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3/14/2009 - WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
ETSU claims "NCAA Pack the House" Challenge
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (March 13, 2009) - East Tennessee State University was one of 32 winners in the NCAA Division I "Pack the House" Challenge. "Pack the House" is national effort in which conferences and institutions compete to build attendance. NCAA Division I women’s basketball marketing staffs selected a home game and designated that date as a "Pack the House" game with the goal of setting an attendance record. One winner from each of the 31 conferences and one from a group of independent institutions were named. Selections were based on marketing plan creativity and attendance criteria. The NCAA will award prizes and donate $500 to the nonprofit organization of each winning institution's choice.
And pack the house, they did. Almost two-thirds of the Division I membership – 184 institutions – participated in the effort that attracted more than 559,000 fans.
ETSU hosted 3,459 fans at its women's basketball game on November 21 against nationally-ranked Vanderbilt.
Events at Auburn, Bradley, Central Michigan, Gonzaga, Marist, Memphis, Niagara, Notre Dame and Providence College produced sell-out crowds. Sixty-three other programs surpassed their single-game attendance highs from last year - including ETSU who nearly tripled its previous attendance for a Lady Buccaneer game. The previous single-game attendance record for a Lady Buc contest was set in 2007-08 when 1,236 fans saw ETSU knock off Kennesaw State, 81-77.
"We believe this initiative has served as a catalyst to increase attendance, create excitement and enhance exposure for our women's basketball programs," said NCAA Vice President of Division I Women’s Basketball Sue Donohoe. "Institution personnel committed a great deal of time, effort and resources to this program and the results were extremely positive. This program provides great 'best practices' and examples of success for institutions that are seeking to 'grow' women's basketball and these success stories will continue to strengthen efforts in the future."
