NCAA Bracket
ST. PAUL, MINN. – It has already been an exceptional and record setting year for the St. Catherine University softball team in 2016. On Monday afternoon at 12:03 p.m., it got even better. The Wildcats received one of 19 at large bids to the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division III Softball Tournament, the selection committee announced Monday afternoon.
St. Kate's will travel to Decorah, Iowa for a four team tournament hosted by Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Champion Luther College. The Wildcats, who will be the second seed in the regional, will play the Simpson College Storm (30-9) on Friday, May 13, to open the NCAA tournament. If St. Kate's wins, it will enter the winner's bracket to take on the winner of top-seeded Luther versus fourth seeded UW-Superior.
The Wildcats received the bid less than 15 minutes after the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its all-tournament team for the 2016 playoffs. St. Kate's had four individuals named to the team, including
Krista Flugstad (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson),
Megan Lindenfelser (Nowthen, Minn. / Anoka),
Kylie Macziewski (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson), and
Robyn Rohr (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville North). Macziewski also received the MAIC's Elite 22 Award, which is given to the student-athlete with the highest grade point average (GPA) playing in the MIAC Championship game.
The softball team is the first St. Kate's program to qualify for the NCAA tournament since tennis did so in 2004. Tennis also sent former Wildcat Victoria Bravo ('13) to the NCAA tournament as an individual in 2013.
The schedule for the Decorah Regional will be as follows:
Friday, May 8,
1:00 p.m. – No. 3 Simpson College vs. No. 2 St. Catherine (game 1)
3:30 p.m. – No. 4 UW-Superior vs. No. 1 Luther (game 2)
Saturday, May 9
11:00 a.m. – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (game 3)
1:30 p.m. – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser (game 4)
4:00 p.m. – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner (game 5)
Sunday, May 10
Noon – Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner (game 6)
2:30 p.m. – If necessary
