Mt. McKinley Bank renews title sponsorship of North Star Invitational

September 7, 2012

Marmian Grimes



Jamie Foland
474-6807

Scott Jerome, interim director of athletics for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, announced today that Mt. McKinley Bank has renewed its role as the title sponsor for the 2012 North Star Invitational, the annual women's basketball tournament that is hosted by the Alaska Nanooks over the Thanksgiving holiday.

“We are very excited that Mt. McKinley Bank is once again the title sponsor of the annual North Star Invitational women's basketball tournament,” Jerome said. “Without this support, it is unlikely that we could host such a great event for the department and the community. We thank Mt. McKinley Bank for its generous donation.”

“The North Star Invitational is a great women's basketball tradition and we are proud to have Mt. McKinley Bank as our title sponsor,” women's basketball head coach Cody Burgess said. “Their continued support of the Alaska Nanooks and women's basketball program is outstanding. The annual Thanksgiving tournament is a great life experience for student-athletes from all the participating teams. It's also fun and competitive entertainment for the fans.”

The agreement covers the 2012 tournament, which takes place Nov. 22-24, features the Anderson Ravens of the Heartland Conference, the Upper Iowa Peacocks of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and the Winona State Warriors, also of the NSIC.

Last season, all three of the Alaska's opponents in Lenoir-Rhyne, West Libery and Western State finished with at .500 or better in the win-loss column. Tournament champion Lenoir-Rhyne went 19-9, Western State was 16-15 and West Libery had 15-15 record.

Mt. McKinley Bank was formed nearly 47 years ago to serve the residents of Fairbanks, Alaska. The goal of the bank was to encourage financial growth through savings and thrift. In addition, they wanted to provide a local alternative for those residents seeking home mortgages. Over the years, they have provided millions of dollars in residential mortgage finance offering in-house loans and local servicing in the effort to provide the best possible customer service.

Individual tournament packages (separate from season tickets) can be purchased at the athletic ticket office inside the Patty Center for $24 for adults and $12 for youth under the age of 18. Single-session passes are also available for $10 (adults) and $5 (youth). Discounts are also available for active Alumni Association members, military personnel and senior citizens.