PHLSports Update: May 2015

PHLSports Congress Headlines

• NCAA Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse Championships: May 22-25
• USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championships: May 30-31
• Philadelphia International Cycling Classic: June 7
• Showcase Of Annual Events
• John Wanamaker Athletic Award Winners

NCAA Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse Championships: May 22-25

Lacrosse is back – and with a vengeance!  The country’s top 16 men’s and women’s teams will vie for five NCAA lacrosse championships in Philadelphia over Memorial Day Weekend in front of tens of thousands of fans at two tremendous venues.

The women face off first with Division I semifinals at 5 p.m. May 22 at PPL Park, and the championship will be at 8:30 p.m. Sunday.  The Women’s Division III semifinals will be at 1 p.m. May 23 at PPL Park, with the DIII Finals set for 4:30 p.m. May 24, leading into the DI final.  Click for tickets and more information.

On the men’s side, four teams will compete in the Division I semifinals at 1 p.m. May 23 at Lincoln Financial Field. The championship game will be at 1 p.m. May 25. In addition, the Men’s DII and DIII Finals will be held starting at 1 p.m. May 24 at Lincoln Financial Field. Click for tickets.

“Mega” Tickets are available that include Men’s and Women’s events at a discounted price.

NOTE: Your affiliation with the Philadelphia Sports Congress provides you with special access to purchase tickets before the general public for the 2016 Men’s Lacrosse Championships at Lincoln Financial Field! This private presale is only available to you until tomorrow, Friday, May 22 at 11:59 p.m., so act fast to secure the best possible seat locations. Click here to purchase your tickets!

USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championships: May 30-31

Philadelphia is proud to welcome back the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC), the largest Rugby Sevens collegiate rugby championship in the world.  This will be CRC’s fifth year at Philadelphia’s PPL Park, which has established itself as the east coast hub of the sport for the United States.

Twenty teams from across the country will compete in thrilling 15-minute games to determine this year’s champion.  With the return of Rugby to the 2016 Olympic Games, the Championship is part of a nationwide effort to build American rugby talent in preparation for the Olympics.

The event will be broadcast live for seven hours over the weekend on NBC and NBC Sports Network.  For more information, visit USA Sevens.

Philadelphia International Cycling Classic: June 7

More than 160 of the world’s top professional cyclists will descend on Philadelphia June 7 to race in the highest-rated, one-day professional cycling event in the United States. Tens of thousands of spectators will line the course as cyclists complete 10 laps of the 12.3-mile circuit throughout Philadelphia, including the infamous Manayunk Wall.

Also, for the first time since 2001, Women’s Road World Cup racing returns to Philadelphia, featuring the world’s best female cyclists.

Think you can conquer The Wall?  Here’s your chance.  Anyone can get out on the course on race day if you don’t mind getting up a little early.  The Bicycling Open kicks off at 6:45 a.m. Click to find out more.

Showcase Of Annual Events

• Broad Street Run
  More than 40,000 runners turned out on a beautiful Sunday in May for the historic Blue Cross Broad Street Run, the nation’s largest 10-miler. The winner came in with a time just under 48 minutes, but most others had a more leisurely journey down Broad Street. Thousands of spectators lined the route and cheered on the runners.
• Independence Dragon Boat Regatta
  Join hundreds of dragon boaters on the beautiful Schuylkill River on June 6 for the 9th annual Independence Dragon Boat Regatta (IDBR). The IDBR benefits a number of local charities, including the Vietnam Veterans Society, Philadelphia Police Athletic League, Disabled Military Veterans and The Blue Star Mothers, as well as funding Team USA 2015. You can join, too! No experience required. Click to find out how.
• TriRock
  The Johnson & Johnson TriRock Philadelphia Triathlon, presented by Philadelphia Insurance Companies, is recognized as one of the premier triathlon festival weekends in the country. This year marks the event’s 11th year and features three days of activities including a Multisport Expo, Sprint Distance Race and showcase Olympic Distance Race featuring some of the best triathletes in the country, all held June 26-28.
  The race was named a top-five triathlon in the United States by Outside Magazine and lauded as one of the top big city triathlons by Inside Triathlon Magazine. Click for more information.

And The Winners Are …

They captured our hearts and now they’re capturing some more hardware. Philadelphia’s favorite Little League team, the Taney Dragons, is the 2015 recipient of the John Wanamaker Athletic Award.  The Dragons became the first Philadelphia team to win the state Little League Championship before taking the Mid-Atlantic Regional title and earning a trip to the Little League World Series in Williamsport last summer. They represented the city with tremendous spirit and class and earned a hero’s welcome and parade when they returned home.

In addition, the 2015 Robert P. Levy Community Service Award is being presented to Special Olympics Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Sports Volunteer of the Year is Don Richardson of the Philadelphia Blackhawks Pop Warner football team.

The Wanamaker Award Ceremony will be June 12 presented by Amerimar/TIER REIT and the Philadelphia Sports Congress.