NCAA Bracket

GLASSBORO, NJ – The Rowan University field hockey team will travel to Messiah College for the second and third rounds of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament on Saturday and Sunday, November 14 and 15.

On Saturday, Rowan plays the winner of the first round game between Lebanon Valley College and Wittenberg University at 2 p.m. Prior, the first round winner of the Eastern University and Stevens Institute of Technology faces Messiah College at 11 a.m. The first round games are scheduled for Wednesday, November 11.

The two second round winners meet in the third round on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. The semifinals and final of the national tournament are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, November 21 and 22 at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA.

Rowan has an overall record of 14-4. The field hockey team received an automatic bid to the national tournament as the New Jersey Athletic Conference champion. This is Rowan’s 17th appearance and fifth straight in the NCAA tournament. The Profs won the national championship in 2002 and finished the season undefeated with a 21-0 record. Rowan advanced to the national semifinals in 1998 and 2000 and the quarterfinals in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008. Last year, Rowan defeated Trinity College, 5-4 (1OT) in the second round and lost to Messiah, 2-1 (2OT) in the third.

Lebanon Valley (17-3) and Wittenberg (12-5) both received at-large bids to the tournament. It is Lebanon Valley’s 15th trip to nationals and fifth straight. Wittenberg is in the NCAAs for the eighth time and the first since 2004. Eastern (17-4) and Stevens (17-3) earned automatics as the Freedom Conference and Empire 8 champions respectively. This is Eastern’s second straight appearance and fifth overall to the NCAA tournament. Stevens made its first ever trip to the postseason last season.

Messiah (19-0) is making its 23rd appearance in the NCAA Championship Tournament. The Falcons have finished second six times (2006, 2005, 2002, 2001, 1995, 1984) and they were third six times. Last year, Messiah lost to Tufts University, 5-2 in the semifinals. The Falcons won the Commonwealth Conference title for an automatic bid to this year’s tournament.