Ohio University Prepares for 2008 National Collegiate Club Championship

ATHENS, Ohio - For the second time in three years, the men's National Collegiate Club Championship will be hosted in the state of Ohio as Ohio University will serve as host of the 2008 Men's National Collegiate Club Championship on November 14-16.

Ticket prices for spectators are $13/day or $25 for the tournament (children under 12 are free). Faculty, staff and students of Ohio University are $5/day or $12 for the tournament with current Ohio University identification. Senior citizens will be admitted at the Ohio University FSA prices.

The championship coming to Ohio University marks the second time in three years the state of Ohio will serve as host of the title tournament as Miami University (Ohio) was the site of the 2006 championship.

The largest men's collegiate water polo championship in North America, the National Collegiate Club Championship field is comprised of 16 teams from across the nation, including 14 division champions from the CWPA's 141 men's collegiate club programs, the host institution and one representative from the Big 10 conference.

Teams qualify through conference play, requiring a minimum of two tournaments. The following conferences/divisions (in addition to the host institution/runner-up from the host institution's division) receive automatic bids:

* Pacific Coast Division - California Polytechnic State University
* Big 10 - Michigan State University
* Missouri Valley Division - University of Illinois-Chicago
* Southwest Division - Arizona State University
* Great Lakes Division - Grand Valley State University
* Florida Division - University of Florida
* Mid-Atlantic Division - University of Pennsylvania
* New England Division - Dartmouth College
* Rocky Mountain Division - University of Colorado
* Northwest Division - University of Oregon
* Southeast Division - Georgia Institute of Technology
* Great Plains Division - University of Minnesota
* Texas Division - Texas A&M University
* Atlantic Division - Duke University
* New York Division - Columbia University
* Host - Ohio University

The tournament is not seeded by ability, since there is no equitable means to determine the respective strength of the teams. Too few teams play outside of their division schedules to be able to create an accurate seeding, so match-ups are based upon the 2007 National Collegiate Club Championships results by division. The host region (Great Lakes) receives two automatic bids, one of which is assumed by the division champion and the other by the host site or division runner-up (the 16th position). This ensures the tournament host is always a participant.

In 2008, the Pacific Coast Division champion will enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed thanks to California Polytechnic State University taking the 2007 title at the University of Arizona. The remaining 15 seeds are assigned in order to the Big 10 Conference, Missouri Valley Division, Southwest Division, Great Lakes Division, Florida Division, Mid-Atlantic Division, New England Division, Rocky Mountain Division, Northwest Division, Southeast Division, Great Plains Division, Texas Division, Atlantic Division, New York Division and Host.

The Ohio Aquatic Center, which opened in January 1984 at a cost of $4.7 million, is an Olympic-size pool which features 22 25-yard lanes, 10 50-meter lanes and a pair of one-meter and three-meter diving boards. Approximately 645,468.75 gallons create 12,300 square feet of surface water.

The shallow end of the pool is 3'6" deep while the deepest part is 13'14" deep. There is an underwater window at the deep end and an outdoor sun deck on the second floor.

The 1,105-seat facility hosted the 1984-85 NCAA Diving Regional and numerous conference championship meets, including the Women's MAC Championships in 1986, 1989, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2005 and the Men's MAC Championships in 1988, 1991, 1998, 2002, and 2006.

Established in 1804, Ohio University is the oldest public institution of higher learning in the state of Ohio and the first in the Northwest Territory.

The game schedule and hotel information for the championship are available on the CWPA website. 

Directions to Ohio University are available here.