For the past 15 years, men’s and women’s basketball players from the top schools in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) have called Winona Lake and Warsaw home for one week in March with local Grace College playing host to the championship tournaments.
This year will be the last time that happens.
The aforementioned and unprecedented 15-year run as hosts of the women’s tournament, as well becoming the first school to combine and host both tournaments by adding the men in 2012, has put Grace on the map and has made it the premier destination for NCCAA basketball. But the run has come to an end, as the Lancers decided not to renew their deal to continue hosting, making 2024 the last year the tournament will come to Winona Lake.
“We felt like it was time to pass the baton,” Grace athletic director Chad Briscoe said. “There’s a little bit of relief to take this off of our plate but we have enjoyed what this has brought to our campus and our community. Fifteen years is a great run and we are thankful for the opportunity to host for so long.”
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say the communities of Warsaw and Winona Lake feel thankful that this run has lasted so long as well. According to Briscoe and the Visitor’s Bureau, the tournament has generated $250,000 of revenue for the area each year Grace has hosted. Multiply that by 15, and you get the staggering amount of $3.75 million.
Along with that, each team that has come into town has participated in various service projects spanning across the community. Briscoe mentioned those projects as his favorite part of hosting.
“It’s so hard to pinpoint a single moment but I think what makes this tournament so special is that every Tuesday before the tournament begins we have teams going to every elementary school in Warsaw. We have teams going out and doing community service, teams working with the Salvation Army,” Briscoe said. “They’re all over town and I love hearing stories about the value they add to our community and the way they give back. It’s a very special day that shows how much just a couple of hours can mean.”
As for Grace’s assistant athletic director and sports information director Josh Neuhart, his favorite memories of hosting come from the people he has met along the way.
“We’ve certainly had some great buzzer-beaters, championship games and overtimes, but what I’ll remember the most is being able to work alongside a lot of great people over the years,” Neuhart said. “Each year you have new teams and new fans coming in for the first time and getting to see their reaction to our gym and the event is awesome every time. We’ve had hundreds of seniors who have played their final collegiate games in our arena so being able to give them a great sendoff is really rewarding.”
Before the tournament arrived at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center back in 2009, it was customary for the men’s and women’s tournaments to be held in different locations. After hosting the women for three years, Briscoe decided to do what no other NCCAA athletic director had done before, bid on the rights to host the men’s tournament as well to hold both championships at the same venue for the first time ever. It was accepted, the workload was doubled, and the rest is history.
“Chad’s vision to bring these tournaments here can’t be undersold. We all thought it was going to be an ambitious idea to bring the men here as well but to his credit he’s been able to create an unforgettable experience,” Neuhart said. “It speaks to his leadership and we’re happy that that legacy is going to continue.”
The College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri will take over the hosting duties next season and will continue the new tradition of hosting both tournaments.
So whether this year’s championships will be the first or 15th time you’ve attended Grace College’s version of the big dance, one thing is for certain: it’s an experience like few others, and an unforgettable one at that.
“Compared to the NCAA Division I tournament, there’s no difference in how we go about hosting these teams and the running of the event, and I think that’s why we’ve been fortunate enough to host for so long. The NCCAA knows that kids are ending their careers here and we give them as good of a sendoff as we can,” Briscoe said. “We’re thrilled to have been able to provide high-level college basketball and excitement to our community.”