terrific event."

The CAA women's basketball championship has been conducted at eight different campus sites over the league's 19 years. Only once has it been held in the Washington, D.C. area, when American University served as host in 1988.

"We are proud to host the CAA Women's Basketball Championship for the next two years," George Mason Athletic Director Tom O'Connor said. "We look forward to centralizing the tournament within our conference and showcasing our first-rate facility, the Patriot Center, and our solid women's basketball tradition to the fans."

The Washington metropolitan area has been very supportive of women's basketball. The Washington Mystics of the WNBA have led the league in attendance for five of the past six seasons.