Sixteen teams embark on their quest for the Women’s Division III national championship this weekend, with the first two rounds of playoffs kicking off across four regional sites. Eight winners from Saturday’s Sweet Sixteen advance to Sunday’s quarterfinals, with the semifinalists punching their ticket to the final four in Houston.
At the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton, MA, top-ranked Endicott looms as the favorite against Bentley, an at-large selection out of the Rugby Northeast. Over the last three seasons, the Gulls are an impressive 26-1, going 10-0 to win the national championship in 2022, losing just once in 2023 (in the semifinals to eventual champion St. Bonaventure), and they sit at a perfect 7-0 this fall. Bentley finished the season runners-up to RNE champion Colby, losing a high-scoring shootout to the Mules, 47-40.
No. 6 Colby, whose only loss this fall is to varsity Bowdoin, draws Tri-State champion and ninth-ranked Siena in the opening round, with the winner playing either Endicott or Bentley Sunday. Siena conceded just three tries all fall, piling on the points en route to a 6-0 sweep of the Tri-State conference.
In Culpepper, VA, South Atlantic champion Lee takes on Eastern Penn champion East Stroudsburg in the opening round, and Christopher Newport plays SUNY Geneseo, with the winners meeting in Sunday’s quarterfinal.
The Flames are no strangers to the postseason, having been eliminated by the last two national champions. Lee lost to St. Bonaventure in the quarterfinals last fall, and in 2022 the Flames made it all the way to the championship game, beating ESU in the quarterfinals before coming up just short against Endicott. ESU is also making its third-straight trip to the postseason, falling in the first round last year. The Warriors won the Eastern Penn championship in emphatic fashion, shutting out Loyola (MD) 73-0.
Christopher Newport is making its first trip to the postseason, having won the Mid-Atlantic conference. The Captains went 3-1 this fall, with the only loss coming to DII playoff contestant William & Mary. Geneseo was unranked all season, until upsetting SUNY Plattsburgh in the Upstate NY semifinals. The Knights then avenged their lone loss of the season against Niagara to win the conference crown. Geneseo fell to the Purple Eagles, 31-12, back in October, but beat Niagara, 29-26, in the conference final.
Great Waters conference champion Wisconsin-Platteville is headed to the Fortress Obetz in Obetz, OH ranked second. The Pioneers are undefeated this fall, but not without being tested, tying Northwestern and besting LaCrosse by just a point. Platteville was resounding, however, in the conference championship match, beating a ranked Northern Michigan, 51-0. Drawing the Pioneers in the opening round is Loyola, runners-up in the EPRU.
Allegheny champion Gannon and Upstate runner-up Niagara will also meet in Obetz, with the winner facing either the Pioneers or Greyhounds in the quarterfinals. The Golden Knights are making their second straight trip to the playoffs, falling in the opening round last season, while the Purple Eagles are making their postseason debut under head coach Dave Chapman.
At the CPKC Training Complex in Kansas City, MO, Northern Michigan draws Colorado School of Mines in the opening round, and Wayne State faces off against the University of North Dakota. Despite the Wildcats and Fighting Hawks meeting last month, and North Dakota winning, Wayne State enters the postseason ranked third in the Coaches Poll, while UND rings in at No. 13.
Despite losing by a big margin in the Great Waters final, Northern Michigan is a formidable side with playoff experience, reaching the quarterfinals last year and the semifinals in 2022. The Colorado School of Mines scored two huge lopsided wins over Colorado College and the University of Denver, followed by a nailbiter over New Mexico State, 10-7, to claim the High Peaks title. The fourth-ranked Orediggers look poised to make a run in their first playoff appearance.
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