PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania's Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics (Penn Athletics) and the Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association have announced a sponsorship agreement making Toyota the exclusive presenting sponsor of the 2024 Cathedral Classic Invitational, which will take place this weekend at The Palestra in Philadelphia, as well as the Penn men's and women's basketball programs.
 
"We are pleased to expand our current Penn Relays partnership with Toyota through the Cathedral Classic Invitational and our men's and women's basketball programs," said Alanna Wren, the T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W'69 Director of Athletics. "We're very thankful to Paul Muller and the Tri-State Toyota Dealers for their support as they continue to expand their already extensive Philadelphia sports portfolio. We've seen firsthand how excited their team is to be a part of Penn Relays, and we can't wait to see that excitement carryover into the Cathedral of College Basketball."
 
The 2024 Cathedral Classic Invitational presented by Toyota is an NCAA-sanctioned multi-team event (MTE) featuring four teams who will play doubleheaders on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. This year's event includes Penn as well as Elon, Maine and Navy.
 
2024 Cathedral Classic Invitational schedule
Friday, Nov. 29
  Elon vs. Maine, 2 p.m.
  Penn vs. Navy, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 30
  Elon vs. Navy, 2 p.m.
  Penn vs. Maine, 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 1
  Navy vs. Maine, noon
  Penn vs. Elon, 2:30 p.m.
 
This is the third year that The Palestra has hosted this four-team event, and it will continue to be an annual part of the college basketball schedule leading up to the 100th anniversary of The Palestra in 2026-27.
 
Toyota's presenting sponsorship of The Cathedral Classic Invitational is an expansion of the Tri-State Toyota Dealers' existing partnership with Penn Athletics — and, an addition to Toyota's existing partnership with Penn since 2020 on "The Penn Relays Series, presented by Toyota". 

"The Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association is very proud to become the presenting sponsor of men's and women's basketball at Penn with this new addition to our partnership with Penn Athletics," said President of the Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association Paul Muller. "We see this new NCAA basketball partnership—which will launch with The Cathedral Classic Invitational tournament this coming weekend—as a terrific expansion of our Penn Partnership, and includes our sponsorship of The Penn Relays Series," Muller added.
 
Toyota's new presenting sponsorship of the Penn men's and women's 2024-25 basketball programs is part of the Tri-State Toyota Dealers' overall support of Big 5 Basketball in Philadelphia—including the 2024 men's and women's "Toyota Big 5 Classic" tournaments taking place in Philadelphia the weekend after "The Cathedral Classic Invitational, presented by Toyota".
 
"Toyota has always been committed to supporting community-driven events that bring people together, and we see college sports as a key part of that vision," said Muller. "By extending our existing partnership with Penn to sponsor both The Cathedral Classic Invitational as well as men's and women's Quaker Hoops this season, we're not only celebrating the spirit of competition but also helping elevate Toyota's support behind incredible athlete competitions taking place on a national stage at one of Philadelphia's treasured institutions," Muller added.

This landmark sponsorship was secured through JMI Sports, the exclusive multimedia rights partner of Penn Athletics.

About Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association
The Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association (TDA) is comprised of 25 Toyota Dealers in the Greater Philadelphia market dedicated to providing customers in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Northwestern Delaware and Southern New Jersey communities with Toyota sales and service. The Tri-State TDA has an ongoing partnership with multiple community organizations and causes, including the Association's focus on scholastic sports and its partnerships with organizations related to Big 5 Basketball in Philadelphia.
 
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships. Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota's 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 30 electrified options.
 
About Penn Athletics
The Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics is a broad-based division comprising 33 varsity intercollegiate teams, 37 club sport teams, and expansive intramural sport and campus recreation programs, all taking place within 22 athletics and recreational facilities. The facilities are contained within a contiguous 24-acre footprint at the eastern end of campus, commonly thought to be one of the best athletics infrastructures among urban campuses, with assets such as Franklin Field, The Palestra, and Penn Park.
 
About JMI Sports
JMI Sports is a leading media rights and venue development company that provides management of collegiate multimedia rights, sponsorship sales agency representation, and project management expertise for the development of collegiate and professional sports facilities. The company serves to maximize each client's economic potential through customized initiatives, from marketing and branding solutions to facility design strategies. JMI Sports' signature collegiate multimedia rights partnerships include the University of Kentucky, the University of Utah, UCLA, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh, Harvard University, DePaul University, Columbia University, San Diego State University, University of California at San Diego, and joint-venture properties of the University of Georgia (with Learfield), and University of Notre Dame (with Legends). JMI Sports also represents multimedia rights for several conferences, including the Ivy League, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Patriot League and the Atlantic 10, and serves as third-party sales representation for premier sports properties, venues and events, including the Breeders' Cup, Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center, and the Penn Relays. JMI Sports was founded in 2006 by CEO Erik Judson and technology entrepreneur John Moores, former owner of the San Diego Padres. To learn more, please visit www.jmisports.com.

Media contacts:
Mike Mahoney
Penn Athletics
215.898.9232
mahoneyw@upenn.edu
 
Jill Donahoe
Saatchi & Saatchi
267.982.4023
jill.donahoe@saatchifield.com