The 2009 Summit League basketball championships set attendance records for women’s attendance, overall attendance and corporate sponsorship during the March 7-10 event.

Held at Sioux Falls Arena, the tournaments attracted crowds of 34,681, surpassing the previous record of 28,597 set in 1994. The overall attendance record was largely due to a surge in attendance for the women’s games, which drew 16,999. The previous record was set in 2005 when 10,357 people attended the women’s championship games. The men’s tournament drew 17,682, the highest attendance since 1994.

The tournament raised nearly $300,000 in corporate sponsorships, another record.

The winners of the two championships – North Dakota State’s men’s team and South Dakota State’s women’s team – both earned the conference’s automatic bids to the NCAA tournament in their first year of eligibility.