PIAA sets 2025-28 state championship sites for basketball, wrestling, swimming

By: Chris Harlan
Wednesday, May 15, 2024 | 6:48 PM

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Giant Center in Hershey will continue to host the state basketball and individual wrestling championships for the next four years, and swimming and diving is staying at Bucknell.

The PIAA on Wednesday approved those venues as championship sites for 2025-28.

However, no site was selected for team wrestling or competitive spirit, said PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi. The PIAA received no proposals to host team wrestling while the one received for competitive spirit was not accepted by the staff, he said.

“We are to reach out and discuss those (sports) with some potential sites,” Lombardi said.

Penn State, with assistance from the Happy Valley Sports and Entertainment Alliance, submitted a proposal to move the individual wrestling championship to its campus. But Lombardi said the financial package in Giant Center’s proposal was better.

“There were some ticket surcharges, some amusement surcharges and some parking surcharges — not only for the general public but also for the schools and staff — that were not pleasing (in Penn State’s proposal),” Lombardi said.

Giant Center has hosted the PIAA individual wrestling championships since the 10,500-seat arena opened during the 2002-03 season. Hersheypark Arena, which sits adjacent to Giant Center, hosted the championships from 1979-2002.

Lombardi said Giant Center was the only venue to submit a proposal to host the basketball finals. The basketball finals have been played there since 2013.

Bucknell became host of the PIAA swimming championships in 2004.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.