HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 4, 2009) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women’s basketball team is excited to have advanced for the first-time ever to the NCAA Division III Championship. Having claimed its first Empire 8 title with a thrilling 59-57 win over Ithaca College this past weekend, the Ducks have earned an automatic bid into this year’s tournament and will face-off against the Capital Athletic Conference Champion, University of Mary Washington in the opening round on Friday at 6 p.m. A fan bus will be provided for all that are interested in watching the Ducks compete as New York University will play as the first-round host.
The fan bus will be provided for all that wish to go and it will be FREE of Charge!!! It will depart from Jonas Hall on Friday at 4 p.m. You must call or email Executive Assistant for Athletics Laurie Kwiatkowski at 201-216-5627 Laurie.Kwiatkowski@stevens.edu by 11 a.m. on Thursday to reserve a seat. Without a reservation you will not be allowed on. The bus will take you to and from the NYU campus. Get out and show your school spirit!
Stevens currently stands with an overall record of 22-5. The Ducks edged out a win over Utica College in the semifinal round of the league championship last Friday to set the stage for a matchup against the first-seeded Bombers. Stevens, who fell twice by a total of three points in its first two meetings, exploded out of the gate with an indescribable energy that the Ducks maintained for the full 40 minutes of play. Freshman guard Melissa Collier was named the tournament Most Valuable Player as she led the Ducks with 19 points, seven boards and helped to secure the win when she drilled a pair of free-throws to give Stevens a four-point advantage with 7.8 seconds remaining.
The Eagles of Mary Washington won their third-straight CAC title with a 67-56 win over No. 5 York College to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth-straight year. Mary Washington is currently 23-5 on the season.
Captain’s Outlook
Senior captain Dani Dudek and juniors Brittany Fuller and Sarah Gehring have displayed great leadership in the face of adversity. A team that started the season with 16 student-athletes on its roster is now down to nine active players. Due to strong guidance of its captain core and resilient play by its underclassmen, Stevens has battled tough all season long en route to its first NCAA appearance.
“I am so excited for this weekend. Our team has been through many ups and downs this year and we have persevered through it all. I am so proud of my teammates for this season and can’t thank them enough for working so hard and helping me to achieve my ultimate team goal of going to the NCAA’s for the first time in school history. We are looking forward to our opportunity to play this weekend, but would like to continue making history.” – Senior point guard Dani Dudek
“This season has been full of obstacles, but we have stuck together and gotten through them. We all can’t wait to continue on together this weekend to a couple more big wins.” – Junior guard Sarah Gehring
“We are all extremely excited to have made it to the NCAA Tournament, but now that we’ve made it we are definitely focused on winning some more games and adding onto our accomplishments.” – Junior forward Brittany Fuller
Make sure you take advantage of the fan bus that departs at 4 p.m. on Stevens’ campus. We are looking for a great turnout by family, friends, alumni and Stevens’ students. All are welcome to ride the bus. NCAA merchandise will be sold at NYU the day of the game. Media coverage of the game will feature livestats as well as a running commentary of the contest.
