Worcester, MA – March Madness is alive and well within the Consortium as several men’s and women’s basketball teams enjoyed memorable seasons this winter.
The hoopla reached epic proportions at the College of the Holy Cross where both the men’s and women’s teams each won the Patriot League championship to earn automatic bids in the Division I NCAA Tournament. The men’s team finished the season 25-8 overall, won the league tournament title for the fifth time in school history, and shared the league’s regular season crown with Bucknell. The Crusaders ended the season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a hard-fought 61-51 loss to Southern Illinois in Columbus, OH.
The Holy Cross women also turned in quite a storybook season. The Crusaders struggled during the regular season but regrouped for the Patriot League Tournament where as the third seed they defeated Lafayette, Lehigh, and American to capture the 11th title in program history. Bucknell and Army, the top two seeds in the Patriot League Tournament, were upset in the quarterfinals. The Crusaders finished the season 15-18 overall and fell to top-seeded Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Raleigh, NC.
Just across town at WPI, the men’s and women’s teams also enjoyed tremendous success. The men’s team posted a 22-4 record, advanced to the Division III NCAA Tournament, and won the regular season title in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC). The Engineers fell 68-57 to Stevens in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Ramapo College in Mahwah, NJ. The season was especially memorable for senior guard Ryan Cain as he was named NEWMAC Player of the Year and finished his career with a school-record 1,813 points. He also garnered the Jostens Trophy, a national award that honors the outstanding male and female athletes in Division III basketball.
The WPI women’s team capped a terrific 23-7 season by defeating Nichols, Endicott and Wheaton to win the ECAC Division III New England Championship. WPI won the NEWMAC regular season title but fell just short of a berth in the Division III NCAA Tournament by suffering a loss to Mount Holyoke in the conference championship game.
The success continued to flow on West Boylston Street where the men’s and women’s teams at Quinsigamond Community College (QCC) each turned in impressive seasons. The men’s team captured the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III Region 21 title and advanced to the NJCAA national tournament in Delhi, NY for the first time in school history. In the national tournament, the Chiefs downed defending national champion North Lake in their opening game but fell to eventual national champion Sullivan County Community College in the second round. The Chiefs finished the season with a 28-7 overall record and placed fifth at the national tournament.
The women’s team at QCC went 15-12 overall but fell to Holyoke Community College in the final of the NJCAA Division III Region 21 championship to finish in second place for the region.