The University of Lethbridge has been awarded the right to host the 2017 CIS Women’s Rugby Championship.
With 2017 being the institution’s 50th anniversary, the women’s rugby championships will also be a significant piece of the Pronghorn Athletics’ and institution’s celebrations.
“The University is looking forward to showcasing our CIS Women Rugby athletes in Lethbridge in 2017,” says Ken McInnes, executive director of Athletics and Recreation. “We are celebrating our 50th Anniversary in 2017 and what a great way to celebrate that milestone by hosting the CIS Women’s Rugby Nationals. Partnering with CIS provides the U of L an opportunity to showcase these incredible athletes as well as our fabulous facility to the great rugby fans of southern Alberta.”
The event will mark the third time that Lethbridge has hosted a university national championship. The city played host to the women’s rugby championship in 2008, prior to the opening of the University Community Stadium. That event was hosted at the Lethbridge Sports Park on the north side of Lethbridge and drew an enthusiastic crowd that saw the Horns capture their second of three successive CIS titles.
Lethbridge also hosted the 1987-88 women’s basketball championship, when the governing body was known as the CIAU.
No strangers to the CIS Women’s Rugby Championships, the Pronghorns have participated in the national championship tournament eight times in the program’s 16-year existence (2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2015), winning three consecutive titles from 2007 to 2009.
The 2017 CIS women’s rugby championship with bring the top eight teams in the country to Lethbridge, November 2-5, 2017.