DIII Women’s Basketball Tournament: Which Metro Area Teams Are In?

The NCAA announced the Division III Women’s Basketball Championship bracket on Monday. 10 metropolitan area schools received bids and will participate in the national tournament, all seeking a national championship.

Of the 10 entries, eight were automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments. Two area schools will host first and second round games: DeSales and SUNY New Paltz. As much as possible, first and second round matchups are paired geographically.

Sixteen sites will host four teams for first and second-round competition Friday-Saturday, March 1-2. Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional-round sites March 8-9. Winners of the four sectional games will advance to the semi-finals and finals March 15 and 16. All games, except the semifinals/final, will be played on the campuses of competing institutions. The semifinals/final will be conducted at Cregger Center on the campus of Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, hosted by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and the City of Salem.

The 10 metropolitan area schools are competing in the 2019 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship….

DeSales Bulldogs

Record: 25-2 (14-0)

How they got here: Won the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Championship

Head Coach: Fred Richter

Leading Scorer: Senior G Leandra Sterner, 14.1 points per game

First Round Opponent/Location: Host School. vs Shenandoah

Eastern Connecticut State Warriors

Record: 19-8 (12-4)

How they got here: Won the Little East Conference Championship

Head Coach: Denise Bierly

Leading Scorer: Junior F Mya Villard, 15.9 points per game

First Round Opponent/Location: vs Johns Hopkins at Scranton University

Haverford Fords

Record: 21-6 (15-5)

How they got here: Won the Centennial Conference Championship

Head Coach: Bobbi Morgan

Leading Scorer: Senior G Macy Goldbach, 13.6 points per game

First Round Opponent/Location: vs Rosemont at Tufts.

Hunter Hawks

Record: 18-9 (15-1)

How they got here: Won the City University of New York Conference Championship

Head Coach: John Garrett

Leading Scorer: Senior G Jade Aponte, 19.0 points per game

First Round Opponent/Location: vs host school Bowdoin

Mount Saint Mary Knights

Record: 22-5 (18-0)

How they got here: Received at-large bid. Skyline Conference regular season champs.

Head Coach: Michael Coppolino

Leading Scorer: Senior C Kayla Cleare, 12.4 points per game

First Round Opponent/Location: vs Westfield State at Gettysburg

Rosemont Ravens

Record: 24-3 (16-0)

How they got here: Won the Colonial States Athletic Conference Championship

Head Coach: Rayne Reber

Leading Scorer: Senior C Ashley Murray, 16.1 points per game

First Round Opponent/Location: vs Mount Saint Mary at Tufts.

Rutgers-Newark Scarlet Raiders

Record: 16-12 (10-8)

How they got here: Won the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship

Head Coach: Ashley Cieplicki

Leading Scorer: Senior G Faith Ashby, 17.6 points per game

First Round Opponent/Location: vs host school SUNY New Paltz

SUNY New Paltz Hawks

Record: 23-4 (17-1)

How they got here: Won the State University of New York Athletic Conference Championship

Head Coach: Jamie Seward

Leading Scorer: Senior G Rachel Simon, 18.8 points per game

First Round Opponent/Location: Host school, vs Rutgers-Newark

United States Merchant Marine Academy Mariners

Record: 22-3 (16-2)

How they got here: Won the Skyline Conference Championship

Head Coach: Matt Dempsey

Leading Scorer: Freshman C/F Lauren Hunter, 17.1 points per game

First Round Opponent/Location: vs Smith at Bowdoin

Vassar Brewers

Record: 21-6 (14-4)

How they got here: Received at-large bid.

Head Coach: Candice Signor-Brown

Leading Scorer: Junior F Sophie Nick, 15.9 points per game

First Round Opponent/Location: vs SUNY Geneseo at Amherst