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On Wednesday the NCAA announced a mass group of hosts for their various NCAA Championships between the fall of 2022 and the spring of 2026. Three of the championships will be hosted by the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
In 2023 the Minnesota Golden Gophers will host the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships in the Spring of 2023 at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. It will be the ninth NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship the U has hosted with previous ones being in 1937, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2011, and 2018.
In the Spring of 2024 the Gophers will host the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. It will be the ninth overall Frozen Four hosted by the U, and it will be the fourth held at the Xcel Energy Center. Minnesota teams have won all three championships held at the X including the Gophers in 2002 and Minnesota-Duluth in 2011 and 2018. The Gophers held three Frozen Fours at the old St. Paul Civic Center in 1989, 1991, and 1994, and held two in Minneapolis in 1958 and 1966 at the Old Mariucci (then Williams Arena).
In the Spring of 2025 the Gophers will host the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four at Ridder Arena. It will be the seventh time that Minnesota has hosted the event with previous ones held in 2001 and 2006 at Mariucci Arena, and 2010, 2013, 2015, and 2018 at Ridder Arena. With the exception of 2018 either Minnesota or Minnesota-Duluth has played in every single championship game that was hosted in Minneapolis. No other school/facility has hosted the Women’s Frozen Four more than three times. Duluth will be the only four time host when they host the 2023 Frozen Four at Amsoil Arena.
These announced championships come on top of an already stacked NCAA hosting calendar for Minnesota. While the Gophers lost out on the chance to host the 2020 NCAA Wresting Championships at US Bank Stadium due to Covid, the Gophers are set to host Men’s NCAA Basketball First and Second Round games at Target Center in March, and were set to host the 2021 Men’s Gymnastics NCAA Championships at the Pav in April—though this one may end up being held virtually in what is now the final season of men’s gymnastics at Minnesota.
Additionally, the Gophers are set to host the 2022 NCAA Women’s Final Four at Target Center as well, making it six NCAA events and five Championships held in Minneapolis or St. Paul in the next five seasons.