Southwestern Athletic Conference

SWAC announces 2016-17 Championship sites

7/5/2016 8:00:00 AM

SWAC.org

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southwestern Athletic Conference has finalized its list of championship sites for the 2016-17 season.

The first conference championship event of the year will be contested in a familiar place, as men’s and women’s cross country will return to the Choctaw Trails in Clinton, Miss. on Friday, Oct. 21. The league will then head west for the SWAC Soccer Tournament, as Prairie View A&M will host the event in its state-of-the-art facility from Nov. 3-6.

From there, Jackson State University will welcome teams for the SWAC Volleyball Tournament which is scheduled for Nov. 18-20. Closing out the fall slate of championships will be the Toyota SWAC Football Championship, which will be held at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Dec. 3, 2016.

Kicking off the winter championships will be indoor track and field, which is set for Feb. 16-17, 2017 at the Birmingham Crossplex. In one of the big changes to the ledger, the SWAC men’s and women’s basketball championships are set to incorporate on-campus sites. Set to take place from March 7 and March 10-11, the tournaments will see the higher seeds host during the opening rounds, with the semifinals and finals to be held at the Toyota Center in Houston.

The SWAC Bowling Tournament will wrap up the early portion of the 2017 championship schedule, as the Bowling International Training and Research Center (IRTC) in Arlington, Texas will host the proceedings from March 24-26.

Men’s and women’s tennis will jump start the spring championships as the Pepsi Tennis Center in New Orleans will showcase the conference from April 14-16. Immediately after that, men’s and women’s golf descends upon Oak Wing Golf Club/Links on the Bayou in Alexandria, Louisiana for tournament action from April 17-19.

Outdoor track and field will follow soccer’s lead as Prairie View A&M University welcomes SWAC athletes for competition from May 5-7. Rounding out the sports calendar for the season will be action on the diamond, with the 2017 SWAC Softball Tournament heading to the Barbara L. Williams Softball Complex of Alabama State University in Montgomery, Ala. from May 10-13, and the SWAC Baseball Tournament returning to New Orleans’ Wesley Barrow Stadium from May 17-21.

Continue to check SWAC.org for the most up-to-date news and notes in regards to conference sports and championships.

2016-17 SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS/CHAMPIONSHIP DATES

EVENT	DATE	HOST/SITE
Football Kickoff Media Day	Fri., July 15, 2016	Birmingham, Alabama (Birmingham Marriott)
MEAC/SWAC Challenge	Sun., September 4, 2016	Daytona Beach, Florida (Municipal Stadium)
M/W Cross Country Championships	Fri., October 21, 2016	Clinton, Mississippi Choctaw Running Trails
Women’s Soccer Tournament	Thurs.-Sun., November 3-6, 2016	Prairie View, Texas (Prairie View A&M University)
Women’s Volleyball Tournament	Fri.,-Sun., November 18-20, 2016	Jackson, Mississippi (Jackson State University)
Toyota SWAC Football Championship	Sat., December 3, 2016	Houston, Texas NRG Stadium
Celebration Bowl Game	Sat., December 17, 2016	Atlanta, Georgia Georgia Dome
Women’s Bowling West Round Up	Fri.-Sun., January 20-22, 2017	Houston, Texas (Emerald Bowl)
M/W Indoor Track & Field Championships	Thurs.-Fri., February 16-17, 2017	Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham CrossPlex
Women’s Bowling East Round Up	Fri.-Sun., February 17-19, 2017	D'Iberville, Mississippi (Cypress Lanes)
M/W Tennis Round Up I	Fri.-Sat., February 24-26, 2017	Jackson, Mississippi (Jackson State University)
M/W Basketball Tournament	Tues., Fri.-Sat.., March 7, 10-11, 2017	Houston, Texas Toyota Center
M/W Tennis Round Up II	Fri.-Sat., March 17-19, 2017	Montgomery, Alabama (Alabama State University)
Women’s Bowling Championship	Fri.-Sun., March 24-26, 2017	Arlington, Texas Bowling ITRC
M/W Tennis Tournament	Fri.,- Sun., April 14-16, 2017	New Orleans, Louisiana Pepsi Tennis Center
M/W Golf Championships	Mon.-Wed., April 17-19, 2017	Alexandria, Louisiana Links on the Bayou (W) Oak Wing Golf Course (M)
M/W Outdoor Track & Field Championships	Fri.-Sun., May 5-7, 2017	Prairie View, Texas (Prairie View A&M University)
Softball Tournament	Wed.-Sat., May 10-13, 2017	Montgomery, Alabama (Alabama State University)
Baseball Tournament	Wed.-Sun., May 17-21, 2017	New Orleans, Louisiana MLB Urban Youth Academy Wesley Barrow Stadium