Town of Antigonish presenting sponsor for womenÕs rugby nationals

Antigonish, NS—The organizing committee for the 2012 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) women’s rugby championship is pleased to announce the Town of Antigonish as the presenting sponsor for the upcoming national championship, scheduled for November 1-4, 2012 at StFX University.

“We are very pleased to have the Town of Antigonish on board as our presenting sponsor,” comments tournament convener Krista McKenna. “Hosting a national sporting event is not possible without local partnerships and corporate support, so to have the financial support of the Town is tremendous.”

“The financial spin-off and tourism revenue that this national event will bring to Antigonish and the surrounding area is quite significant,” relays McKenna. “With the top six university women’s rugby teams here for close to a week, we are very excited to show off our local hospitality, in exchange for showcasing high-caliber rugby to our region.”

Likewise, mayor of the Town of Antigonish Carl Chisholm is equally excited about the partnership, commenting “I am proud to say that we are excited to be the presenting sponsor of this prestigious event. We welcome with open arms, into our community, all the teams from across Canada, along with all the officials, parents and friends of the participants.”

StFX Athletics is no stranger to hosting CIS national events. The CIS women’s hockey championship was hosted at the Charles V. Keating Centre in 2010, 2009 and 2006, drawing large and enthusiastic crowds. The organizing committee invites the local public to come out and lend their support to the 2012 CIS women’s rugby event as well.

The host team StFX X-Women are one of the favored contenders to win the gold medal. StFX has appeared in the national championship final in five of the past six years, claiming gold in 2010 and 2006, and earning three silver medals. The X-Women have dominated the Atlantic University Sport conference and are 14-time champions, taking home every AUS banner since the initiation of AUS women’s rugby in 1998. Led by 13-year veteran head coach Mike Cavanagh, StFX has compiled an impressive 55-1-2 AUS regular season record dating back to 2002 when women’s rugby became an official AUS-sanctioned varsity sport. The X-Women were ranked No. 1 in the CIS top ten for the entire 2011 season.

The local organizing committee is energized to showcase the sport of women’s rugby and the national championship event to the local region. Round robin games are scheduled for November 1st, 2nd and 3rd at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm daily, with the fifth place game slated for 10:00 am on Sunday, November 4th, followed by the bronze medal game at 12:00 pm and the gold medal game at 2:00 pm Sunday afternoon. Tournament ticket packages will be on sale starting August 1st at the Charles V. Keating Centre box office.

 (30)