On Nov. 1 the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee announced that URI has been named one of four regional sites for the 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship. This will be the first NCAA Championship event to take place at the Ryan Center.

”We are very excited and honored to host the regionals of the 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at the Thomas M. Ryan Center,” said Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn. “It’s a chance for us to showcase the University, our Athletics Department, our women’s basketball program, and the Ryan Center to a national audience.”

“We are committed to providing a first-class experience for our fans, the participating student-athletes, and women’s college basketball fans as a whole,” added Bjorn.

URI was the lone Atlantic 10 institution selected to host NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament games in 2012.

“This is fantastic news not only for our players, our team, and our University but for the state of Rhode Island as a whole,” said Rhody women’s basketball head coach Cathy Inglese. “It will be a great opportunity for our fans to see some of the nation’s elite programs play right here in the Ryan Center.”

In addition to Rhode Island, Fresno State, North Carolina State, and Northern Iowa will also serve as host institutions for regional competition in 2012. Games will take place either Saturday, March 24, and Monday, March 26, or Sunday, March 25, and Tuesday, March 27, 2012 (exact dates to be determined in June 2011).