Wednesday, April 3, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – For the next two years, the road to the GNAC Basketball Championships will include Interstate 5.

The conference has awarded the 2020 GNAC Basketball Championships to Seattle Pacific University. The school will host the annual tournament, which features the top-six finishers in the men’s and women’s regular-season standings, from March 5-7 at Royal Brougham Pavilion.

In 2021, the championship will return to Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington. The tournament at Marcus Pavilion will run from March 4-6.

“Both Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin’s provide great venues to showcase the best teams in the GNAC,” said conference commissioner Dave Haglund. “We are looking forward to playing the championship at Seattle Pacific for the first time and to making a return to a longtime championships partner in Saint Martin’s.”

Seattle Pacific will host the GNAC Basketball Championships for the first time, showcasing the home venue of one of the conference’s longtime hoops powers. The Falcons’ men have played in the tournament eight times since its inception in 2011, winning titles in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2019. The SPU women have appeared in seven championships, advancing to the finals game in 2018.

“We are honored to be hosting the GNAC Basketball Championships in 2020,” said Seattle Pacific athletic director Jackson Stava. “To welcome our GNAC colleagues to our campus and our city is an exciting opportunity to showcase what Seattle and Seattle Pacific have to offer.

“I am excited to showcase the hospitality, intentionality and professionalism of our staff as we serve as host for this event. Our aim is to provide a first-class experience for our student-athletes and coaches, making this a championship experience that is truly special.”

For Saint Martin’s, the 2021 event will mark the sixth time that Marcus Pavilion has been the postseason showcase for the conference. The school hosted the first three single-site tournaments, from 2012 to 2014, and was the host again in 2016 and 2017. The bid comes at a time when both the Saints’ men’s and women’s programs are on the rise. The men won their first regular-season championship in February and have appeared in the NCAA Championships each of the last two years.

“We are very happy to be selected once against to host the GNAC Basketball Championships in 2021,” said Saint Martin’s athletic director Bob Grisham. “This represents a tremendous opportunity to provide the student-athletes of the GNAC with a postseason championship experience they will enjoy and remember.”