WELLAND, Ont. - The host-team Niagara College Knights will take on the top-seeded Collège Montmorency in the opening round of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) Women’s National Basketball Championships, which take place March 17-19 at the Niagara College Welland Campus Athletic Centre.

The draw for the championships took place on March 7, and the following teams will compete for the national title (seeding in brackets):

(1) Collège Montmorency Nomades, RSEQ Champion, Laval, Québec
(2) Grande Prairie Regional College , ACAC Champion, Grande Prairie, Alberta
(3) Dawson College, RSEQ Silver Medallists, Montreal, Québec (Wild Card)
(4) Capilano University, BCCAA Champion, North Vancouver, British Columbia
(5) St. Thomas University, ACAA Champion, Fredericton, New Brunswick
(6) Algonquin College, OCAA Champion, Ottawa, Ontario
(7) Mount Saint Vincent University, ACAA Silver Medallists, Halifax, Nova Scotia (Wild Card)
(8) Niagara College Knights, Host Team, Welland, Ontario

The four-day championship tips off with the belairdirect CCAA All-Canadian Banquet/Opening Ceremonies on March 16 at the Sheraton Fallsview Hotel , with games starting on March 17, leading up to the championship match-up on March 19. All games will be played at Niagara College’s new athletic centre at the Welland Campus.

“We’re very proud to welcome Canada’s top women’s college basketball programs to Niagara,” said Ray Sarkis, Niagara College Coordinator of Athletics and Recreation and Championship Host Chair. “This is a great opportunity for sports fans in Niagara to watch college basketball at its best - I look forward to seeing a full house for this prestigious event.”

Opening round games tip off at the Niagara College Welland Campus Athletic Centre at 1 p.m. on March 17. Opening round match-ups include:

(2) Grande Prairie vs (7) Mount St. Vincent at 1 p.m.
(3) Dawson vs (6) Algonquin at 3 p.m.
(4) Capilano vs (5) St. Thomas at 6 p.m.
(1) Montmorency vs (8) Niagara at 8 p.m.

On March 18, consolation round games are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and semi-final games will be played at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The medals will be decided March 19, with Bronze qualifier games at 10 a.m. and noon, seventh-versus-eighth game at 2 p.m., Bronze Medal game at 6 p.m. and the Gold Medal game at 8 p.m.

The championship has been embraced by the community, with a full slate of local and national businesses and organizations signing on as sponsors. Joining National-level sponsors Sport Canada, Jostens, Spalding and Big Kahuna are local sponsors SDR Seating, National Fitness, Rexroth Bosch Group, Adidas Canada, Molson Canadian, and the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association. Associate Sponsors include the Niagara College Student Administrative Council, Design Electronics, Natrel, Sheraton Fallsview Hotel, G.D’angelo Printing, and P.W. Leopard. Belairdirect Insurance is the title sponsor of the CCAA All Canadian Banquet, where the keynote speaker is sponsored by Campus Living Centres.

This year’s championship is the first to be held in Ontario since 1998.

Championship passes and day passes are available online at http://www.ccaawomensbasketball2011.ca. Championship passes are $20, Adult Day Passes are $8 and Student Day Passes are $5. Children under 12 are admitted free.

Source: Niagara College