When the 2006 NCAA Women¡s Gymnastics Regionals kick off next spring, fans will need to travel no further than Hilton Coliseum to catch the action. The NCAA announced this week that Iowa State would play host to one of the six regional rounds April 8, 2006.

We wanted a chance to have home court advantage for our team,Œ said Calli Sanders, senior associate director of athletics. We placed a bid in the spring, and based on the recent success of our program, were able to receive the bid.Œ

This will be the first gymnastics regional the university has hosted.

I am thrilled at the opportunity to host such a prestigious event,Œ said head gymnastics coach K.J. Kindler in a statement. Iowa State provides an incredible venue in Hilton Coliseum, and I know that Iowa State will host this event with class and integrity.Œ

Six teams qualify for each one-day regional, and the top two will advance to the NCAA Championships April 20-22 at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore.

It is a great honor for Iowa State to be able to showcase some of the best gymnasts in the nation,Œ said athletics director Bruce Van De Velde in a statement. Iowa State¡s gymnastics program has been one of the best nationally for more than a decade, and we want to thank the NCAA for allowing us to host this fantastic event.Œ

Hosting the regional will be a luxury for the ISU women¡s gymnastics team, who have qualified for 10 consecutive NCAA Regional berths. The team returns five seniors this fall and hopes to repeat last season¡s performance, after they appeared in the NCAA Championships for the second time. The Cyclones also qualified in 2000.

This is a great opportunity for our five outgoing seniors to have one more event in front of the ISU fans,ΠKindler said.

The Universities of Arkansas, Georgia, Michigan, Stanford and Louisiana State are the other schools selected to host regionals.