Harvard will be a tennis hotbed next weekend, when the Crimson host one of the opening rounds of the 2001 NCAA Men's Division I Championship.

The NCAA announced the sites at a press conference Thursday afternoon. Sixteen sites around the country will host four teams each. The winner of each bracket advances to the final sixteen, which will be held at the University of Georgia.

Harvard (14-8), ranked No. 45 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll, is the third-seeded team in its bracket. Washington (seeded 1st), Notre Dame (2nd), and Hofstra (4th) round out the field.

Harvard's first round opponent is the Fighting Irish, who finished the season ranked No. 13. Notre Dame has a record of 16-6 and captured one of the 34 at-large berths.

The Crimson met Notre Dame in its last NCAA appearance as well, defeating the Fighting Irish 4-2 in a 1999 regional held at Indiana St.

The tournament will be held in the year-old Robert M. Beren Tennis Center, Harvard's 18-court outdoor jewel. This is the first major tournament for the facility, and the first time since 1997 that the Crimson hosted the NCAAs.

Washington will take on Hofstra, the America East Conference champion, in the first match on Saturday, May 12 at 10 a.m. Harvard will face Notre Dame shortly after the conclusion of that match.

The finals are on Sunday at noon.