INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) on Monday afternoon announced the 64-team field for its Division III Women’s Basketball Championship and Gustavus (22-4) is selected to face No. 5-ranked Simpson (25-1) in the first round on Friday, March 4, hosted by Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa.
Simpson earned an automatic bid as the playoff champion of the American Rivers Conference. The Storm defeated Luther and Wartburg in their league playoffs to advance to the national tournament.
The Gusties are in a four-team regional bracket that also includes Wisconsin Lutheran and UW-Oshkosh. The winners of Friday’s games play each other on Saturday. The top half of the eight-team pod includes host Gettysburg, SUNY Morrisville, Baldwin Wallace, and Salisbury. The NCAA sectionals are March 11-12 and the Final Four is March 17-19 in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Gustavus is making its first trip to the NCAA Championships since 2018 when it advanced to the Sweet 16, beating Rose-Hulman and UW-Whitewater before falling to Thomas More. This year’s national tourney berth is the eighth in program history for the Gusties, where they hold a 3-7 record. Simpson is making its 14th appearance at the NCAA Championships and first since 2013.