Frontier Conference Basketball Tournament Awarded to Great Falls
Late last month, the Frontier Conference voted on and accepted a proposal to host a single site basketball tournament for both the Men’s and Women’s basketball teams in the league. Great Falls’ MT ExpoPark was selected to be the site with a 5-1 vote by the league’s Council of Presidents. The end of season tournament will be Sunday, February 26th through Tuesday, February 28th at the Four Seasons Arena.
Previous playoffs were decided by the highest seed hosting the lowest seed remaining. The eventually tournament champion receives the automatic bid to the National NAIA tournament in March. The Frontier Conference has been very well represented in the past and usually have several teams in the national tournament.
Jim Sargent, Assistant Athletic Director for the University of Montana told a group of supporters how exciting it will be to host the tournament and what a great opportunity for Great Falls and the surrounding communities. Doug Hashley, Athletic Director added this is a big deal for Great Falls and he appreciates all of the work that went into it.
Susan Shannon, Executive Director for the MT ExpoPark as well as Mike Henneberg, Athletic Director for the Great Falls Public Schools, offered support and solutions for potential conflicts. One conflict might be in the Northern C Basketball Tournament that concludes on Saturday February 25th. If the tournament ends with a potential challenge game, Monday could see a conflict. The work of Susan Shannon and Mike Henneberg resolved the concern with a backup plan.
McDonalds has already agreed to be a major sponsor for the tournament. If you want to be a part of the historic weekend, contact Doug Hashley or Jim Sargent at the University of Providence at 406-791-5208.