HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 27, 2023) – For the second time in program history, the Stevens Institute of Technology women's basketball team earned a Pool 'C at-large berth to the NCAA Division III National Championship, the NCAA announced Monday in its selection show.

No. 21 Stevens will head to Newport News, Virginia to take on No. 18 Elizabethtown College Friday, March 3rd at 6 p.m. as part of a four-team regional pod hosted by No. 1/1 Christopher Newport University. The nationally-ranked Captains will take on Brooklyn College in the other opening-round contest. The Ducks were one of 19 teams to receive an at-large berth to the national tournament. Stevens will be making its sixth all-time appearance in the national tournament and the first since 2018. The Ducks last received an at-large berth in 2015.

"So happy for our team," head coach Megan Haughey said. "All the hard work this group has put into the season, they earned this! We are excited to make the trip to Virginia and look forward to a great matchup with Elizabethtown!"

At 22-5, Stevens tied for the fourth-most wins in program history and the Ducks' .815 winning percentage is tied for the best mark in team history. Stevens advanced to the MAC Freedom title game for the second straight season and the program earned its first-ever ranking in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association DIII poll. The Ducks enter the tournament ninth in the country in field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 31.6% from the floor and to 22.5% from behind the arc, which also ranks ninth. Graduate student Jess Broad leads the team with 15 points per game, while junior Elissa Nsenkyire adds 13.2. Graduate student Amber Porrett led the MAC Freedom with a career-high 9.5 rebounds per game and first-year guard Leyla Castro topped the conference with a 3.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. 

Elizabethtown (22-4) also received an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament after falling in the Landmark Conference title game. The Blue Jays (22-4) rank second in the country in 3-point field-goal percentage (38.1%) and fourth in field-goal percentage (46.3%). Elizabethtown, who is making its 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, is averaging 74.8 points per game, which led the Landmark. Individually, Summer McNulty leads the team with 18.2 points per game, while DaniRae Renno is scoring at a 14.5 points per game clip to go along with a team-leading 8.2 rebounds. Sharpshooter Cyleigh Wilson ranks third in Division III, shooting 43.7% from behind the arc (59 of 135).

The Ducks and the Blue Jays will be meeting for just the second time in their history and for the first time since Nov. 18, 2017. 

Looking ahead, the winner of Elizabethtown-Stevens faces the winner of the Christopher Newport-Brooklyn game Saturday.

Christopher Newport (26-0) will host an NCAA regional for the sixth time since the 2001-02 season after topping University of Mary Washington 75-56 in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference final. The Captains have made six straight trips to the second weekend of the national tournament and are making their 23rd all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament after winning their fourth straight conference championship. Preseason All-American Sondra Fan leads the team with 14.3 points per game and Anaya Simmons, who leads Division III with a 67.7 percent field-goal percentage, is averaging 13.8 points and eight rebounds per game.

Brooklyn (19-7) won its third straight City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Championship by defeating John Jay College 64-58 in the title game for the program's fourth CUNYAC crown in the last five seasons. The Bulldogs rank ninth nationally in steals per game and rank 23rd in scoring offense, averaging 75 points per game. Gianna Gotti ranks second nationally in steals with 148 and is eighth in Division III in scoring with 22 points per game. The Bulldogs and the Captains will be meeting for the first time.

The Ducks are making their fourth trip to the national tournament under Haughey.

Ticket prices will be $15 for chairback and $10 for general admission and for those unable to make the trip, links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.

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