(L-R): Carly Perusek, Ava Ryncarz, Graci Semptimphelter, Brooke Laub, Carmen Heuker
The Blue Streaks will host the First and Second Rounds on Friday and Saturday in the DeCarlo Center
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS –  For the first time in school history, John Carroll Women's Basketball will host the NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Streaks check into the postseason with a 24-4 overall record and at #9 in the final NPI rankings. Impressive wins over strong teams ensured JCU's spot as a host school.
John Carroll will host The College of New Jersey in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center at 8 pm. SUNY New Paltz and Immaculata University will play in the other opening round contest in University Heights beforehand at 5:30 pm. The winner of each game will meet in the Second Round on Saturday at 8 pm.
Full Bracket
The DeCarlo Center has played host to 17 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament games, most recently in 2024. But the JCU Women's Basketball squad has never hosted before. The Blue Streaks enter with a 13-2 home record this season.
This will be the fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history for JCU. The Blue Streaks last made the postseason four years ago, also under Head Coach Beth Andrews '15, reaching the Second Round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. All-time, the Blue Streaks are 2-4 in the big dance.
In the latest D3hoops.com poll, the Blue Streaks checked in at #10. In the last WBCA coaches poll, the Blue & Gold stood at #11. John Carroll lost the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship on Saturday, dropping to DePauw University, 64-59. Over the course of the season, the Blue Streaks notched five wins over tournament teams: Baldwin Wallace, DePauw (twice), and Ohio Wesleyan (twice), including a 61-49 win over #13 OWU in the NCAC Semifinal.Â
John Carroll's 24 wins are most in a season in program history. The Blue Streaks sport one of the top 3-point shooting lineups in the country. Ava Ryncarz ranks top 10 in NCAA Division III in 3-pointers attempts and 3-pointers made while Graci Semptimphelter is top 10 in 3-point percentage.Â
The Blue Streaks have never before played any of the three teams in the pod.
The College of New Jersey enters with a 17-10 overall record, fresh off a 78-55 upset win over #23 William Paterson in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament Championship. The Lions last won the NJAC title in 2009 and have not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2018. TCNJ are rated #117 in the NPI rankings. The Lions have a 6-hour, 45-minute drive ahead, located 448 miles away from JCU.
SUNY New Paltz sport a 25-2 overall record. The Hawks carry a #22 ranking in both the D3hoops.com Top 25 and the NPI ratings. New Paltz bested Cortland, 56-52, in the SUNYAC (State University of New York Athletic Conference) Tournament Championship. The Hawks won the program's eighth SUNYAC title in its last season in the conference. New Paltz will bring in a 17-game winning streak into the tournament. Interestingly enough, the Hawks' Men's Basketball team traveled to JCU for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Hawks have a 7-hour, 20-minute drive, located 477 miles from JCU.
Immaculata University checks in with a 24-3 record, winners of 16 straight. The Mighty Macs rolled in the Atlantic East finals over Marywood University, 74-49, on Saturday. Immaculata won the Atlantic East title for a second straight season. Immaculata stands #65 in the NPI ratings. Last year, the Mighty Macs lost at Ohio Wesleyan, 87-42, in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Just outside of Philadelphia, Immaculata has a 6-hour bus trip, located 398 miles from JCU.
Ticket information and much more to follow.
