Feb. 19, 2009

BIRMINGHAM – While the winter season still has a month to go on the calendar, action for Southwestern Athletic Conference teams is heating up with several championship events and roundups on the horizon.

Over the next six weeks, the SWAC will crown champions in women’s bowling, women’s and men’s indoor track, and women’s and men’s basketball. In addition, softball and tennis roundups will be held as those sports move deeper into their seasons.

Kicking off the plethora of upcoming events is the 2009 Bowling Championship, to be held Friday-Sunday, Feb. 20-22 at the Holiday Fun Bowl Center in Bessemer, AL.  The competition will showcase the top six women’s bowling teams from the SWAC, all vying for the coveted 2009 Bowling Championship title.  The defending champion Jaguars of Southern University will look to become the first conference team to repeat since Texas Southern (2005, 2006).

The first round of play will begin on Friday, February 20^th at Noon in a round-robin format. From there, teams will be seeded 1-6 based on highest pin count for Saturday and Sunday’s double-elimination format. Action begins Saturday at 9 a.m. as the field of six will be cut down to two. Sunday, the championship round with the final two teams begins at 2 p.m. and will be taped by ESPNU for airing on March 4. There is no admission charge for this event and parking is free.

Next weekend, the scene shifts to Baton Rouge, LA for the 2009 SWAC Indoor Track & Field Championship and the SWAC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Roundup. The Indoor Track Championship is scheduled for February 28^th – March 1^st at LSU’s Carl Maddox Field House. Competition begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, and continues at 8:00 am on Sunday, March 1^st. The women of Jackson State and men of Prairie View A&M will look to defend their 2008 Indoor Track & Field titles. Tickets will be on sale each morning of the event as of 7:30 a.m., at the SE Entrance of the Carl Maddox Field House. Parking is free.

The SWAC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Roundup will be hosted by Southern University, February 27^th – March 1^st. It featuring all 10 teams in an East-West format, as teams will play all five schools from the opposite division.  Play will begin each day at 9:00 a.m., at four different venues, including the University Courts at Southern University, the Greenwood Park Tennis Center, the Lamar Tennis Center (YMCA), and the Independence Park Tennis Center.  Admission and parking is free at each location.

The tennis roundup is the first of three in 2009. On March 20-21, the West Tennis Roundup (western division teams only) will be held in Baton Rouge. March 27-29, Montgomery, AL and Alabama State will host the East Tennis Roundup (eastern division teams only).

SWAC softball teams will compete in an East-West Roundup March 6-8 at Timberton Park in Hattiesburg, MS. All 10 teams will be in action in the East-West format, as competition will be in the intra-divisional format.

Birmingham, AL will again host the 2009 SWAC Basketball Tournament March 11-14 at Fair Park Arena. The top eight men’s and women’s teams will compete for the SWAC Tournament title and a trip to the Big Dance, the NCAA Basketball Tournament.