MAAC Rowing & Tennis Championships to be Held at Mercer County Park
MAAC Sports
Edison,
N.J.
- The 2012 MAAC Men's and Women's Tennis and Men's and Women's Rowing
Championships will both be held at Mercer County Park in West Windsor, New
Jersey over the weekend of April 28-29, 2012.
This will mark the first time that both events are held at the same
location. The championships have taken
place the third weekend in April in the past, and this year will be held a
weekend later than usual. This new
championship weekend allows for an extra week of regular season play for tennis
and moves the Rowing Championships a weekend closer to the NCAA Women's Rowing
Championship selection date.
"The County of Mercer and particularly our
Park Commission is thrilled to be hosting the MAAC Tennis and Rowing Championships
at Mercer County Park. We are honored to
be partnering with the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to have the unique
opportunity to host two conference championship events in our park on the same
weekend," said Kevin Bannon, Mercer County Park's Executive Director.
The Mercer County Park Tennis Center
consists of 22 outdoor courts and six indoor courts and was a recipient of the
2008 USTA National Outstanding Facility of the Year award. The championship match will take place on the
facility's premium court which has stadium seating. With the move to the Mercer County Park
Tennis Center, the on-site indoor tennis facility will be used for the championships
in the event of inclement weather.
"The MAAC is
excited to be partnering with Mercer County to host the Rowing and Tennis
Championships this year," said MAAC Tennis Chair and Saint Peter's College
Associate Athletic Director, Lisa D. Archbald. "The MAAC has had a long standing
relationship with Mercer County and we are looking forward to having our
student-athletes compete in this wonderful setting."
Lake Mercer is the training site for the US
Rowing teams in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games. MAAC Rowing Championships have been held at Lake
Mercer every year since 2005, and this year will also serve as preparation for
the 2012 NCAA Rowing Championships which will also be held from May 25-27 at this location and
hosted by the MAAC and Rider University.
The MAAC's Rowing Chair and Iona College Senior Associate
Athletic Director, Jamie Fogarty noted, "With the MAAC earning automatic
qualification to the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships beginning in 2013, we
are pleased to continue hosting the MAAC Championships at a
championship-caliber course. Lake Mercer and the MAAC's role as host of
the 2012 NCAA Women's Rowing Championships are great additions to the growth of
women's rowing throughout the conference."