The NCAA Division III national championship tournament is underway with 11 teams vying for the title, including last year's champion Gustavus Adolphus.
The NCAA Division III national championship tournament is underway with 11 teams vying for the title, including last year's champion Gustavus Adolphus.
The NCAA Division III national championships open today with 11 teams competing for the 21st title in NCAA DIII history.
One team from seven conferences received automatic bids including Western New England, Elmira, Middlebury, SUNY Cortland, Nazareth, Adrian, and last year's national champions Gustavus Adolphus. Selected to join this group were Wisconsin-River Falls, Amherst, Hamilton, and Plattsburgh State.
Can Gustavus Adolphus Repeat?
There will be a lot of emotion for Gustavus Adolphus returning to the national championship tournament this year. Following their title last season, Gustavus Adolphus tragically lost one of their teammates in a car crash involving four members of their team, which claimed the life of goaltender Jori Jones.
On the ice, the Gusties will be led by back-to-back Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year Hailey Holland, who recorded 18 goals and 30 points in 26 games this season. All-American netminder Kate McCoy will be a puzzle to solve for opponents after posting an eye popping 0.89 GAA and .947 save percentage along with a 21-4-0 record this season. Gustavus Adolphus enters as the third ranked team nationally.
Top Ranked Wisconsin-River Falls Bring The Firepower
When you have three of the top five scorers nationally, teams will pay attention to your offense. That's the case for the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Maddie McCollins led NCAA Division III in scoring with 32 goals and 62 points in 28 games for Wisconsin-River Falls, followed by teammates Megan Goodreau and Alex Hantge who were the fourth and fifth leading scorers in the nation. Wisconsin-River Falls defender Makenna Aure was second in the nation in scoring by defenders with 32 points in 28 games. Wisconsin-River Falls was the only undefeated team in the nation finishing with a 28-0-0 record this season.
National Team Members Speckle Tournament
We're not talking about Canada or the USA, but there are national team members speckling the NCAA DIII national tournament. Norway's Une Bjelland Strandborg who plays for Adrian College was second in the nation in scoring with 57 points in 29 games and will be a player to watch at the tournament this week, and as she transitions back to European pro leagues next season. Similarly, Nazareth's Ingrid Holstad Berge has represented Norway at the World Championships, and scored 21 points in 28 games with Nazareth this season. Also playing for Nazareth is Team Australia member Nikki Sharp, who is an NCAA DIII rookie this season. Sharp came to North America two seasons ago playing at prep high schools before moving to Nazareth this season where she recorded 15 points in 25 games.
The NCAA Division III tournament opens March 6 and runs until the national championship game on March 17.