ELMHURST, Ill. (March 31, 2015) – The Summit League owns the highest session attendance mark of any NCAA Division I postseason conference this season while figures for the championship game and the entire tournament average outpaced all but one conference. Three of the league’s crowds ranked among the nation’s top nine session draws.
The Summit League record March 7 quarterfinal crowd of 8,171 is higher than any session reported across Division I women’s basketball. Among league championship games, The Summit League’s 6,926 was the second-highest figure, outpacing all “big five” conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC). Additionally, The Summit League’s semifinal drew 6,704 spectators, placing it as the third-best nationally in that category. In total, three Summit League sessions (quarterfinal I, semifinal and championship) ranked among the nation’s top nine crowds.
Overall, The Summit League average attendance of 6,099 ranked second nationally and outpaced each of the “big five” conferences by over 1,000 fans per session.
“Our attendance figures are staggering,” said Summit League Commissioner Tom Douple. “When comparing our numbers nationally, and in particular against the ‘big five’ conferences, it shows the interest level for our event. I couldn’t be happier. These figures are a true testament to the support we receive from all of our fans and the Sioux Falls community. Producing these types of crowds further solidifies our women’s tournament as being one of the best in the nation.”
The Summit League will serve as host for the 2016 NCAA Women’s Regional at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center next March.
Below is a breakdown of 2015 Division I women’s basketball tournament attendance figures nationwide.
2015 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT ATTENDANCE FIGURES
| SINGLE SESSION | |||
| Rank | Attendance | League | Session |
| 1. | 8,171 | SUMMIT | Quarterfinal I |
| 2. | 8,000 | West Coast | Championship |
| 3.4. 5. | 7,110 | West Coast | Semifinal |
| 7,110 | West Coast | Quarterfinal I | |
| 7,110 | West Coast | Quarterfinal II | |
| 6 | 7,108 | ACC | Semifinal |
| 7. | 6,926 | SUMMIT | Championship |
| 8. | 6,874 | ACC | Championship |
| 9. | 6,704 | SUMMIT | Semifinal |
| 10. | 6,677 | American | Quarterfinal I |
| TOURNAMENT AVERAGE PER SESSION | ||
| Rank | Attendance | League |
| 1. | 7,333 | West Coast |
| 2. | 6,099 | SUMMIT |
| 3. | 5,911 | American |
| 4. | 5,090 | ACC |
| 5. | 4,231 | Big 12 |
| 6. | 3,999 | Pac-12 |
| 7. | 3,984 | SEC |
| 8. | 3,361 | Big Ten |
| 9. | 2,939 | Mountain West |
| 10. | 2,641 | SWAC |
| CHAMPIONSHIP GAME | ||
| Rank | Attendance | League |
| 1. | 8,000 | West Coast |
| 2. | 6,926 | SUMMIT |
| 3. | 6,874 | ACC |
| 4. | 6,817 | MEAC |
| 5. | 6,499 | American |
| 6. | 5,819 | SEC |
| 7. | 5,195 | Mountain West |
| 8. | 4,864 | Pac-12 |
| 9. | 4,804 | Big 12 |
| 10. | 4,131 | Big Ten |
| SEMIFINALS | ||
| Rank | Attendance | League |
| 1. | 7,110 | West Coast |
| 2. | 7,108 | ACC |
| 3. | 6,704 | SUMMIT |
| 4. | 6,531 | American |
| 5. | 6,059 | Pac-12 |
| 6. | 5,642 | Big Ten |
| 7. | 5,524 | SEC |
| 8. | 4,580 | Big 12 |
| 9. | 4,519 | SWAC |
| 10. | 3,589 | Southern |
| QUARTERFINALS | |||
| Rank | Attendance | League | Session |
| 1. | 8,171 | SUMMIT | Quarterfinal I |
| 2. | 7,110 | West Coast | Quarterfinal I |
| 7,110 | West Coast | Quarterfinal II | |
| 4. | 6,677 | American | Quarterfinal I |
| 5. | 5,848 | ACC | Quarterfinal II |
| 6. | 5,545 | Pac-12 | Quarterfinal II |
| 7. | 5,293 | Big Ten | Quarterfinal I |
| 8. | 5,177 | American | Quarterfinal II |
| 9. | 4,781 | Big Ten | Quarterfinal II |
| 10. | 4,630 | SEC | Quarterfinal I |
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ABOUT THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
In its fourth decade of Division I athletics, The Summit League offers 19 championship sports and has a combined enrollment of over 120,000 at nine institutions, including four located in top 60 U.S. metro populations and two land-grant universities. Member institutions include: Denver (University of Denver), Fort Wayne (Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne), IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis), North Dakota State University, Omaha (University of Nebraska Omaha), Oral Roberts University, the University of South Dakota, South Dakota State University and Western Illinois University. Previously known as the Mid-Continent Conference, The Summit League rebranded in 2007 and has since produced eight NCAA Champions along with over 65 All-Americans, 60 Academic All-America selections and numerous former student-athletes competing at the highest professional level. For more information about the league and to "See The Summit", visit www.thesummitleague.org, follow on Twitter @thesummitleague, download The Summit League's Front Row app, and watch the weekly "Inside The Summit League" show at www.thesummitleague.org/itsl.
