RiverHawks Receive NCAA At-Large Bid

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Northeastern State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Women's Championship Tournament it was announced on Sunday night by the NCAA Selection Committee.

The RiverHawks will take a 26-6 school record into the South Central Regional at Canyon, Texas, which begins play on Friday, March 12th, at West Texas A&M University's First United Bank Center.

It will be the RiverHawks' fifth NCAA Tournament appearance. The RiverHawks appeared in the Division II Tournament four consecutive years from 2003 through 2006. Northeastern advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2004.

Joining the RiverHawks in the South Central Regional are Lone Star Conference Tournament champions West Texas A&M, Washburn University, winners of the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament, and St. Mary's Texas, champions of the Heartland Conference Tournament, who received automatic bids.

Receiving at-large bids from the MIAA were Emporia State, Central Missouri State, with Northeastern State, Central Oklahoma and Tarleton State receiving at-large bids from the Lone Star Conference.

"We're excited about getting into the tournament," said Northeastern State head coach Randy Gipson. "We actually improved our seeding with our performance in the conference tournament.

"I'm encouraged and looking forward to playing in the tournament this weekend. The seeding we received reflects the body of work our team has done through the course of the year. Now we put that aside and prepare for the tournament," said Gipson.

Northeastern State moved from No. 4 to No. 3 in the final South Central Regional rankings and will play the University of Central Oklahoma the No. 7 seed on Friday, at 12:00 noon. Should the RiverHawks advance, its semifinal game will be played on Saturday, March 13, at 5:00 p.m., with the championship tilt slated for 7:00 p.m. Monday, March 15.

West Texas A&M (29-3) is the top seed and will play the No. 8 seed, St. Mary's Texas (21-7). Emporia State (24-5) is the No. 4 seed and will play the fifth seed Tarleton State (23-6) with Washburn University (25-3) the No. 2 seed playing No. 7 seed Central Missouri (18-11).

The semifinals will be played Saturday, March 13^th and the finals on Monday, March 14. The winner of the South Central Regional will advance to the Elite 8 on March 23rd in St. Joseph, Mo.

For a printable NCAA Division II Women's Championship bracket, please click here.