INDIANAPOLIS---Greg Christopher, director of intercollegiate athletics at Bowling Green State University, will serve as chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee during the 2011-12 academic year. The appointment was made by the committee and confirmed by the NCAA Division I Championships/Sports Management Cabinet.

Currently serving his third year as a member of the committee, Christopher will be the first male to serve as committee chair. He will succeed current chair Dr. Marilyn McNeil, vice president/director of athletics at Monmouth University, September 1.

“My work on the committee over the last three years has been a great opportunity for me personally and professionally,” Christopher said. “It’s an honor to be selected by my fellow committee members to serve in this important role and I am looking forward to our continued work together in guiding our championship.”

Both the women’s and men’s Division I basketball committees have male and female representatives in each group. The members are nominated by their conference, serve five-year terms and represent a cross-section of Division I membership.

Christopher is in his fifth year at Bowling Green after being named the 12th full-time athletic director in school history in July of 2006. He oversees an 18-sport program that is a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA)

A native of West Lafayette, Ind., Christopher came to Bowling Green after spending nearly a decade at Purdue University, where he was associate director of athletics for external relations and director of the John Purdue Club.

A football student-athlete at Miami University (Ohio), Christopher earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from the university in 1988, later earning his master’s of business administration from the institution in 1991.

Christopher is a member of the MAC External Relations Committee, current chair of the CCHA Council and is the women’s basketball administrative chair for the MAC. Christopher is active in Northwest Ohio with the Bowling Green Community Foundation and the American Red Cross.

“Greg was an excellent choice to serve as chair of the committee as he has a great deal of administrative experience, is a strong advocate for women’s basketball and is a proven champion of the student-athlete,” said Sue Donohoe, NCAA vice president of Division I Women’s Basketball. “The committee has a unique opportunity to provide a meaningful championship experience for student-athletes and Greg will provide leadership and vision to the committee.”

About the NCAA and Division I Women’s Basketball

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes.NCAA women’s basketball is characterized by strong fundamentals, high quality of play, sportsmanship, role model student-athletes and family oriented entertainment. The latest NCAA Graduation Success Rate figures show 83 percent of NCAA Division I women’s basketball players graduate. In terms of the NCAA Academic Progress Rate, which measures term-by-term academic success, the overall score is 966, well above the NCAA benchmark of 925.

For the latest news in regard to the Women’s Final Four, visit www.ncaa.com/finalfour.