2005 NCAA Championships at the Savvis Center in St. Louis2005 NCAA Championships at the Savvis Center in St. Louis
Wrestling

St. Louis Awarded NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships for 2008 and 2009

Sept. 22, 2005

Columbia, Mo. - The NCAA Wrestling Committee announced today that it awarded St. Louis back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2008 and 2009. The tournaments will be held in the Savvis Center and hosted by the St. Louis Sports Commission and the University of Missouri.

The Savvis Center has already played host to three NCAA Wrestling Championships since the turn of the century, housing the event in 2000, 2004 and 2005. The only city to host back-to-back Championships, St. Louis owns three of the top five attendance records for the tournament, as well as a record 96,994 fans in 2000. The committee chose the city because of its proven ability to host the tournament and popularity among coaches and student-athletes.

"This is a very special event to us and it is a thrill to bring the Championships back to St. Louis for multiple years," said Sports Commission President Frank Viverito. "This is a tribute to all of the hard work done to make the previous events so successful, as well as the incredible working relationship we have with our friends at the University of Missouri and Savvis Center."

"The opportunity to bring the NCAA Wrestling Championships back to Missouri is truly an honor," said Mizzou Athletic Director Mike Alden. "St. Louis is the perfect home for the tournament and we couldn't be more proud that the NCAA has asked us to put on such a fine event for two more years."

The University of Missouri hosted the past three events in St. Louis and will once again assist the St. Louis Sports Commission in overseeing the organizing committee. The tournaments will be held March 20-22, 2008, and March 19-21, 2009.

"The entire Missouri wrestling family is very excited to host such a great event," said Mizzou head coach Brian Smith. "The volunteers who put in hundreds of hours behind the scenes should be credited with the committee's decision to bring the NCAA Championships back to St. Louis. The continued support and dedication of all of these individuals are what make this such a tremendous experience for coaches, student-athletes and fans."