With a newly remodeled facility to show off to fans from across the conference, Western Washington University has been selected to host the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Basketball Championships.
The 2019 tournament will take place March 7-9, 2019 in Bellingham with all games being played on WECU Court at Carver Gymnasium. This will mark the first time that WWU has hosted the championship since the conference went to a single-site format in 2012. The conference office made the announcement on Friday from its headquarters in Portland, Ore.
“Western Washington has always been a great host to GNAC teams and GNAC Championships events, so we are excited that the 2019 GNAC Basketball Championships will be in Bellingham,” said GNAC commissioner Dave Haglund. “The remodeled Carver Gym provides first-class facilities that will allow us to put on a great event for both our competing teams and fans alike.”
“We are thrilled and honored to serve as the host school for the 2019 GNAC Basketball Championships at WECU Court in Carver Gymnasium,” said Western Washington athletic director Steve Card. “This will be a great event to showcase our wonderful new facility on the WWU campus and provide a memorable experience for the student-athletes and the greater Bellingham community.”
Western Washington teams returned to the Carver facility last September after two seasons playing home basketball games and volleyball matches at nearby Whatcom Community College. The building underwent a two-year, $83 million renovation that included extensive changes to the building’s exterior, seismic upgrades and new classroom and lab space for the university’s Health & Human Development department.
The 2019 GNAC Championships will be the seventh GNAC postseason event hosted by Western Washington. The Vikings hosted the GNAC Cross Country Championships at nearby Lake Padden in 2005, 2015, 2016 and 2017; and hosted the GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2002 and 2007. In addition, WWU hosted the final match of the 2016 GNAC Women’s Soccer Championships when fog prevented the match from being played at Simon Fraser University.