UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The NCAA has selected Penn State to host several championships from 2018-22, including an NCAA Women's Frozen Four and two Division I men's hockey regionals. The NCAA announced host sites for 84 of its 90 championships through 2021-22.
The NCAA championship events Penn State has been selected to host from 2018-22:
- 2022 National College Women's Hockey Championship (Frozen Four);
- 2018 and 2019 NCAA Men's Hockey Regional in Allentown;
- 2018 and 2021 National Collegiate Fencing Championships;
- 2018 and 2020 National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Regional;
- 2018 and 2020 NCAA Men's and Women's Cross Country Regional.
"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to host several NCAA championships," said Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour. "We are excited to bring these championship events to Happy Valley and the Lehigh Valley, with the added possibility of our students being able to compete in front of our passionate and loyal fans. We look forward to working with a variety of constituencies locally and in the Allentown area to provide a memorable experience for the teams and fans from all over the country who will attend these NCAA championship events."
2022 NCAA Women's Frozen Four set for Pegula Ice Arena
Penn State will be hosting NCAA hockey championships for the first time, with the men's and women's hockey programs having recently completed their fifth seasons as varsity programs.
Penn State will host the National Collegiate Women's Hockey Championship in Pegula Ice Arena March 18-20, 2022, with two semifinal games and the national championship contest. The Women's Frozen Four began in 2001 and Clarkson won the 2017 title.
One of the nation's premier ice facilities, Pegula Ice Arena opened in October 2013 and is the home of the Penn State men's and women's hockey teams. The facility – and Division I hockey at Penn State – came to fruition from the generosity of Terry and Kim Pegula. The Pegula Ice Arena has a capacity of 5,782 with a standing room capacity exceeding 6,000.
2018 and 2019 NCAA Men's Hockey Midwest Regionals at PPL Center in Allentown
Penn State will have an opportunity to host its first NCAA hockey event the weekend of March 23-25, 2018, when four teams will converge in an NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Regional at the PPL Center in Allentown. The winner of the regional will advance to the 2018 Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minnesota. The exact competition dates of the two-day midwest regional are to be announced.
The NCAA also selected Penn State for a return engagement in Allentown, as the Nittany Lions will host the NCAA Men's Hockey Midwest Regional the weekend of March 29-31, 2019. The winner of the regional will advance to the 2019 Frozen Four in Buffalo. The exact competition dates of the two-day midwest regional are to be announced. NCAA men's hockey regionals are held in off-campus facilities.
"Penn State prides itself on providing exceptional championship experiences for student-athletes," said Assistant AD Michael Cross, who oversees the men's and women's hockey programs. "It's an honor to have those efforts recognized with successful bids to host NCAA championship events in our two newest sports and in two new, state-of-the-art facilities. The PPL Center will provide a fun tournament atmosphere for the NCAA men's hockey regionals in Allentown. And it will be an honor to have Pegula Ice Arena be the center of women's hockey in 2022 as we host four teams seeking the national championship."
The PPL Center opened in September 2014 and is the home of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League. The facility has a hockey capacity of 8,420, with a standing room capacity of more than 9,000. The Nittany Lion basketball team defeated Drexel in the PPL Center in December 2014.
"We are proud to partner with Penn State Athletics to host the 2018 and 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Regionals at PPL Center," said Spectra's Gunnar Fox, general manager of PPL Center. "This is a tremendous opportunity to showcase the PPL Center and the entire Lehigh Valley to hockey fans across the country. Following the success of hosting the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic, the Lehigh Valley has solidified its reputation as a hockey market and its fans are incredibly passionate. We look forward to creating memories that will last a lifetime for the teams and fans in attendance."
NCAA cross country, fencing and women's gymnastics events returning to Penn State
The NCAA men's and women's cross country mid-Atlantic regional will return to the Penn State Golf Courses on Nov. 9, 2018, and Nov. 13, 2020. The Nittany Lions most recently hosted the NCAA men's and women's cross country mid-Atlantic regional last fall.
Rec Hall will again host a national collegiate women's gymnastics regional on April 4, 2020. The NCAA had previously selected Penn State a women's gymnastics regional on April 7, 2018, which will mark the 15th time the Nittany Lions have hosted the event. Penn State last hosted a national collegiate women's gymnastics regional in 2014.
Penn State will host the National Collegiate Fencing Championships on March 25-28, 2021 in the Multi-Sport Facility. The NCAA had previously selected Penn State to host the 2018 National College Fencing Championships on March 22-25, marking the third time the Nittany Lions will host the event, with the last time coming in 2009.