The first season of Hope College basketball at the new DeVos Fieldhouse can be described in one word -- spectacular!
The NCAA has announced that Hope has become the first Division III institution to lead the nation in attendance in both men's and women's basketball in the same season.
It was announced earlier that the men's basketball team had topped Division III with an average of 2,928 fans per game.
The latest announcement is that the women's basketball team also led DIII with the division's highest per-game average in history at 1,329 fans per game. The runner-up was UW-Stout with an average of 1,172.
Only once in NCAA history has the same school led the nation in men's and women's home attendance in the same season. That was Division II Southeast Missouri State in 1991.
The previous single season record in Division III women's basketball was the 1,294 average at UW-Eau Claire in 2003.
Hope's DeVos opening attendance of 3,154 fans was a regular season DIII women's record and the fourth largest in NCAA history, including tournaments in DIII.
The Flying Dutch won the Division III national championship posting a 33-1 record, including a 14-0 mark at DeVos. Hope also topped Division III in women's basketball attendance in 1990 during a season in which they also captured the national championship.
Hope launches its 06-07 women's basketball season with a home tournament the weekend of Nov. 17-18.