Cary now a title town

NCAA plans to steer championship events to the area

Cary may be a town, but the NCAA selected the Raleigh suburb for its "Championship City" pilot program.

The program is a long-term agreement that will bring several championships to the area over the course of several years.

The other five cities chosen by the NCAA are Cleveland, Indianapolis, St. Louis, San Diego and San Antonio.

"Cary is definitely rubbing shoulders with some of the big boys," said Scott Dupree, vice president for sports marketing at the Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.

How was Cary able to pull it off?

"I think it's the combination of the facilities, the track record and the partners involved," said Mary Henderson, director of park, recreation and cultural resources for Cary.

Cary has hosted several Division I soccer championships at WakeMed Soccer Park (then called SAS Soccer Park), and Cary's USA Baseball Complex was the sight of Division I baseball regionals last spring.

Inclusion in the program will likely help the RBC Center get more NCAA basketball tournament games, Dupree said.

"There's no guarantee, but we hope it will add weight to our bids," Dupree said.

The Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau and N.C. State have been partners with Cary, and have helped hold events. For example, N.C. State has assumed the role of "host school" -- the NCAA requires a host school -- for the soccer championships.

"Those things are all good for our area," Henderson said. "We all benefit from the success of our neighbors."

The announcement brought with it five championship events over the next four years.

The events include two Division I soccer championships, a Division II baseball championship, and Division II men's and women's championships in cross country and tennis.

In addition, events previously awarded are linked to the program. Cary already had another Division I women's soccer championship locked in, and the NCAA is also including the 2009 Division I women's basketball regional at the RBC Center in Raleigh.