TAMPA, NOV. 18, 2014 – USF Athletics shared in the excitement Monday as Tampa Bay won the bid for yet another premier sporting event as the NCAA selected the Bay Area as the host site for the 2019 NCAA Women's Final Four. The selection follows on the heels of the Bay Area hosting this year's Women's Final Four at Amalie Arena, both of which USF will proudly play major role.
“We could not be more appreciative of our host institution, USF, and that starts at the top with their Director of Athletics Mark Harlan,” Higgins said. “Mark's input and support throughout the entire process from the initial bid submission to the final bid presentation was invaluable to our success.”
USF Athletic Director Mark Harlan traveled with Tampa Bay Sports Commission Executive Director Rob Higgins to Indianapolis last week to assist in the final presentation to the NCAA that solidified the Final Four's return just four years after the 2015 event.
“We are so excited as a department to be able apply our talented staff and resources in helping the Bay Area to continue to host premier national events.” Harlan said. “We are absolutely thrilled and honored the NCAA has chosen to return the Women's Final Four to Tampa Bay in 2019. It speaks volumes about our partners at the Tampa Bay Sports Commission and executive director Rob Higgins and the first-class events they have planned and executed in our beautiful community.”
USF Athletics has been a major part of the Sports Commission's preparations for hosting the 2015 Women's Final Four and will be heavily involved in conducting both the 2015 and 2019 events in downtown Tampa, providing both guidance and resources. Four members of USF Athletics senior staff and six staff members overall currently serve as members of the Women's Final Four Local Organizing Committee. Numerous USF Athletics administrators and staff are aiding the committee and the NCAA in everything from event management, and media coordination to marketing and community involvement. As the event nears dozens more staff members, USF students and USF student-athletes will be involved in helping to conduct the event and make it a huge success.
“I think it is absolutely fantastic that Mark and USF Athletics is committed to helping to bring the premier women's athletic event back to Tampa,” USF women's basketball coach Jose Fernandez said. “It's exciting for the Bay Area and it's tremendous for our program to have the epicenter of NCAA women's basketball in the Bay Area twice in a four-year span and to have our department staff working closely with the community and the NCAA to make the event a success. I want to thank Rob Higgins and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission. The focus of the basketball community will be on Tampa for another great championship week.”
“USF Athletics is looking forward to helping make the 2015 Women's Final Four a huge success and continuing to make the Bay Area a coveted destination for the nation's premier sporting events,” Harlan said. “When I traveled to Indianapolis last week, it was evident that the hard work and professionalism of our athletics staff in staging NCAA events would be a key reason for the Bay Area being selected again. We are committed to being involved in the community and helping the Bay Area thrive and continue to be one of the best places to live in America.”
