GREENVILLE, Pa., March 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Werner Ladder announced today that it is continuing its partnerships with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and CBS Sports, as well as new partner Turner Sports, to be the "Official Ladder of the NCAA® Basketball Championships." Werner is also the official ladder, and corporate partner, of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

(Photo:  https://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090330/PH90744 )

The special ladders are made exclusively for the NCAA® and are used by the winning teams during the post game net-cutting ceremonies. A uniquely sized 9 ft. fiberglass stepladder, it provides easy access to the net for the winning players and coaches. The HolsterTop™ features a built-in magnetic strip to safely secure the scissors used to cut down the nets in all NCAA opening round games, the NCAA® Men's Final Four® in Houston and the NCAA® Women's Final Four® in Indianapolis, as well as the Division II & III Championship games.

This year, the games will be aired on CBS Sports and Time Warner-owned Turner Sports (via TBS, TNT and TruTV), making it the first time in history that every game will be telecast nationally.

"We look forward to seeing the men and women climb the Werner ladders during the Final Four events in Houston and Indianapolis. The net-cutting ceremony has become an exciting and rewarding tradition for the winning teams, and Werner Ladder is proud to be an integral part of their climb to the top," said Chris Filardi, Vice President, Senior Vice President of Marketing.

In support of the partnership, Werner Ladder donates $1,000 to the general scholarship fund of every school in this year's Men's and Women's Final Four – to support all students who set their sights on winning both in the classroom and in competition. "Werner is honored to have this opportunity to support these student-athletes, and be a part of the great NCAA tradition," concludes Filardi.

Werner is also running the Rise Above The Rest Sweepstakes in which one lucky winner will walk away with an official Werner NCAA® Basketball Championship replica ladder. Entries are being accepted at: http://riseabove.wernerladder.com.

A full selection of Werner ladders for both consumers and professionals are available at Lowe's, an Official Corporate Partner of the NCAA®, and at www.Lowes.com, as well as most professional, hardware and paint retailers nationwide.

ABOUT WERNER LADDER COMPANY: Werner Co. is America's #1 brand in ladders and a world leader in the manufacturing and distribution of ladders, climbing equipment and ladder accessories for Werner, Green Bull, Keller, and other licensed brands. Backed by over 60 years of product innovation, Werner leads the industry with its commitment to the design and manufacture of quality products that meet or exceed applicable Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) codes and standards for strength and structural integrity. Werner is headquartered in Greenville, Pennsylvania. For more information about Werner Co., please visit www.wernerladder.com.

About the NCAA 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. The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners— Buick, Enterprise, The Hartford, Infiniti, LG, Lowe's, Planters, Reese's, Unilever and UPS.

[NCAA, Final Four, and Women's Final Four are trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.]

Further information is available at www.wernerladder.com

SOURCE Werner Co.