Wednesday, March 24, 2010

MACON, Ga. – In the third year of the Atlantic Sun’s women’s basketball participation in the NCAA “Pack the House” Challenge, Jacksonville took the honor as the league’s winner.

All 11 Atlantic Sun women’s basketball programs participated in the initiative for a chance to be named the 2010 NCAA Women’s Basketball Pack the House Challenge Champion and win great prizes. In front of a sellout crowd of 1,398 on January 18 at Swisher Gymnasium, Jacksonville defeated UNF in the first edition of the 2009-10 women’s basketball SunTrust River City Rumble and earned the recognition as the A-Sun’s winner for the “Pack the House” contest. The NCAA will make a $500 donation to a non-profit organization on behalf of the Dolphins.

In addition to Jacksonville’s honor, the Atlantic Sun stood as the only conference in the nation with 100% participation from all 11 league programs this season.

“As you can imagine, we were very proud when informed that the Atlantic Sun was the only Division I conference in the country to have 100 percent participation in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Pack the House Challenge this year,” Sherri Booker, Atlantic Sun Senior Associate Commissioner and SWA said. “We have exciting women’s basketball programs and supportive fans and to have the full commitment from our 11 member institutions in promoting women’s basketball in the A-Sun is very positive.”

The challenge opened on Friday, Nov. 13 with ETSU’s defeat of Chattanooga, 85-61, while UTEP fell to FGCU in the Eagles’ season opener as part of the preseason Women’s NIT. The season-long challenge ended Saturday, Feb. 20 when Mercer and Kennesaw State hosted respective “Pack the House” games. The Bears defeated the Dolphins in a 65-51 contest. That same night, the UNF Ospreys overcame the Owls, 54-51.

“We’ve had a different institution named the winner of the Challenge each year, which signifies that our schools are working hard to promote women’s basketball,” Booker said. “Congratulations this year to our conference winner Jacksonville University for being one of only 11 institutions in the nation to have a sellout crowd the night of their Pack the House promotion.”

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.